Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are both enjoying their first full rookie season in Formula 1, with Haas and Mercedes respectively.
Both drivers have faced challenges in their maiden season in the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport, as to be expected when thrust into the spotlight as teenagers.
Bearman has been noted to have made ‘stupid mistakes’ in his rookie season, with a crash in the entry to the pit lane at the British Grand Prix serving as a cringeworthy moment for the young star.
Despite this, Bearman could be first in line for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari seat if he does decide to call it quits in the near future.
2025 F1 rookie standings (excluding any grid penalties)
Antonelli has had a similar start to his F1 career, with the lights at the Mercedes works team often being too bright for the 18-year-old to handle.
The young Italian has faced pressure after a string of sub-optimal performances. Antonelli was recently defended by George Russell, who noted that his teammate’s pace isn’t too far from his own, despite the large gap in the drivers’ standings.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
Sebastian Montoya claims that he was faster than Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli in previous championships
In a live edition of MontoyAS in Bogota, Juan Pablo Montoya was joined by his son Sebastian and fielded some questions about both of their journeys in single-seater racing throughout the years.
The youngster was asked about the possibility of his future aspirations, to which he referenced his previous experience of racing alongside Bearman and Antonelli in other junior categories as a benchmark.
“To be honest, especially over the last few weekends, I’ve realised that it can be done, especially with the rookie drivers this year,” Montoya Jr said. “Bortoleto was my teammate, and I was able to go faster than him.
“Antonelli was my teammate, and I was much faster than him. Bearman, I raced against him, and I was able to beat him. I was able to beat him when we were more or less on equal footing with the same engine.
“When he wasn’t using trickery, I beat him, and when he was using trickery, I gave him a fight. So when that happens to you, you say, “Hey, I can do it. If they can do it, why can’t I?” And that’s a mentality that sometimes, to tell you the truth, I forget.”
The ‘trickery’ that Montoya mentions is in reference to Bearman’s disqualification from a Formula 4 round in 2021 due to non-compliant engine infringement. The British driver dominated that year’s championship, winning 11 races on his way to the title.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know
Could we see Sebastian Montoya racing in F1 one day?
Boasting a fairly average CV in the single-seater feeder series, Montoya will need an extremely impressive end to the 2025 Formula 2 championship and equally impressive campaign next season to stand a chance of racing in F1 anytime soon.
The Colombian driver is currently in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, with three podiums to his name after 20 races.
Montoya made the move up to F2 this season following two years in the Formula 3 championship, where he finished his best season in 16th place with one podium under his belt.
The results are a far cry from the Colombian’s claims that he was faster than Bortoleto, Bearman and Antonelli; the three rookie F1 drivers all took wins in Formula 2 and Formula 3 on their rise to F1.
As well as that, F1 fans have tipped Antonelli to become a future F1 champion following his maiden podium in F1, which came at the Canadian Grand Prix in June.