Ranking the Best and Worst Formula 1 Rookies in History

With two new drivers so far confirmed on the grid for 2014 and one more possibly to follow, the new drivers will be under pressure to perform.

Kevin Magnussen was a surprise choice for McLaren to replace Sergio Perez, and he told Pablo Elizalde of Autosport that he can take positives from what Lewis Hamilton achieved in his remarkable debut season with the team:

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The fact that Lewis did exactly what I'm doing now is a positive for me. It shows that the team has been there before, and has already prepared a rookie for his grand prix debut. The fact that Lewis was so successful doesn't raise the pressure for me, it just shows that it can be done, and that you can be successful as a rookie. That's really encouraging.

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Joining Magnussen as a new boy on the 2014 grid is young Russian and reigning GP3 champion Daniil Kvyat, who will race for Toro Rosso.

Being a rookie driver is a double-edged sword. Succeed as Hamilton did in 2007 and your career could be said. Fail dismally and you could be out of a drive before you know it.

Here are five drivers Magnussen and Kvyat will be keen to emulate and five they will be desperate not to.

Let’s start with the cream of the crop.

5. Jules Bianchi, Marussia 2013

Marussia driver Jules Bianchi recently received the accolade of Rookie of the Year at the prestigious end of season Autosport Awards.

Bianchi was the highest-placed driver of the minnow teams that consist of Caterham and Marussia, helping his team finish 10th in the standings.

Although teammate Max Chilton set a new record by finishing every race, Bianchi was the more impressive driver and beat the Englishman to the award.

"It has been a great season for me. I didn't expect to be on the grid in February, so the contract with Marussia was great and it's been nice ever since," he said, via Scott Mitchell of Autosport.

4. Jenson Button, Williams 2000

Another winner of the Autosport Rookie of the Tear award is Magnussen’s new teammate, Jenson Button.

Button made his Formula One debut for the Williams team in 2000 and was well set to score a point in his first grand prix in Australia before an engine failure forced his retirement only 11 laps from the finish.

It was the start of what would be a highly impressive season for Button, however, and he became the youngest ever driver to score a championship point when he finished sixth in Brazil in his very next race.

His season highlights included qualifying third at the highly technical Spa-Francorchamps and finishing fourth in Germany in a season that saw him finish eighth in the drivers’ standings.

3. Michael Schumacher, Benetton 1992

A young German by the name of Michael Schumacher made the world stand up and take notice when drafted in for the jailed Bertrand Gachot at Spa in 1991, he qualified seventh for Jordan on debut.

His first full season with Benetton was even more impressive, Schumacher notching three podiums in his first four races and eight in total, including a stunning maiden win at a wet Spa-Francorchamps.

His achievements in a season dominated by the Williams electric dream machines of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese netted him third place on the drivers’ standings.

Two years later, he was world champion.

2. Ayrton Senna, Toleman 1984

Having joined unknown quantity Toleman on the less competitive Pirelli tyres, few expected much from young Brazilian Ayrton Senna in his debut season despite some impressive pre-season test results.

But Senna proved a revelation, scoring his first world championship point with sixth place in only his second race before replicating the result in the next race in Belgium.

Three races later and Senna played the starring role in a Monaco Grand Prix curtailed by appalling conditions. Starting 13th, Senna had carved his way through the field to second and caught and passed leader Alain Prost before the race was called off on Lap 32. But he had to settle for second as Prost was still leading on the final lap completed by every driver.

Further podiums in Britain and Portugal followed, and a star of F1 had arrived.

1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren 2007

When Lewis Hamilton joined twice world champion Fernando Alonso at the McLaren team, many expected him to play a supporting role.

But Hamilton took the fight to Alonso from the outset, finishing on the podium in his opening nine races, including back-to-back victories in Canada and the USA.

Hamilton led the drivers’ standings by 12 points going into the final two rounds and looked certain to be the first driver to win the title in his maiden year. But the pressure got to the rookie, and he followed a retirement in China with a seventh-place finish in Brazil as Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen ambushed both him and Alonso to snatch the title by a single point.

Continue the slideshow with five of the less impressive debut seasons in F1 history.

5. Giovanna Amati, Brabham 1992

Darrell Ingham/Getty Images

While it’s highly unlikely that either Magnussen or Kvyat will be jettisoned during their debut seasons, it is something that used to happen with alarming regularity.

Giovanna Amati became only the fifth woman driver to compete in F1 when she joined the ailing Brabham team in 1992.

Although it was hardly Amati’s fault that she had a pig of a car to drive, her performance was nothing to write home about and she was replaced by Damon Hill after failing to qualify in the opening three races.

4. Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams 2001

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Great things were expected of 1999 CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya when he replaced Button at Williams for the 2001 season, but the Colombian endured a horror start to his F1 career.

Montoya spun in his opening two races but looked set for victory in his third outing before being punted off by Jos Verstappen.

The rest of his season was punctuated by disappointing qualifying performances and rookie errors that saw him crash out in Monaco and Canada as he only finished six races in the season.

It wasn't all bad for Montoya in 2001 as he did secure a maiden victory in Italy, and his performance improved over the next few seasons.

3. Michael Andretti, McLaren 1993

Pascal Rondeau/Getty Images

Like Montoya, Michael Andretti entered Formula One with high expectations after winning the IndyCar series two years previously.

It was never going to be easy as teammate to the great Ayrton Senna, but Andretti struggled from the outset, crashing out of his opening three races.

Andretti managed just three points scoring finishes, the highlight a third-place finish at Monza, but it was too little too late and he was replaced by Mika Hakkinen for the final three races of the season.

2. Alex Yoong, Minardi 2002

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

The classic example of the perils of hiring a driver on the basis of the funds they bring with them, Minardi took on Malaysia’s Alex Yoong for the end of the 2001 season and all of 2002.

It started well with a seventh-place finish in Malaysia, but Yoong would only finish two more races and failed to qualify for San Marino, Britain and Germany.

He was sacked at the end of the season.

1. Taki Inoue, Footwork Hart 1995

Japanese driver Taki Inoue’s disastrous 1995 season for Footwork rightly goes down as the worst debut season in the history of the sport.

Why? Because Inoue himself acknowledged the fact on Autosport during a live test session blog from Jerez before the 2013 season.

Inoue’s bizarre season involved his car flipping in Monaco while being towed back to the pits and the driver being hit by a medical car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

But don’t take it from me, take it from the driver himself, who at least has a good sense of humour about his brief F1 sojourn.

"Hey, mister!! You don't need to consider who is the worst F1 driver forever!! It's definitely me Taki Inoue."

Three hours later, Autosport readers voted Inoue as the worst driver ever and the Japanese confessed himself delighted with the accolade.

“Dear all my followers and people who voted me as a worst F1 of last 20 years, Thank you very much for your support to make me Worst No.1.”