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Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 on track during day three of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 28, 2025 in Bahrain.
(Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool)

F1 Is Set for an Intriguing 2025 Season

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The 2025 Formula 1 season kicks off down under with the Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, March 16th in Melbourne, where, apparently, naming rights to races have gone to hell in a high-priced handbag.

Much has changed since Lando Norris won the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi after Max Verstappen clinched his fourth consecutive world championship 2 weeks prior in Las Vegas. Six rookies will be on the grid in Australia but the biggest change, by far, will be Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari red. Some 13 months ago, the very thought of Hamilton in anything other than a Mercedes seemed outlandish. But when Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari in February of 2024, that notion was shattered, and an already frenzied Ferrari fan base rejoiced. 

Obviously, putting Hamilton in a Ferrari makes him a real threat to win the world championship. But will the weight of expectations, the adjustment to a new car, and a top-heavy grid loaded with one multi-time world champion and several wanna-be world champions, be too much for Hamilton to produce an eighth world championship?

And amongst all the Hamilton-to-Ferrari hoopla, Charles Leclerc may find motivation as the seemingly forgotten driver at Ferrari. Leclerc posted three wins in 2024 and could easily match that in 2024. Ferrari finds itself in a similar situation to that of McLaren: two No. 1 drivers, neither of whom is willing to acquiesce, and both gunning for wins – which is great in the realm of the constructors championship but not quite conducive to a drivers championship.

Seven other drivers have won their debut race with Ferrari; Fernando Alonso was the last to do it, in 2010. If Hamilton can join that club with a win at Melbourne, it will be the story of the year in F1, regardless of what happens the remainder of the season.

Verstappen, who is set to become a father in April with girlfriend Kelly Piquet, is seeking his fifth straight world championship. It’s a feat accomplished by only one other driver, German legend Michael Schumacher from 2000 to 2004. Will fatherhood soften the drive and desire of the Dutch champion, or will a child be just another person Verstappen can say “Who’s your daddy?” to? 

And as always, guiding the Red Bull ship and stroking the Verstappen ego is team principal Christian Horner, who may arguably be the most “hands-on” of all F1 team principals. This year, Horner will also have to manage new Red Bull driver Liam Lawson. “Manage” in this sense means ensuring Lawson plays the compliant and dutiful second to Verstappen.

While Verstappen has been dominant in his championship run, he is easily frustrated when his Red Bull isn’t the front-runner. The Red Bull kingpin showed vulnerability last season when Norris dared to threaten his alpha-dom status. And that’s a case in which just one driver contested his crown; this season, there could be upwards of five drivers challenging the status quo.  

Verstappen has publicly stated that he doesn’t think Red Bull can win in Melbourne. He’s obviously sandbagging, or referring to Lawson’s Red Bull, or making an early excuse. To Verstappen, failure is an option, but failure is never his fault. 

Or, Verstappen could be suffering a flashback from last year’s Australian GP, where he was forced to retire after just three laps with brake failure. The bottom line is Verstappen can win anywhere, and if he doesn’t win in Melbourne, he won’t be far behind the winner.

If any driver is to stop Verstappen’s run of dominance, McLaren’s Norris seems to have the car, the experience, and the team to be world champion. 

On paper, Norris has all the tools to be a world champion, save for a teammate willing to comply with the idea. That driver would be Australia’s Oscar Piastri, who did Norris no favors last season in Norris’ pursuit of Verstappen in the championship pursuit. Give either Piastri or Norris a different teammate (i.e. one similar in errand boy status of Lawson, Verstappen’s familiar at Red Bull), and both could be world champions. And if Norris has somehow developed a killer instinct while partying in the offseason, he could unseat Verstappen.  

Preseason testing in Bahrain revealed a decided advantage for McLaren, albeit on a circuit where historically McLaren has shined. The general consensus is that the Woking outfit will start the season with the best car. If McLaren leaves Melbourne without a victory, they’ll be disappointed, and the general consensus will have been wrong.

With Hamilton’s departure, George Russell assumes the veteran role at Mercedes, where he will either mentor or be schooled by 18-year-old Italian phenom Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli is just one of several “once in a generation” talents in F1 this season. Antonelli may very well have the coolest-sounding name since Giancarlo Fisichella, but please tell me why Antonelli’s three-letter driver code is “ANT” and not “AKA.” That’s a huge missed opportunity, AKA a mistake.

Mercedes will win a few races, and Antonelli may display the potential of a future world champion (or flame out spectacularly), but Mercedes seems destined to again be the fourth of the top four teams. A podium is a moderate possibility for Russell in Melbourne, but he would likely have to run a perfect race and hope for some bad luck for McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.  

Aston Martin’s lineup of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and full-time nepo-baby Lance Stroll remains the same for the third consecutive year. Aston finished fifth in the constructors championship in 2024. If they can hold that position, it will be considered a success. If they can’t, it won’t be considered a surprise. The team should reap the benefits of new technical director Adrian Newey, whose brilliance forged Red Bull to the forefront of the sport in his nearly two-decade tenure there. Newey will likely split his time between trying to give Alonso a car he can be pleased with and finding a way to strategically eject Stroll from the seat his daddy put him in.

Pierre Gasly returns to Alpine, joined by Australian rookie Jack Doohan. Doohan is the son of five-time Grand Prix motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan. Impressed? Alpine executive advisor and serial dirtbag Flavio Briatore isn’t. Doohan is already under the gun, as Briatore has made it clear the Aussie has three races to make his worth apparent, lest he be replaced by Franco Colapinto, who scored two top-10 finishes in nine races with Williams last season. And if we know anything about Briatore, it’s that you can take him at his word, unless he’s under oath. My advice to Doohan in regards to Briatore is to watch your back, and your bank account, and if Flavio tells you to crash on purpose, don’t.

Gasly, well-established at Alpine and entering his third year with the team, closed 2024 strong, with three top-seven finishes in the final four races. While a race win in 2025 is highly unlikely, Gasly could snag a podium, but it might require some luck and will likely require a lot of luck. 

Williams snatched up Carlos Sainz, the odd man out at Ferrari, after Hamilton agreed to join the team. Sainz won twice in 2024 and while winning in a Williams is far-fetched, Sainz’s presence should inspire the team, knowing that if they present Sainz with a quality car, he has the talent to produce results.

Paired with Alexander Albon, beginning his fourth season with Willaims, the duo gives Williams the most experienced and talented lineup of the lower-tier teams. Expect Williams to make the biggest jump in the standings after 2024’s ninth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Sainz set the fastest time in preseason testing and was the victor in last year’s Australian Grand Prix. Those are two things working in his favor, which is more than you can usually say of a Williams driver. 

The former Visa Cash App RB F1 Team is now known simply as the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team. The driver lineup features (and I use the word “features” loosely) team holdover Yuki Tsunoda and French-Algerian Isaak Hadjar, promoted from Red Bull’s junior program. Hadjar has the raw talent to outperform Tsunoda, which may result in the diminutive, hot-headed Japanese driver complaining that his car is some “Racing Bull-S***” when that happens.

Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg are no mas at Haas, and in for the American-based team is former Alpine driver Esteban Ocon and 19-year-old newcomer and Ferrari Driver Academy alum Oliver Bearman, who appeared in three F1 races in 2024 (one for Ferrari and two for Haas). Haas closed the 2024 season well, with points scored in eight of the final nine races. Haas’ 2025 level of success may rely on how well Ocon and Bearman mesh as teammates. Given Ocon’s inability to mesh with anyone, it doesn’t bode well for Haas. 

And last and also least, Kick Sauber is fielding a team with what seems to be two purposes. First of which is to make sure the grid has 10 teams in 2025, and, second, to make sure Cadillac has a team to beat in 2026. Sauber’s 2025 lineup consists of former Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg and Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. While neither has the mullet and mustache game of ousted Sauber fan favorite Valtteri Bottas, the mix of Hulkenberg’s experience and Bortoleto’s youth should serve the team well while it waits for Audi firepower.

Hulkenberg made the move to Sauber with the apparent future hope that Audi, set to take over the team in 2026, can make the car more competitive, or merely competitive. Hulkenberg will be a fine mentor to Bortoleto, who won the Formula 2 title in 2024 as a rookie. Hulkenberg has already heaped praise upon Bortoleto, who may very well be the rookie that impresses most, despite the limitations of the Sauber machine.