ESPN assesses the performances of the rookies and how they have fared in the first ten races of their Formula One careers.
Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso, 11th, 22 points)
To say Max Verstappen has been exciting during his rookie year so far would be an understatement. The 17-year-old, likened by Helmut Marko to none other than Ayrton Senna before he'd even turned a wheel of the STR10, has spent much of his first season breaking records. He became F1's youngest points scorer in Malaysia, one race after becoming its youngest ever driver, and went into the summer after a brilliant fourth place in Hungary. He has shown electric pace and a tremendous race craft - just think back to his cunning use of backmarkers to take positions in Monaco - and is making a mockery of those who suggested he would not be able to cope in F1 due to his tender years and limited experience.
There have been blips, of course. Spinning out at Silverstone and plunging into the back of Romain Grosjean in Monaco, which up to that point had been a thrilling display of Verstappen's latent talent, highlighted a driver who is far from the finished article. His unwillingness to accept fault for the Grosjean crash showed his immaturity. But then, can we expect anything less? It can be easy to forget just how young Verstappen is when the lights go out and racing resumes. Maturity should come with age - the fact the speed and raw talent are already there in abundance should be a terrifying prospect for the rest of the grid.
Verdict: A few blemishes on his record already, but Verstappen looks every bit the star-in-waiting Red Bull's management believes he is.
Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso, 16th, 9 points)
When assessing the start to Carlos Sainz's F1 career it is important not to look at the points table and his 13-point deficit to Max Verstappen. Before the Hungarian Grand Prix Sainz was just one point behind the Dutch teen, but a fuel pressure failure robbed him the chance to emulate the 17-year-old's fourth place in the chaotic closing stages. Until then Sainz had been every bit the star act that Verstappen has this season, which started with a superb ninth position in Australia. An unreliable Renault engine and a Toro Rosso which cannot convert its one-lap pace into strong race finishes has undeniably hampered both men since.
The most impressive moment for Sainz this season was on home soil as he qualified fifth in Spain, leading a third row lockout for Toro Rosso. He and Verstappen are 5-5 at head-to-head qualifying, while Sainz has beaten the 17-year-old in three of the four races both have finished. Sainz was completely unfazed by the Verstappen hype around him at the start of 2015 and this has translated to his performances on track - he's shown speed and maturity in equal measure and this should set him in good stead for the rest of his rookie campaign.
Verdict: Very impressive so far, he looks more of a complete package at this stage than Verstappen.
Felipe Nasr (Sauber, 12th, 16 points)
Felipe Nasr announced himself on the F1 scene in fine style this year, finishing fifth with a super drive at the Australian Grand Prix. That it came just hours after the conclusion of Sauber's unseemly legal squabble with Giedo van der Garde, which had kept its driver line-up for (and participation in) the season opener in doubt all weekend, is even more impressive and Nasr should be praised for how he handled that situation. Since Australia Sauber's pace has dropped off and this has made similar results hard to come by, but Nasr's performances alongside more experienced team-mate Marcus Ericsson speak volumes. He leads Ericsson 6-4 in qualifying and 6-2 in races both men have finished.
Thinking of blemishes on his record is difficult but one stands out - his heavy crash during Canada practice when he accidently opened his DRS while weaving down the backstraight. It had all the hallmarks of a rookie error and to dwell on it too much would do Nasr a disservice, especially considering how strong he has been when it counts on Saturdays and Sundays this year.
Verdict: Has already proved he brings much more to Sauber than Banco do Brasil sponsorship and has arguably been more impressive than Verstappen and Sainz given his team's lack of pace since Malaysia.
Roberto Merhi (Manor, 19th, 0 points)
After appearing slightly out of his depth at the start of the season, Roberto Merhi has shown good signs of improvement as the year goes on. He trails Will Stevens 5-3 in qualifying - something he puts down to his weight disadvantage - but has recovered from a slow start to the season to beat his team-mate in the last three races they've both finished. One of those was 12th in the eventful British Grand Prix, a result which puts him above Stevens in the drivers' championship. At Manor the only true comparison is with your team-mate and Merhi went into the summer break on a high in that regard.
He continues to split F1 duties with Formula Renault 3.5 - where he was disqualified from the last round in Austria for causing a big shunt - and may not see out the season at Manor with Fabio Leimer waiting in the wings. Continuing his good form alongside Stevens when the calendar resumes in Belgium will be key to his long-term F1 ambitions.
Verdict: It's always difficult to judge a driver in a backmarking car but Merhi has not disgraced himself at the back. Room for improvement but it is also important to note his finances are more important than his abilities to a team like Manor.
Honourable mention
Though technically not a rookie (he made his debut for Caterham at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix), Will Stevens has been solid in his first full season so far. Memorably, Fernando Alonso asked Ferrari "who is this f***** guy!?" while lapping the weaving Stevens in Abu Dhabi last year and said the rookie had a lot to learn. He's been largely error-free for Manor so far and looks comfortable at the top level - a strong second half of the season against Merhi is the only thing he can target for the end of the season.