These 6 Drivers Could Benefit the Most from F1 Grid Expansion

• Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc described it as “a matter of time” before Oliver Bearman is a full-time rival in Formula 1.

• Predicting a full-time ride in F1 these days, however, is next to impossible, and that's mainly because their are just 20 cars on the grid and most of those seats are taken by drivers with long-term contracts.

• Here's hoping that F1 adds an 11th or even 12th car to the grid in the near future to give a few deserving drivers a chance.

Oliver Bearman created waves in Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia with a composed drive to seventh place on his debut for Ferrari in place of the sidelined Carlos Sainz.

Bearman has long been touted for Formula 1 but the mature approach taken by the 18-year-old—the third-youngest racer in history—merely accelerated the prospect of him landing a full-time seat in 2025.

Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc described it as “a matter of time” before Bearman is a full-time rival while World Champions Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso also lavished praise on the young Briton.

Assuming Sainz is given the green light to return in Australia, Bearman will return to Formula 2 for the remainder of the year. Missing a round in F2 will make a title tilt harder but his starring show in Saudi Arabia was a pretty good job application for a future promotion.

Bearman still has six planned FP1 runs with Haas Formula 1 Team, which he impressed during his three appearances in 2023, and he is expected to complete the mandatory two rookie FP1 outings for Ferrari.

But where does Ferrari protégé Bearman go in 2025?

Ferrari is a no-go, with Lewis Hamilton joining Leclerc, while there is no guarantee that partner team Haas would take the youngster, in spite of his impressive display.

Bearman’s debut highlights one problem with modern Formula 1—the lack of seats. IndyCar has 27 full-time competitors, MotoGP 22—with the option for wildcards—while pretty much every major championship has more than Formula 1’s 20 seats.

The desire for many for expansion comes amid the backdrop of Formula 1’s management showing little interest in expanding the grid, having rejected Andretti’s compelling application.

There are also very few of the current 20 drivers whose position can be questioned, given the strength in depth of the grid; even those in biggest danger have accolades in junior categories.

If there were more seats, or if vacancies were to arise, here’s who we’d like to see land a full-time opportunity in Formula 1:

Oliver Bearman

Obviously. The 18-year-old Bearman was already one of the more highly-rated youngsters when he won titles in Formula 4, finished runner-up as a rookie in Formula 3, and claimed four wins in his maiden Formula 2 campaign in 2023. His speed and aptitude swiftly impressed Haas, and while his 2024 Formula 2 season began badly in Bahrain, his pole position in Saudi Arabia showed he and Prema were back on track. A phone call from Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur changed the complexion of his weekend—and possibly career.

Alex Palou

Alex Palou’s European junior career was pretty average, but he never landed a chance at a front-running team, and lacked Formula 1 access. Pivoting to Super Formula in 2019 was a career-changing path but a prosperous one as he finished third overall, moved to IndyCar, and immediately contended at the sharp end of the pack.

Two titles in four seasons speaks for itself, as does his ability to blend speed with consistency, though off-track a few decisions have singed his reputation. Nevertheless, it would be fascinating to see how Palou—who turns 27 on April 1 and is the youngest of IndyCar’s established front-runners—would cope in Formula 1.

Liam Lawson

It’s a bizarre anomaly that Liam Lawson hasn’t won a champinship of any kind since 2019, having been rapid in everything he’s driven. Justt 22, he has already been runner-up in Super Formula and DTM, has won races and placed third in the Formula 2 championship, and started five Formula 1 Grands Prix.

Those F1 races came mid-2023 when Daniel Ricciardo was sidelined by a hand fracture, allowing reserve Lawson to climb into AlphaTauri’s AT04. Lawson impressed with his pace and approach, the highlight being a ninth-place finish in Singapore. The rebranded RB F1 team opted to retain Ricciardo alongside Yuki Tsunoda for 2024, but Lawson remains in the wings as a reserve for both Red Bull outfits and is vying for a 2025 opportunity.

Theo Pourchaire

Theo Pourchaire has had an unusual career in that he was so young when he impressed in Formula 3 that taking three years to win the Formula 2 title somewhat sullied his reputation. He also, atypically, scored just one victory in a title-winning campaign that spanned 26 races. Nonetheless, he is only 20, is Sauber’s reserve driver, and those with a memory can still recall how he pushed Oscar Piastri very, very hard for the Formula 3 crown in 2020. Sauber has placed Pourchaire on something of a gap year in Super Formula, in Japan, and expectations should be low given his Impul team have rarely been competitive in the category. But his behind-the-scenes work with Sauber could still thrust him into 2025 contention.

Kimi Antonelli

The 17-year-old Italian is not permitted to race in Formula 1 until August given his youth but is already firmly on the radar given his junior career and his close ties to Mercedes. Antonelli is an outside contender for the vacant 2025 seat at Mercedes and is poised for private test days in its 2022 car to help his development. Antonelli has already won titles in Formula 4 and Formula Regional, and bypassed the usual Formula 3 step to spend 2024 in Formula 2. It has been a so-so start to the year but it is early.

Colton Herta

Herta has had several near-misses with Formula 1 already. His IndyCar boss Michael Andretti’s attempted buyout of Sauber in 2021 collapsed, with Herta having been lined up for a ride. A prospective move to AlphaTauri for 2023 failed as he lacked the points for a Super Licence and could not get an exemption.

Herta has always been fast—he became IndyCar’s youngest race winner in only his third start aged 18—and has taken 11 poles in his IndyCar career. The last couple of years have been trickier for both Herta and Andretti, and momentum has slowed, but he’s still only 23. He doesn’t need Formula 1, but it would be an intriguing storyline to see how Herta would apply his natural speed in the championship.