PREMA will be sending two Formula 2 graduates to Formula 1 next year, the only two who are currently confirmed to be on the grid.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman will join Mercedes and Haas respectively as they go about their first full-time seasons in the pinnacle of motorsport.
They could yet be joined by either Franco Colapinto or Gabriel Bortoleto, but there are still decisions to be made at teams before the end of the year.
Both Antonelli and Bearman have struggled at stages in 2024, and neither are in contention for the championship – but after some Formula 1 running, it’s clear that they are the real deal.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli calls Oliver Bearman ‘incredible’
Whilst the current PREMA drivers will be rivals again in 2025, this year they have had to work together as teammates.
The season has been a topsy-turvy one at that, but they have enjoyed some race victories and the odd highlight.
Their learnings will have been the most valuable aspect of the season, helping to form their title bid for 2025.
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Speaking to the Formula 2 website, Antonelli revealed just what Bearman is ‘incredible’ at doing after working with him.
“He is really good over one lap and at the starts. At the starts, this year he has been incredible but also over one lap he is really quick.
“Even better between the first set and the second set he can find a lot of time, so he is really good at that.”
From teammates to rivals in 2025
The recent rise of Haas coincides well with Bearman’s arrival for 2025, as he partners the experienced Esteban Ocon.
They’re probably the fifth-fastest car on the grid currently, just behind Mercedes – who Antonelli joins to partner George Russell.
If recent form is anything to go by, the two could be competing with each other on track next season, which happens to be the final year before a regulation shake-up.
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Lighter cars will be introduced in 2026, handing the drivers a new challenge to adjust to machinery, which feels particularly harsh to the newbies who have only just adjusted to the new equipment.
Antonelli vs Bearman is bound to be a talking point for many years to come, and it looks as if the young Italian has won the first instalment in Formula 2.