Four reasons why you should look forward to the 2025 F1 season
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The 2025 Formula 1 season is fast approaching and it promises to be the most exciting F1 season in years, with plenty of new storylines. GPblog lists four things to look forward to, but be sure to let us know in the comments what you are looking forward to the most as well.
Who will be world champion in 2025?
The second half of the Formula 1 season in 2024 showed plenty of promise. Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen were no more than 15 points apart, while driving for three different teams. It clearly said something about how close the F1 field had come. The regulations have been fixed since 2022 and this is now paying off.
It is only expected to be more so by 2025. By the end of the regulations, though, all teams will have gone through all the updates, making the differences minimal. Drivers can increasingly make the difference, making the duels between them more and more interesting. In 2024, Verstappen still came out on top as the winner, in 2025 that will be much more difficult, as Red Bull dropped somewhat behind Ferrari and McLaren.
In that respect, it is also looking like there could be a potential new champion. Lando Norris proved to be not yet ready for a world title battlein 2024, the big question is whether he will be in 2025. He can also expect a harder fight from teammate Oscar Piastri, given that he is entering his third year in F1. The dynamics at Ferrari are also interesting, with Lewis Hamilton as Charles Leclerc's new teammate.
A new teammate for Max Verstappen
Verstappen will have his eyes on a fifth world title, but the outside world will also be watching to see how his new teammate will fare. Liam Lawson joins Red Bull Racing with 11 Grands Prix to his name, as the replacement for Sergio Perez. A big step for the New Zealander, but also for Red Bull Racing.
After all, there is always a lot of pressure on Verstappen's teammate. Pressure that Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon and eventually Perez succumbed to. Lawson will have to come in at the ready, and be very strong mentally to take all those hits. It will be interesting to see how he holds up.
Lewis Hamilton in red
Perhaps the story of 2025 is Lewis Hamilton, who will don Ferrari's red suit for the first time. After 12 years at Mercedes, Hamilton will drive for Ferrari for the first time in his career in 2025. With seven world titles, 105 Grand Prix victories and 104 pole positions in Formula 1, Hamilton is statistically the greatest F1 driver of all time, but can he add to that with success at Ferrari?
After Michael Schumacher, big names rarely managed to become world champions with Ferrari. Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel tried, but failed in their mission. Kimi Raikkonen is the last Ferrari world champion. Raikkonen won outright from Hamilton and Alonso in 2007, who were too busy fighting each other inside McLaren.
At Ferrari, Hamilton does face a big challenge. A new team, a new car and also a new engine. After all, Hamilton has never driven a Ferrari engine in F1 before. In addition, he will step in alongside Charles Leclerc, who is often regarded as one of the best drivers on the grid. A driver, incidentally, who has been part of Ferrari since 2019 and helped develop the current car. Failure is not an option for Hamilton, however, as his deal also involves quite a bit for Ferrari. Then you cannot be the second driver in a potential title fight.
How good are the five F1 rookies?
In 2025, there will also be five rookies at the start of the Formula 1 season. Six if you were to count Liam Lawson. A rookie he is no longer, but it is the first time he will be at the start of an F1 season as a full-time driver. Oliver Bearman and Jack Doohan also already made their debut in F1, but are now starting their first real season.
The challenge for Lawson has already been named. The other rookie who has big shoes to fill is Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Not only does he have to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Antonelli has also been mentioned for years as a future champion. At Mercedes, he has the tough task of proving himself alongside George Russell.
In that respect, Bearman and Bortoleto are initially a bit more in the shadows at Haas and Sauber respectively. That is less the case for Jack Doohan, who has been under pressure at Alpine even before his debut. Indeed, Flavio Briatore has made no secret of the fact that if there is no performance, another driver can be put in the car just like that.
Flavio therefore spoke to Franco Colapinto back in 2024. For now, Doohan has retained his seat, but don't be surprised if he is eventually replaced if performance falls.
What are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this post!
This article was written in collaborsation with Norberto Mujica
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