F1’s next generation: 10 best young drivers under the age of 21 – ranked

Jamie Woodhouse 14 Aug 2024 9:00 AM

Isack Hadjar, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Arvid Lindblad.

The competition for a place on the Formula 1 grid is only going to heat up further in future, with some serious talent ready to join the battle.

But, it is time to get really picky and not only narrow it down to the 10 most outrageously talented young racers out there at age 21 or under, but also find that U21 star who shines brightest. Let’s get to it!

Ranking the top 10 racing drivers under age of 21

10. Tuukka Taponen

Formula 1 has been graced by the presence of several brilliant flying Finns over the years, the likes of Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen, Keke Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas coming to mind. Could Tuukka Taponen one day add his name to the list?

The Ferrari-backed 17-year-old has muscled his way into the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship title fight, taking four wins so far this season, and at Spa-Francorchamps, the reigning Formula Regional Middle East Champion made his Formula 3 debut and left a positive impression on the paddock as he finished P14 in the sprint.

A full F3 campaign likely awaits for the Ferrari prospect next season, as he continues to turn heads.

9. Nolan Siegel

With Logan Sargeant looking likely to drop off the Formula 1 grid after 2024, his Williams seat to be taken by Carlos Sainz, the search will resume for another breakout American star with the potential to one day make waves in F1. Does that potential reside in IndyCar’s hot prospect Nolan Siegel?

After claiming P3 in the 2023 Indy NXT standings, Siegel truly put his name on the map by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 class with United Autosports alongside Oliver Jarvis and Bijoy Garg, that being Siegel’s very first attempt at the iconic event. This talented young American is one to watch.

8. Rafael Câmara

Consistency is key! A phrase which certainly applies to motor racing and also, to the young career of 19-year-old Brazilian Rafael Câmara, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and one of their strongest assets.

Since starting his single-seater racing journey, Câmara has only once finished outside of the top three in championship standings. And that does not look like changing anytime soon, with Câmara holding a 50-point lead over Taponen at the top of the Formula Regional European Championship order.

Keep this trend up of taking to a new series like a duck to water, and Câmara is well along the path to Formula 1.

7. Théo Pourchaire

A driver on the cusp of a F1 breakthrough for many years, Pourchaire remains one of the most talented young drivers in the world as he approaches his 21st birthday.

With three-and-a-bit seasons of Formula 2 – including that 2023 title-winning year – in his back pocket, plus some IndyCar races and a Super Formula outing, Pourchaire offers a huge amount of talent and experience for a driver still so young, and remains a contender to join the F1 2025 grid with Sauber.

Arguably a super talent lost in the shuffle considering how motor sport moves so fast – pun intended – Pourchaire is not a driver to be forgotten.

6. Gabriel Bortoleto

We complete the first-half of this ranking with another apparent Sauber F1 2025 contender in the shape of F2 2024 title challenger Gabriel Bortoleto.

The 19-year-old Brazilian, a part of McLaren’s driver programme, is looking to emulate the likes of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri by winning the F3 and F2 titles back-to-back, and it is no surprise to hear that Bortoleto has reportedly caught the attention of new Sauber chief Mattia Binotto.

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5. Oliver Bearman

Coming in at number five is a driver who we will see on the Formula 1 grid full-time in 2025, as Ferrari-backed Oliver Bearman prepares to make the step up with Haas.

While Bearman’s second season in F2 has been borderline disastrous, Prema struggling at times to get to grips with the new generation F2 car, the 19-year-old Brit has taken his opportunities elsewhere when they mattered most.

Not only has he impressed Haas in his FP1 outings for the team across the last two seasons, but he also wowed in his F1 debut with Ferrari, claiming P7 at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix where he replaced Carlos Sainz who required appendix surgery.

Regardless, eyebrows have been raised by some over Bearman’s promotion – including from Sky F1 pundit Naomi Schiff – due to his poor F2 results in 2024, but as his Ferrari debut showed, plus the fact that Bearman is an Italian and ADAC F4 Champion, oh and he won four races in his rookie F2 campaign – this kid has talent!

4. Kimi Antonelli

And despite Prema’s F2 2024 struggles, it appears that both of their drivers are set to graduate to F1 with Bearman’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli seemingly poised to become Lewis Hamilton’s F1 2025 replacement at Mercedes.

Antonelli has enjoyed by far the stronger results of the Prema drivers, a Silverstone sprint and Hungary feature race win boosting his points tally nicely to leave him P7 in the standings with four rounds of the season still to go.

While the title looks out of reach, runner-up remains possible with a strong run to the end of the season, one in which Antonelli has perhaps not dazzled to the level many had expected.

But considering the pressure he has had to withstand from that Mercedes speculation – which he admitted weighed hard on him – plus the car struggles and skipping F3 completely to become the youngest in the F2 field – Antonelli has done an extremely good job.

And to face all of that and still be towards the sharp end of the F2 standings, the former Italian and ADAC F4, plus Formula Regional European and Middle East Champion Antonelli has shown exactly why Mercedes are so excited about the prospect they have in their ranks.

3. Freddie Slater

But the first to make our U21 sensations podium is a young Brit who is absolutely terrorising his peers in Italian F4. Freddie Slater is something special.

A multi-time champion in karting, Slater arrived on the Italian F4 scene in style last year, delivering four points finishes out of six races as he contested the last two rounds of the season. But in 2024, Slater has won a remarkable 11 of the 15 races, while it would have been 12 if he were not stripped of the Imola race one win due to a front wing irregularity on his Prema.

Demolishing the likes of Prema team-mates Alex Powell and Kean Nakamura-Berta – backed by Mercedes and Alpine respectively – Slater is a driver whose progress should be watched with great interest.

Having taken the unconventional route of declining backing from F1 academies, instead continuing to put his faith in ADD Management – who also have F1 2024 title contender Lando Norris on their books – this adds an extra layer of intrigue to the exciting Freddie Slater.

2. Arvid Lindblad

And now we move into our top two with Red Bull’s Arvid Lindblad, the 17-year-old Brit who has earned the praise of both Red Bull driver programme boss Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner.

Despite skipping the Formula Regional stage, Lindblad has transitioned from Italian F4 to F3 in remarkable fashion and goes into the final round of the season at Monza very much in title contention. He sits P4 in the standings, 16 points behind leader Leonardo Fornaroli.

With Red Bull looking to transition their second F1 team VCARB back to serving as the junior squad, a clear pathway onto the grid could open up for Lindblad in the coming years, who Marko has declared has “Formula 1 quality”.

1. Isack Hadjar

But Lindblad is pipped to our P1 spot by another Red Bull prospect who has got that Marko seal of approval in the form of 19-year-old Frenchman Isack Hadjar, leader of the 2024 Formula 2 Championship.

Despite misfortune like the technical issues encountered in both Jeddah races, Hadjar still finds himself 36 points clear at the top of the F2 standings, with four race wins achieved, plus three further podiums, in his second F2 campaign.

Hadjar has muscled his way firmly into Red Bull’s plans for 2025. Could that come in the form of a VCARB seat? If not next season, Hadjar’s shot surely cannot be too far away.