Which of the four full-time Formula One rookies end up as the 2018 Rookie of the Year when the season concludes in November?
Of the 20 full-time drivers set to compete in the 2018 Formula One season, four are rookies. Those four rookies are Charles Leclerc, Sergey Sirotkin, Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley. Which of those four rookies will end up as the sport’s top rookie once the season concludes?
Charles Leclerc, 20, has never driven in a Formula One race before. However, he has test driven for Scuderia Ferrari, Haas and Sauber over the last two seasons. The 2017 Formula 2 champion is set to make his debut as a full-time driver for Alfa Romeo Sauber in the #16 Ferrari.
Sergey Sirotkin, 22, has never driven in a Formula One race before. However, he was a test driver for Sauber in 2014 and Renault Sport in 2016, and he was a reserve driver for Renault Sport last season. He is set to make his debut as a full-time driver for at Williams Martini Racing in the #35 Mercedes.
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Pierre Gasly, 21, has five career Formula One races under his belt. All five of those races came toward the end of the season when he replaced Daniil Kvyat at Scuderia Toro Rosso. He is set to make his debut as a full-time driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso in the #10 Honda.
Brendon Hartley, 28, has four career Formula One races under his belt. All four of those races came toward the end of the season when he replaced Carlos Sainz Jr., who went to Renault Sport, at Scuderia Toro Rosso. He is set to make his debut as a full-time driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso in the #28 Honda.
As far as a prediction for which rookie will finish higher than the other three in the drivers standings, I think the two Toro Rosso drivers can be ruled out. In nine combined races to start their Formula One careers toward the end of the 2017 season, neither Pierre Gasly nor Brendon Hartley scored a single point.
Now with Toro Rosso set to use Honda engines, which have lacked power and reliability in recent years, as opposed to Renault engines, which they used last season, it looks like it will be even harder for these two drivers to have success in the 2018 season.
The battle for top rookie will likely be between Charles Leclerc and Sergey Sirotkin. I think Leclerc is the better driver with the brighter future in Formula One, but Sirotkin should have a stronger car in the 2018 season and will likely be the sport’s top rookie.
Given the fact that Sirotkin is set to drive for Williams, a team that have finished in the top 5 in the constructors standings in four straight seasons, while Leclerc is set to drive for Sauber, the team that finished in last in the 2017 season’s constructors standings and haven’t finished in the top 5 in the standings since the 2008 season, expect Sirotkin to end up higher than each of the other three rookies in the drivers standings.
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Which rookie will end up higher than the other three rookies in the 2018 Formula One drivers standings? Will the top rookie end up being Charles Leclerc, Sergey Sirotkin, Pierre Gasly or Brendon Hartley? Tune in to the season from start to finish to find out. It is set to begin with the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, March 25th.