Written by Paige Tamasi
It is a new year and that means another year of Formula 1. Fans have had weeks of the sport by now and are itching to get back on the track. So what is there to know before getting into F1 2025?
Who are the Teams Looking To Beat?
For the first time in three years, the winner of the Constructors Championship was not the winner of the Driver’s Championship. Max Verstappen drove off with his fourth driver’s championship (in a row no less), but it was McLaren that swept the Constructors Championship trophy off the podium. So all teams are looking to beat Mclaren (and Red Bull due to their past dominance), but the drivers are still trying to knock Verstappen off the top step.
Who will be the Drivers Competing? the Teams?
There will be ten teams competing in the F1 2025 Championship and their drivers go as follows: Alpine (Pierre Gasly, Jack Doohan (rookie)), Aston Martin (Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll), Ferrari (Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc), Haas (Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman (rookie), Mclaren (Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri), Mercedes (George Russell, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (rookie), Racing Bulls (VCARB) (Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar (rookie), Red Bull (Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson (partial rookie), Sauber (Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto (rookie), and Williams (Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz).
Keen-eyed readers would notice the number of rookies (first-year drivers for Formula 1); there are six. This is dependent on whether or not you count Liam Lawson, as he drove for Racing Bulls partially last year when Daniel Ricciardo was released from his contract midway through the season.
There have also been important personnel changes for this season. Red Bull has lost much of their workforce to other teams, most notably Adrian Newey (F1 designer) is now working for Aston Martin. Old Red Bull sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, will be the last team principal for Sauber before the Audi takeover in 2026. Previous Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack will now act as chief trackside officer, with previous Mercedes worker Andy Cowell taking the team principal position. And, leaving the best and most historical for last, Laura Mueller will be the first-ever woman race engineer in F1, working for Ocon at Haas.
When Does the F1 2025 Season Start?
The pre-season testing begins in February, alongside the launch event on February 18th. Since 2025 is F1’s 75th anniversary, there will be a unique event for ticket holders to view the new grid and 2024 liveries.
As previously mentioned, testing will occur between February 26 and 28 at Bahrain’s International Circuit. Each duo of drivers will share one car, as only one car is allowed per team.
The first show will be on March 14-16 in Australia. Motorsport fans will notice Bahrain is not hosting the opening race for the first time in four years. This is due to the annual timing of Ramadan, which would clash with the beginning races. Due to the religious holiday, both Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races will occur in April.
Rule Changes for the Upcoming Season
Fans may be either extremely happy or very sad depending on where they fall on a recent rule change. 2025 will see F1 do away with their fastest lap additional points, so the fastest time on track will provide no additional advantage beyond gaining on the car in front of you.
The minimum driver weight allowance has been increased by 2 kg to 82 kg instead of the original 80 kg. A driving cooling kit has been introduced to keep drivers cool and prevent heat exhaustion from hot cars and increased temperatures. Beyond this, the technical regulations remain the same.
For more bureaucratic changes: teams now must place a rookie driver into each of their cars four times throughout the season (doubling the rate from last year). The FIA has introduced a new set of rules to limit ‘moral injury’. With penalties ranging from €40,000 to €120,000 with a deduction of championship points, the FIA meant business with this new vague regulation.
With pre-season testing coming up in a couple of weeks, this viewer is excitedly awaiting the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Let’s race.
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Written by Paige Tamasi. Edited by Paige Tamasi. Photography by Pixabay. Published by Paige Tamasi