15 of the Most Exciting Up-and-Coming Racing Drivers: 2025 Edition
- Linus O'Howell
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Yes, it’s July, which means it’s time for my yearly article talking about some of the Most Exciting Up-and-Coming Racing Drivers! Just like every year, this list is completely new, we don’t talk about anyone we’ve talked about in the past, that way it stands out compared to year’s prior! Just like last year, most of the drivers come from Formula 3, but there are other series represented too! So, without further ado, let’s kick this list off with a surname etched in Motorsport history!
Sebastian Montoya
Sebastian Montoya is a 20-year-old Colombian and American racing driver who currently drives for Prema Racing in FIA Formula 2 whilst also being a member of Fernando Alonso’s management team! Sebastian previously finished 4th in Italian F4 (2021), won Races in the 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship (finished 7th overall), and his highest standings finish in Formula 3 was 16th in 2023! So far in 2025, Montoya is having a good season in Formula 2, he currently sits 7th in the Standings with 2 Podiums to his name (Monaco and Silverstone)! I don’t think many people expected Sebastian Montoya to be the lead Prema driver this season, so fair play to him!
My Verdict: Montoya is surprising a lot of people this year, he’s doing well, so we’ll have to see if he can keep it up moving forward!
Joshua Durksen
Joshua Durksen is a 21-year-old Paraguayan racing driver who currently drives for AIX Racing in FIA Formula 2! Joshua previously finished second in the 2019 Formula 4 UAE Championship, 6th in ADAC (2020) and Italian F4 (2021), and he managed to finish 10th in his debut F2 Season! So far in 2025, Durksen isn’t quite hitting the highs he did last year, but he has still scored 2 Podium finishes this year, including a win in the opening Sprint Race of the season in Australia! The fact that Joshua Durksen is the only driver to score points for AIX this season tells me he’s doing a pretty good job!
My Verdict: Durksen is good, he just needs a shot in a better team!
Martinius Stenshorne
Martinius Stenshorne is a 19-year-old Norwegian racing driver who currently drives for Hitech TGR in FIA Formula 3 whilst also being a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme! Martinius previously finished second in the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship (behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli), winning 5 Races, whilst he also finished 18th in his maiden Formula 3 campaign (winning once in Melbourne)! So far in 2025, Stenshorne is having a much better season as he sits 5th in the Formula 3 Standings after winning both the Monaco Sprint and the Austrian Feature Race! In fact, Martinius Stenshorne is the only driver to score points for Hitech in F3 this year, and that also says a lot!
My Verdict: Will definitely get a go in Formula 2, will most likely win again this year!
Noah Stromsted
Noah Stromsted is a 17-year-old Danish racing driver who currently drives for Trident in FIA Formula 3 whilst also being a member of the Mercedes Junior Team! Noah previously finished second in the 2021 Danish F4 Championship (winning 9 of the 11 Races he competed in), whilst he finished 6th in last year’s Formula Regional European Championship, coming in as the best Rookie! So far in 2025, Stromsted is running 6th in the Standings with 2 Podiums to his name (both Feature Race P2’s in Australia and Imola)! Not bad for a 17-year-old!
My Verdict: I rate this kid, Stromsted is definitely Mercedes’ next hope!
Theophile Nael
Theophile Nael is an 18-year-old French racing driver who currently drives for Van Amersfoort Racing in FIA Formula 3! Theophile previously won the 2023 F4 Spanish Championship whilst he managed to finish 9th in his one and only season in the Formula Regional European Championship! So far in 2025, Nael sits 7th in Formula 3, having earnt 3 Podiums so far this season (all in Feature Races)! Theophile Nael is also the lead VAR driver, so he’s doing a good job!
My Verdict: Nael won Spanish F4 so I would expect him to be right at the front in his second F3 Season!
Alessandro Giusti
Alessandro Giusti is an 18-year-old French racing driver who currently drives for MP Motorsport in FIA Formula 3 whilst also being a member of the Williams Driver Academy! Alessandro previously won the 2022 French F4 Championship, and he finished 4th in last season’s Formula Regional European Championship, earning himself 5 wins in 2 years in that series! So far in 2025, Giusti is doing a decent job, he sits 8th in the F3 Standings after earning 2 Podium finishes (P3 in Spain, P2 in Austria)! Alessandro Giusti is definitely one to watch!
My Verdict: I have high hopes for Giusti, after all, he’s a member of the Williams Driver Academy!
Roman Bilinski
Roman Bilisnki is a 21-year-old Polish and British racing driver who currently drives for Rodin Motorsport in FIA Formula 3! Roman previously won 3 Races in GB3 in 2021 (finishing 7th overall), and in 2024, he was crowned as the Formula Regional Oceanic Champion! So far in 2025, Bilinski is having a positive season, he sits 10th in the Standings with 2 Podiums to his name, including a second-place finish in Monaco (in the Feature Race)! Ultimately, despite having the weakest resume out of the 3 Rodin drivers, Roman Bilinski is currently ahead of both of his teammates in the standings, so that’s pretty good going from him!
My Verdict: After not the best of starts to his career, Bilinski seems to be finding some form since winning a Formula Regional Title last year, let’s see if it continues!
Ugo Ugochukwu
Ugo Ugochukwu is an 18-year-old American racing driver who currently drives for Prema Racing in FIA Formula 3 whilst also being a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme! Ugo previously finished third in the 2022 F4 British and 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championships, second in Italian F4 (in 2023), and he won both the 2023 Euro 4 Championship and the 2024 Macau Grand Prix! So far in 2025, Ugochukwu managed to finish third in the Formula Regional Middle Eastern Championship, but he currently only sits 16th in Formula 3! To say this year hasn’t gone to plan would be an understatement, but in fairness to Ugo Ugochukwu, he is beating both of his teammates, so this tells me that Prema are having some serious issues!
My Verdict: Forget his current place in the F3 Standings, Ugochukwu is an exciting talent, someone who’s been on my radar for a long time now! Definitely has a shot at making Formula 1 if everything goes to plan!
James Wharton
James Wharton is a 19-year-old Australian racing driver who currently drives for ART Grand Prix in FIA Formula 3! James previously won the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship, and he finished second in both the 2023 Euro 4 and 2024 Formula Regional European Championships! So far in 2025, things have been really tough for Wharton, with him currently only sitting 18th in the Standings! However, James Wharton did manage to win the Austrian Sprint Race, and his form has started to pick up a little!
My Verdict: Wharton is good, but his poor F3 season to this point is a little concerning!
Christian Ho
Christian Ho is an 18-year-old Singaporean and South Korean racing driver who currently drives for DAMS Lucas Oil in FIA Formula 3! Christian previously finished second in Spanish F4 (2023), and last year saw him crowned as the Eurocup-3 Champion! So far in 2025, Ho sits 21st in Formula 3, but in fairness to him, he’s doing a decent job considering he’s with a team that’s new to F3 this year! Christian Ho is beating both of his teammates so far, and that’s really all he can do!
My Verdict: I really want to see Ho in a stronger team, I think he’d do great!
Louis Sharp
Louis Sharp is an 18-year-old New Zealand racing driver who currently drives for Rodin Motorsport in FIA Formula 3! Louis previously won the 2023 F4 British Championship as well as the 2024 GB3 Championship! However, so far in 2025, things haven’t been going to plan at all for Sharp, he currently sits 23rd in the Standings without a single Podium to his name! Louis Sharp is languishing way behind his two Rodin teammates, and things are not looking good for a guy many people had to be fighting right at the sharp end!
My Verdict: Given all the hype around him following his successful junior career up to this point, 2025 has been a disaster for Sharp, and he needs to sort it out if he wants to get back on track!
Freddie Slater
Freddie Slater is a 16-year-old British racing driver who currently drives for Prema Racing in the Formula Regional European Championship! After an incredibly successful Karting career, Freddie previously won the 2023 Ginetta Junior Championship, the 2024 Formula 4 UAE and Italian F4 Championships, and he also finished second in last year’s Euro 4 Championship! So far in 2025, Slater finished second in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, he currently sits second in FRECA, and he’s also won 3 Races in 6 appearances in GB3 this year! Also, Freddie Slater did jump in for a weekend in Formula 3 with AIX Racing in Bahrain earlier this year, and he managed to finish second on debut! Insane!
My Verdict: Potentially the best prospect in this list this year, Slater could be insane!
Maya Weug
Maya Weug is a 21-year-old Dutch, Belgian, and Spanish racing driver who currently drives for MP Motorsport in F1 Academy whilst also representing Ferrari! Maya previously competed in Italian and ADAC Formula 4 as well as FRECA, whilst her best results came in F1 Academy last year when she finished third overall! So far in 2025, Weug is in Championship contention, sitting third once again, but the last 3 Races in Canada were very tough for her! However, with another 6 Races to go, Maya Weug can definitely still turn things around!
My Verdict: Weug can definitely win F1 Academy this year as long as Canada proves to be a one-off blip, but what she will do moving forward is still unclear!
Ella Lloyd
Ella Lloyd is a 19-year-old British racing driver (from Wales) who currently drives for Rodin Motorsport in both F1 Academy and British F4, with her also being a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme! Ella previously finished second in the 2023 Ginetta GT5 Challenge (winning 10 Races), and she managed to pick up 4 Podiums in British F4 last year! So far in 2025, Lloyd is 4th in F1 Academy, having won in Saudi Arabia whilst also taking three P2 finishes in Canada! Ella Lloyd is also currently 18th in her second season of British F4, and she’s also driven for NEOM McLaren (in Formula E) in multiple tests throughout the year!
My Verdict: Lloyd is talented, she is quick, and she could definitely be right in the Championship hunt come next year’s F1 Academy Season!
Alisha Palmowski
Alisha Palmowski is an 18-year-old British racing driver who currently drives for Campos Racing in F1 Academy whilst also representing Red Bull Racing! Alisha previously finished second in the 2022 Ginetta Junior Winter Championship, 5th in the 2023 Ginetta Junior Championship, and second in last year’s GB4 Championship! So far in 2025, Palmowski finished 23rd in the Formula Winter Series (second-highest female) and she currently sits 5th in F1 Academy, with her highlight moment being her win in the first Race of the season in Shanghai! Alisha Palmowski is backed by Red Bull for a reason, remember that!
My Verdict: My pick to win F1 Academy next year!
excellent article, I think Martinius wins for best name this year