Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Williams poses for a photograph during day three of Formula One winter testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on March 2, 2013 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo: Getty Images)

#16 Valtteri Bottas (Williams F1 Team)
Considering its small size Finland has produced an amazing array of talented drivers over the years, and it’s no surprise that former World Champion Mika Hakkinen is one of the men behind the rise of Valtteri Bottas, the latest star to emerge from the country. A worthy GP3 champion in 2011, he spent last season running Friday FP1 sessions for Williams, prior to his graduation this year. A quietly spoken but determined character, the super fit Bottas is tipped by many to be the next big thing, so a lot of eyes will be on him over the course of this season.

#17 Jean-Eric Vergne (Scuderia Toro Rosso)
Jean-Eric Vergne followed a familiar route for Red Bull protégés when he graduated to F1 via British F3 and the Renault 3.5 series, making his debut with STR last season. Ricciardo’s HRT experience gave the Aussie an initial edge, and Vergne struggled to match him, especially in qualifying. He was better in races and four eighth places were a reasonable outcome at the end of a learning season, and the Frenchman managed to hang on to the seat for 2012. However he will have to continue to show signs of upward progress if he is to remain in the Red Bull program and possibly one day land a race seat at RBR.

#18 Daniel Ricciardo (Scuderia Toro Rosso)
Another Red Bull driver to use British F3 and the Renault 3.5 series as a springboard to F1, Ricciardo was parachuted into HRT in the middle of 2011, an opportunity that gave him a chance to learn the circuits and the basics of life in F1. His first full season with STR last year was much more valuable, and after earning a surprise sixth place on the Bahrain grid he enjoyed a solid run of top 10 finishes in the latter half of the year. Like his team mate he is eyeing an RBR seat, but the first priority will be to do enough to earn himself another season at STR.

Charles Pic of France and Caterham poses for a photograph during day three of Formula One winter testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on March 2, 2013 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo: Getty Images)

#19 Charles Pic (Caterham F1 Team)
Little was expected of Charles Pic when he moved from GP2 to the Marussia team last year, given that he had an unspectacular if solid record in the lower ranks. However the Frenchman quickly got up to speed and at times in 2012 he gave experienced team mate Timo Glock a hard time. For his second season he has made a sideways step to erstwhile rival Caterham, where he finds himself in effect in the position of team leader alongside rookie Van der Garde. It remains to be seen whether he can continue to make upward progress, but he has a good base on which to build. Along with his team mate Pic will occasionally be asked cede FP1 seat time to US hope Alexander Rossi.