All the back-up racers for 2025

Formula 1 teams are well underway preparing for the forthcoming 2025 campaign, which will consist of 24 grands prix beginning in Melbourne on the 14-16 March.

The grid is set and all but two teams – McLaren and Aston Martin – have changed their driver line-up, meaning this year will have a new look.

But it is not just the full-time competitors that play a crucial role, as a team’s back-up driver does as well.

Reserve drivers act on standby during grand prix weekends and may contest one should a team’s regular driver be unable to. This happened at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, for example, as Oliver Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari because the Spaniard had appendicitis. 

F1 teams also employ simulator drivers, who test changes made to the car so that everybody can gain a greater understanding of the machine.

So, who are the drivers supporting their team behind the scenes for 2025?

Red Bull

• Reserve driver: TBC
• Simulation driver: Rudy van Buren

Liam Lawson served as Red Bull’s reserve driver at the start of the 2024 season, but then he replaced Daniel Ricciardo at sister squad RB – now Racing Bulls – for October’s United States Grand Prix onwards.

The New Zealander soon received another promotion, as he will be Max Verstappen’s team-mate at Red Bull in 2025 after Sergio Perez was dropped by the Austrian outfit. This means Red Bull is currently without an official reserve driver, though Lawson’s former team-mate Yuki Tsunoda is expected to step into the role. 

Meanwhile, Rudy van Buren will continue as Red Bull’s simulator test and development driver after joining in 2023.

Rudy van Buren, Red Bull F1 Simulator Test and Development Driver

Photo: Red Bull Racing

Valtteri Bottas has returned to Mercedes for the 2025 season, but in a reserve driver capacity having been Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate from 2017 to 2021. The 10-time grand prix winner left for Alfa Romeo – now Sauber – having been replaced by George Russell, who was previously at Williams after graduating to F1 as a Mercedes junior.

But the Swiss outfit opted for an all-new line-up this year ahead of its Audi takeover in 2026, leaving Bottas without a drive. So, in December 2024 Mercedes announced that the Finn was back with the Silver Arrows replacing former reserve Mick Schumacher, who is part of Alpine’s Hypercar programme.

Sharing the role with Bottas is the 2023 F2 championship runner-up Frederik Vesti, who started the position last year having become a Mercedes junior in 2021.

Zhou Guanyu has joined Ferrari as its reserve driver for 2025, having been part of its academy between 2015 and 2018. He initially left to become Renault’s development driver in 2019 before making his F1 debut with Alfa Romeo in 2022 but, like Bottas, he was dropped by the Hinwil-based outfit for this year. 

He will work alongside Antonio Giovinazzi, who was Zhou’s predecessor at Alfa Romeo. The Italian became Ferrari’s reserve driver in 2022 and Giovinazzi also competes for the historic brand in the World Endurance Championship, where he won the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Regarding Ferrari’s development drivers, that includes Arthur Leclerc who joined in 2024. He is the younger brother of full-time Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and is joined by Antonio Fuoco and Davide Rigon.

Zhou Guanyu, Ferrari reserve driver

Photo by: Ferrari

McLaren is yet to announce who its reserve drivers for 2025 are, with previous incumbent Ryo Hirakawa leaving the post to fulfil the same duty at Alpine. But Arrow McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward has previously contested F1 practice sessions for the Woking-based team, so it is likely he will continue his commitments.

McLaren also employs Will Stevens, who spends a lot of time in the team’s simulator where he works closely with the engineers and regular drivers.

Aston Martin 

Aston Martin has retained Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne as its reserve drivers for 2025. Previously the team was able to call on the reserves of engine partner Mercedes in case of an emergency but in more recent years, Aston Martin has introduced its own reserve drivers. 

While Vandoorne joined from Mercedes in November 2022, Drugovich has graduated from the Aston Martin driver development programme and the 2022 F2 champion has worked with the squad since 2023.

Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

• Reserve driver: Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa and Franco Colapinto

Jack Doohan will contest his first, full campaign in F1 this year after serving as Alpine’s reserve driver in 2024 before replacing Esteban Ocon at the Abu Dhabi season finale.

As a result, Alpine has announced Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa and Franco Colapinto as its reserve drivers for 2025.

Aron had a stellar F2 campaign last year, finishing third to champion Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, while Hirakawa has joined from McLaren where he held a similar role.

There is more hype around Colapinto though, who made his – relatively unexpected – F1 debut in Monza 2024 having replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams. He impressed immediately finishing 12th before taking points at his second grand prix in Azerbaijan with eighth.

But Williams had already announced Carlos Sainz as Alex Albon’s team-mate for 2025, so there was no full-time seat for Colapinto. As a result, he was snapped up by Alpine on a multi-year deal, where a spot may soon open up for the young Argentine given Doohan’s unsecure future.

Williams

• Reserve driver: TBC
• Development driver: Jamie Chadwick

Williams does not currently employ its own reserve driver, as previous incumbent Colapinto has left for the same role at Alpine after impressing for the British squad in his nine-round stint last year.

Jamie Chadwick, meanwhile, serves as its development driver after joining Williams in 2019 which is the year she clinched her first of three W Series titles.

Jamie Chadwick, Williams

Photo by: Williams

Hadjar served as Racing Bull’s reserve driver last year, when it was known as RB. But following Lawson’s promotion, Hadjar will partner Tsunoda for his rookie season leaving Racing Bulls currently without an official reserve driver.

Considering its close ties with Red Bull though, the Faenza-based squad can call on whomever is in the Red Bull pool.

Sauber

Zane Maloney and Theo Pourchaire have left the Sauber set-up since acting as reserve drivers last year. The Swiss outfit is yet to confirm who will support its all-new line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and Bortoleto before the squad morphs into the Audi works team in 2026.

Haas

Haas is also yet to announce its reserve driver for 2025 having promoted previous incumbent Bearman to a full-time seat at the American squad. One option could be Pietro Fittipaldi though, as the grandson of double world champion Emerson joined the team in 2019 and in that time has started two races due to Romain Grosjean’s crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.