With the 2025 season fast approaching, the F1 teams and their drivers will be ramping up their preparations for the campaign ahead.
But it will not just be the 20 drivers set to line up at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix who will be getting ready – there will also be each squad’s reserve drivers, who will be on standby should their services be called upon.
Here is all you need to know about the 2025 reserve drivers for each team, with the full list at the bottom of the page.
READ MORE: All the 2025 F1 driver numbers confirmed in full
What do F1 reserve drivers do?
A reserve driver is a driver ready to step in as a substitute for one of an F1 team’s main line-up if required. This may happen in the case of a driver suffering illness or injury; for example, Ferrari called upon the services of reserve Ollie Bearman at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when Carlos Sainz fell ill with appendicitis.
This means that a reserve driver will be in attendance at most, if not all, Grands Prix on the calendar. But the role also involves other duties beyond this, which may include simulator work at the team’s headquarters, sitting in engineering meetings and occasional testing.
In his role as a Ferrari reserve, Ollie Bearman substituted for an unwell Carlos Sainz at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
How many reserve drivers do F1 teams have?
Each team is different in terms of how many reserve drivers they choose to employ. Some keep several on their roster; Alpine, for example, have so far confirmed three names will act as reserves for them in 2025.
Others may just have one reserve driver, while some teams have previously held agreements with others to share the services of a driver if needed. This was the case when Mick Schumacher – previously a reserve driver for Mercedes – was also made available to McLaren in 2023.
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Who are the F1 reserve drivers for each team in 2025?
McLaren
TBC
McLaren have yet to officially announce their reserve driver line-up for 2025, but Pato O’Ward seems a likely candidate to continue in the position after serving in the role last year. The Mexican IndyCar driver has previously undertaken testing for the squad as well as participating in FP1 sessions.
Pato O’Ward previously acted as McLaren’s reserve driver in 2024
Ferrari
TBC
Ferrari called upon the services of reserve Ollie Bearman in 2024 – but with the Briton now joining the grid full-time for Haas, there looks to be a vacancy at the Scuderia.
While they have not yet confirmed who they will run in 2025, possible options could include former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi or even Arthur Leclerc, the Monegasque having acted as a development driver in 2024.
Red Bull
TBC
Red Bull have also lost one of their reserve roster to the 2025 grid, with Liam Lawson making the step up to the race team this season. Isack Hadjar, meanwhile, will fill Lawson’s vacancy at Racing Bulls, meaning that the Milton Keynes outfit may potentially look at other drivers in their junior programme for the reserve position.
Possible candidates could include F2 racer Pepe Marti and Super Formula driver Ayumu Iwasa.
Arthur Leclerc was a development driver for Ferrari in 2024 and also made an FP1 appearance in Abu Dhabi
Mercedes
Valtteri Bottas
There is something of a reunion happening at Mercedes in 2025 as Valtteri Bottas has been confirmed to return to the squad as their reserve driver. The Finn – who previously raced for the team between 2017 and 2021 – will be on standby for the Silver Arrows following his exit from Kick Sauber at the end of 2024.
ANALYSIS: Why Bottas’ return to Mercedes makes perfect sense for both sides
Aston Martin
Felipe Drugovich
Aston Martin have confirmed that Felipe Drugovich will remain as one of the team’s test and reserve drivers in 2025. The Brazilian joined the squad’s driver development programme back in 2022 – the year in which he won the Formula 2 championship – and since then has participated in several FP1 sessions as well as undertaking testing duties.
Stoffel Vandoorne
Alternating duties with Drugovich for Aston Martin in 2025 is Stoffel Vandoorne, who has acted as a test and reserve driver for the team since 2023. After a two-year stint on the grid with McLaren in 2017 and 2018, Vandoorne has raced in categories such as the World Endurance Championship and Formula E, becoming a champion in the latter during the 2021-22 season.
Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes as a reserve driver in 2025
Alpine
Franco Colapinto
After catching the eye of the paddock during his nine-race stint with Williams in 2024, Franco Colapinto has joined Alpine as one of their reserve drivers for 2025. With the two teams reaching an agreement for Colapinto to sign to the Enstone outfit on a “multi-year agreement”, Williams boss James Vowles has stated that the move “represents Franco’s best chance of securing a race seat in 2025 or 2026”.
Ryo Hirakawa
Also in Alpine’s reserve driver line-up for 2025 is Ryo Hirakawa. As well as previously testing for McLaren and Haas, the Japanese racer brings a wealth of experience in various single-seater and endurance championships. Hirakawa will participate in the team’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme and carry out simulator work, while he will also get an FP1 outing at his home event, the Japanese Grand Prix.
Paul Aron
Paul Aron – who finished third in the 2024 Formula 2 championship – will act as another reserve driver for Alpine in 2025. The Estonian knows new Alpine Team Principal Oliver Oakes well, having raced for the Hitech outfit – founded by Oakes – in F2. Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore commented on Aron’s signing: “We believe Paul is one of the best talents and we look forward to developing him into an F1 driver.”
After impressing many during his nine races for Williams in 2024, Franco Colapinto will act as a reserve driver for Alpine in 2025
Haas
TBC
While Haas are yet to confirm who they will field as a reserve driver in 2025, the position at the American squad has been held by Pietro Fittipaldi in recent years. During that time the Brazilian has stepped in to race on two occasions, having substituted for Romain Grosjean at the final two Grands Prix of 2020 following the Frenchman’s dramatic crash in Bahrain.
Racing Bulls
TBC
As previously mentioned, the Red Bull stable have a vacancy for a reserve driver given the promotion of Liam Lawson to the main outfit in 2025. With Lawson having acted as the reserve for both of the company’s teams, Racing Bulls will likely use the same candidates as their sister outfit this season, which could see the likes of the aforementioned Pepe Marti and Ayumu Iwasa in the frame.
Pietro Fittipaldi has acted as a reserve drive for Haas during recent years
Williams
TBC
While Franco Colapinto had appeared to be the most likely candidate for a reserve driver position at Williams in 2025, his move to Alpine means that the Grove outfit may be on the lookout for another candidate.
Calling upon one of Mercedes’ pool is an option for customer team Williams, as was the case when former Silver Arrows reserve Nyck de Vries stepped in for an unwell Alex Albon at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. Alternatively the squad could look to their junior programme, which features the likes of F2 racer Luke Browning.
Kick Sauber
TBC
Kick Sauber have not yet confirmed their 2025 reserve drivers. The team recently saw two of their young drivers graduate from the Sauber Academy development programme, with Theo Pourchaire and Zane Maloney leaving to participate in the World Endurance Championship and Formula E respectively.
2025 F1 reserve drivers
| Team | 2025 reserve driver/s |
|---|---|
| McLaren | TBC |
| Ferrari | TBC |
| Red Bull | TBC |
| Mercedes | Valtteri Bottas |
| Aston Martin | Felipe Drugovich, Stoffel Vandoorne |
| Alpine | Franco Colapinto, Rio Hirakawa, Paul Aron |
| Haas | TBC |
| Racing Bulls | TBC |
| Williams | TBC |
| Kick Sauber | TBC |