The six F1 drivers starting a first full season

Liam Lawson, 23, is the oldest and most experienced of the rookies and has already started 11 races and scored six points.

FIRST SEASON: The 18-year-old is Italy's first F1 driver since Antonio Giovinazzi in 2021 and replaces seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton in the team lineup.

Formula One will have a bumper crop of rookies this season, with six of the 20 drivers on the grid in Melbourne starting their first full season even if only three of them are race debutants.

The following looks at their individual prospects: