As 2022 hurtles towards its conclusion, it is time to take a look at 11 top young drivers who promise to be future stars of F1.
In a year where competition across junior single-seater categories has never been more fearsome, there has been plenty of positivity around various young drivers who have impressed with some quality drives and mature performances.
Regardless of whether they are linked to F1 junior programmes or not, these 11 outstanding drivers have all proved above others why they certainly have promise of becoming future stars of F1.
Oliver Bearman (Great Britain)
Since he featured in our roundup of must-watch young talents in August 2021, Oliver Bearman – otherwise nicknamed Ollie – has since won 2021 ADAC & Italian F4 titles plus finished third in 2022 F3 whilst he also joined Ferrari’s Young Driver Academy last winter.
Bearman however encountered a tough 2022 F3 season which was beset with plenty of undeserved bad luck in an uncharacteristically tough season for PREMA, yet he showed strong consistency once he had adapted and crucially from various rookie mistakes across the campaign.
It also shouldn’t be forgotten that Bearman also beat his more-experienced F3 teammates – Arthur Leclerc and Jak Crawford in the standings as he finished in third place, which underlines his huge potential because he hasn’t put much wrong aside from those natural rookie mistakes.
Bearman therefore remains a driver worth monitoring as he climbs the motorsport ladder with a seat in F2 at PREMA now confirmed for next season.
Alex Dunne (Ireland)
At just 16 years-old, Dunne has quickly established himself as a rising star of British motorsport with 14 wins across British F4 and Italian F4 in 2022, of which 11 came in British F4 alone as he dominated the series from start to finish amidst tough competition from Oliver Gray.
Dunne has also delivered 12 pole positions in total this season, underlining his raw speed across both single-lap and race pace which certainly caught the eye of Ferrari who chose to invite him to a scouting camp this autumn.
The future therefore is certainly bright for Dunne as he now prepares to step up to GB3 with Hitech GP for 2023 season, as the British team look to take another driver to the title for a second consecutive season next year.
Luke Browning (Great Britain)
Having clinched the 2020 British F4 title, Luke Browning encountered a difficult 2021 season as he juggled multiple categories but 2022 saw him return to his best with a single-focused season in GB3.
That decision ultimately proved fruitful for the 20 year-old because despite taking just five wins – of which all came from pole position and he took four fastest laps alongside four of those five victories, underlining just how unbeatable he can be when given the right car and scenario to be at his best.
Consistency though was what won Browning the title ahead of Joel Granfors with eight further podium finishes, plus a series of strong drives through the field in the final race of each round to earn 49 bonus points in total although those five wins ultimately proved the most important.
Browning though is keeping his plans for 2023 close to his chest but expect him to be a driver to watch on the single-seater ladder over the coming seasons.
Zak O’Sullivan (Great Britain)
Having arrived in F3 with Carlin – of whom guided him to 2021 GB3 title, Zak O’Sullivan certainly laid down a strong debut marker with reverse-pole for the opening Sprint Race where he valliantly battled to sixth against drivers in stronger teams.
The 17 year-old driver who is part of Williams’ Academy however was able to show his potential when given the right set-up and racing opportunities – given Carlin’s relative inconsistency, which is underlined by the fact that he brought home 54 of the team’s 57 points this season.
In percentage terms, that is 94.74% of Carlin’s overall points haul delivered by one driver and is much larger than the points haul that O’Sullivan’s fellow Williams’ Academy member – Logan Sargeant delivered for Charouz in 2021 by 14.43%
O’Sullivan therefore deserves huge credit for what he has achieved this season in a midfield team, especially when you consider he finished 11th overall in his rookie season – which is just four positions worse than Sargeant managed for Charouz last season in which he also took a win in his third F3 campaign.
It is no wonder PREMA handed O’Sullivan a seat for the post-season test and with his two teammates for that test – Dino Beganovic plus Paul Aron already confirmed for next season alongside him, O’Sullivan now has the opportunity to maximise his experience and fight for the title in 2023.
Victor Martins (France)
Consistency sums up Victor Martins’ title-winning season in F3 because despite his two wins coming in two of the three opening rounds, he drove with such maturity to control the championship with just four non-points finishes – even when under pressure from his title rivals.
Four of his six podium finishes also crucially came in the Feature Race which underlines his quality in the important races, whilst he was also able to improve from his starting positions in five of the seven reverse Sprint Races that he finished.
That overall consistency and mature driving consequently was enough for him to secure the title even without taking one pole position across the season, whilst also comfortably outperforming his teammates who struggled for form.
F2 surely is now on the horizon for the Alpine junior especially with Frederik Vesti having departed ART GP for PREMA, whilst Theo Pourchaire’s plans are currently unclear.
Zane Maloney (Barbados)
Known as the ‘Boy from Barbados’, Zane Maloney has quietly established himself as a future talent after enjoying a contrastable rookie season in F3.
The first half of his campaign saw Maloney struggle for consistency yet he seemed to find his feet from the Austrian Feature Race onwards, with podiums in the last four Feature Races and just two non-points finishes in his last nine races to remarkably snatch the vice-champion honour.
Maloney though is only 19 years-old with plenty of potential for further growth so he definitely will be a driver to watch out for in the next few years, especially now that he has had a sample of F2 machinery at the season finale and secured Red Bull backing for next season.
Felipe Drugovich (Brazil)
Having returned to MP Motorsport after just one season with Virtuosi, Felipe Drugovich delivered one of the most dominant F2 seasons in years with plenty of brilliant drives – especially with a rare double win in Spain and a fierce defence to take victory in Monaco from title rival, Theo Pourchaire.
Such was Drugovich’s consistency this season, he only failed to score points on three occasions – of which all three non-points finsihes came about due to mistakes beyond his control – although he did manage to take fastest lap point in the Dutch Sprint despite finishing outside the top-eight points positions.
It is therefore little surprise that he was crowned champion because his consistency this season in F2 has been unrivalled, whilst a move to become Reserve Driver at Aston Martin will certainly benefit him if he can continue to make developmental progress at the rate that he is.
Jack Doohan (Australia)
Having enjoyed a solid transition from F3 into F2 at end of the 2021 season, Jack Doohan has certainly established himself as a future F1 talent with fantastic raw and race speed which he demonstrated in two F1 FP1 sessions at end of season and three F2 poles.
His rookie F2 campaign though has certainly proven challenging with a lot of bad luck preventing him from fulfilling his potential, especially after getting involved in various collisions across the campaign whilst mechanical issues also hasn’t help his cause much.
Doohan though should take heart from his progress across the season plus those impressive FP1 runs in F1, heading into next season where he surely will be a serious title contender if he can convert his qualifying form into strong race results and wins.
The support of Alpine also will be important in helping Doohan make strides in 2023 but at 19 years old, this Australian driver is certainly bound to end up in F1 soon if he continues to deliver on his potential.
Oliver Goethe (Denmark)
Having blitzed EuroFormula with top-six results across 26 races spread over nine rounds to win the title, 18 year-old Oliver Goethe has established himself as a top future talent on the road to F1.
This season also saw Goethe make two guest appearances in F3 with Campos in which he made a huge splash as he outqualified both teammates, whilst also showing some top racecraft against a mixture of more experienced drivers and rookies in stronger teams.
Goethe also made huge strides in the F3 post-season test with Trident as he improved across all three days of running, so there is little doubt that he will be one to watch next season following his permanent move into F3 with the Italian team.
Dino Beganovic (Sweden)
Aged just 18 years-old, Beganovic has established himself as one of the Nordic region’s next big talents following a breakthrough season as he dominated Formula Regional Europe by Alpine (FRECA).
Having finished third in Italian F4 in 2020, Beganvoic endured a tricky rookie season in FRECA last season but rebounded this year with four wins and strong consistency to comfortably cruise towards the title, which he described in a recent interview as feeling like he “was being hunted all the time” due to his form.
Beganovic will now step up to F3 with PREMA – of who he has driven for throughout his junior single-seater career – where he wants “to do a good job and carry on the momentum” as he looks to move closer towards a F1 seat with support of Ferrari’s Driver Academy.
2023 therefore promises to be a big year for Beganovic who will be eager to make a rookie splash in F3 following his breakthrough development of this campaign in FRECA.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Italy)
Having enjoyed a trophy-laden karting career with 11 titles in total across seven seasons, Italy’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli has established himself as a huge rising star in a year when he amassed 24 victories across three categories in his proper season-long rookie campaign in single-seater racing.
Antonelli also became the second driver in consecutive seasons to achieve a historic ADAC F4 and Italian F4 double – after Bearman achieved that feat in 2021, so expect him to be a serious contender in FRECA next season if he can continue to unleash more raw talent as he gains experience.
Aside from his incredible victory tally in 2022, Antonelli has also showcased his raw speed across both one-lap and race pace with the following achievements, which makes him a serious talent for the future;
- 22 pole positions
- 25 fastest laps
- 32 podiums
Antonelli also participated in the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games for Team Italy within the F4 category, in which he comfortably dominated across Qualifying, Qualifying Race and Main Race to clinch a deserved title, which in turn ensured Italy topped the medal table.
The 16 year-old Italian also is part of Mercedes’ Junior Team, who have produced top talent like Esteban Ocon and current Mercedes F1 driver, George Russell, which underlines just how highly rated Antonelli is so expect to see him quickly climbing the ranks in the next few seasons.
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