March 3, 2025
Five things to look for during the 2025 Formula One season
With the 2025 Formula One season on the horizon, we look at some of the stories leading up to lights out in Australia the weekend of March 14th, 2025.
Much has happened since Max Verstappen won his fourth world championship in Las Vegas last November, since McLaren won their first Constructors title in 27 years. Several drivers have left the championship, while others have switched seats and fresh faces have signed on for a chance to reach their dreams of competing in the pinnacle of motor sport – Formula One.
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We focus on five key stories that will unfold during the upcoming 2025 Formula One season. A season that should have enough ups and downs to keep an octane junkie fully satisfied.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari
Of all the driver movement that has taken place in the off-season, Lewis Hamilton’s beginnings to his Ferrari era is perhaps the most intriguing. To say Hamilton’s early days with the Scuderia have been a challenge is an understatement, as Hamilton and his Ferrari seem to be undergoing compatibility issues.
Ferrari finished second in the Constructors title last season, and will be looking for a better result for this coming year, and have high hopes that Hamilton can surpass what Carlos Sainz brought to the team. Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, in theory, should form a star-studded duo for the Italian team but so much depends on how Hamilton acclimatizes himself with his new wheels.
As big of a risk as this is for Ferrari – it is for Hamilton too, who walks away from a strong team in Mercedes that for the good part of a decade, formed perhaps the greatest team in Formula One.
The seven-time world champion joined the Italian team after twelve seasons with Mercedes and has admitted that his transition to his new team has been more difficult that he thought it would be, and he suggests that it may take some time before his fully comfortable in hois new ride.
Can Lando Norris challenge for a world title
Coming off the best season McLaren has had since 1998, when Mika Häkkinen beat out Michael Schumacher for the world title, winning last years Constructors title, McLaren will be coming into this new season hungry to add more hardware to their trophy cabinet.
The key will be to get off to a strong start and try to keep Max Verstappen and Red Bull, as well as Hamilton, Leclerc and Ferrari behind them. McLaren’s form at the end of last season was formidable, and if the papaya can continue to build from that, Red Bull and Ferrari should be in for quite a battle.
Last year, Verstappen beat Norris by a slim margin that he gained by winning the first four races of the season, and by the time Norris and McLaren were fully ready to compete, those four early wins came in to play – so if McLaren can prevent that from happening again in 2025, or better yet, take those wins themselves, Verstappen is going to need to find a higher gear.
Can Carlos Sainz bring Williams back to glory
It has been quite some time since Williams were atop the Formula One grid, and with Carlos Sainz joining them from Ferrari for the 2025 season, perhaps this is the year that Williams rises up the rankings.
Williams has shown promising signs of improvement in recent years, including a solid showing last season, and while the end results aren’t where the team would like them to be, but Formula One is a tough championship to advance in despite attempts to move towards parity for all teams.
Now that Carlos Sainz has joined the team, hopes are high that Williams can continue to take strides towards the top of the Formula One heap again.
Can Max Verstappen continue his dominance
Now four-time world champion Max Verstappen will be coming into this new season hoping to continue his dominance over the Formula One grid.
However, Red Bull’s performance at the end of last season left a lot to be desired and Verstappen himself has expressed doubts about his team’s competitiveness if they do not make significant improvements to the car to start this upcoming season. Of course, a lot of that will also come down to what improvements McLaren have been able to add to their car as well.
Then, there’s the possibility that Ferrari are a threat this season, now that they have Lewis Hamilton driving for them. Sure, Hamilton might struggle early on but he is too good of a driver and too great a competitor not to give his best for Ferrari.
Can the rookies cut it
This year will see several new faces on the grid, and a few more sophomores looking to make a lasting impression as well. A total of five rookies will be on the grid when we get to Australia, including the highlight regarded Kimi Antonelli who joins Mercedes in Hamilton’s spot.
Of the five, England’s Oliver Bearman is the most experienced, having driven in three races last season for Haas. New Zealand’s Jack Doohan for Alpine, France’s Isack Hadjar of Racings Bulls and Brazil’s Gabriel Bortoleto of Kick Sauber all will be making their Formula One debuts.
Time will tell if there’s the next Hamilton, Verstappen or Norris among this group, who are perhaps the most skilled group to enter the discipline sense Norris, Russell and Albon entered as rookies.
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Like last year, this season will consist of 24 races that run through December of this year where the championship will conclude with a jaunt around Abu Dhabi on December 7th.
The season gets underway in Australia later this month, from March 21st to 23rd, then travel to China the following weekend and take a few weeks off before heading to Japan.
