Formula One is notorious for providing fans with the best drivers and teams the world has to offer. It is the pinnacle of motorsport. And this year looks set to be a game changer.
Over 9 months ago, Adrian Newey announced he would depart Red Bull and join Aston Martin for 2025 as their Managing Technical Partner. Whilst his true potential to impact the aerodynamic design of the car might not be felt until the 2026 regulations, it marks the beginning of a strong partnership between Newey and the Warwickshire based team.
Regulation changes for 2025 may not be as drastic as the ones coming in the following year, but we will see more room for rookies in a few weeks’ time. Teams will each run an inexperienced driver for Free Practice One of a race weekend four times this year – doubling from last season. We’ll be able to see more drivers out on track but more importantly this will open up the driver market as more young drivers will not only show their potential but also have the opportunity to test out the machinery. It will also stop driver line-ups from stagnating again like in recent years. Instead of sticking with reliable veteran drivers, many teams are beginning to opt for fresh blood.
There will be 6 new faces on the F1 grid this year: Oliver Bearman (Haas), Jack Doohan (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Liam Lawson (Red Bull), and Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls). From the top, through the midfield, and down to the bottom of the table, over half the teams have taken on a rookie driver. Two of them are arguably in potential race-winning cars from the outset. Antonelli has big boots to fill in the wake of Hamilton vacating his silver arrows seat. Meanwhile, Lawson faces a teammate notorious for driving off into the distance – the number two driver often struggling to keep up. The pair have perhaps more weight on their young shoulders, although the step up from other formulas and categories for any driver always brings pressure with it. In Formula One, there is nowhere to hide.
Hamilton and Ferrari are a pairing for the history books
Hamilton and Ferrari are a pairing for the history books – and hopefully the start of this new campaign will be the dream that fans of both the driver and the team are hoping for. With the field tight last season, Ferrari might be in with a chance this year with a seven-time World Champion in their arsenal.
Mercedes decided not to pick the four-time race winner Carlos Sainz to join George Russell, so, in a shocking move for fans, the Spaniard decided to join Williams. He revealed that the vision that James Vowles (Williams Team Principle) has for the team coupled with the ‘people’ at Williams sealed the deal for him, perhaps reminding him of the close-knit community he had at McLaren. It remains to be seen if he can bring the Williams name back to the front of the field.
Elsewhere, Formula One is continuing to expand its multimedia reach. The seventh season of Drive to Survive will come to Netflix one week before the season opener in Australia. F1 – the film starring Brad Pitt – will also hit the screens in June. DTS has proven popular with the American audience; what reach will this film have? South Africa and Rwanda are vying to bring the F1 circus back to the African continent for 2027. Whilst Rwanda promises a ‘blend [of] motorsport [and] sustainability’, South Africa boasts a rich history and an already built track. 2025 looks set to be unpredictable with the teams making massive changes. This season will pave the way for future years to come and is going to be unmissable.
