The 2024 F1 season is in full throttle with seven different winners in the first 13 races. Yet, the chatter has already shifted to 2025, highlighting groundbreaking driver moves and a revamped race calendar.
Max Verstappen is dominating the 2024 championship with 265 points, closely followed by Lando Norris with 189 points. But the real buzz is about next year’s Driver Line-up, especially after Lewis Hamilton announced his departure from Mercedes to join Ferrari, leaving Carlos Sainz in the lurch.
Hamilton’s early announcement led to a flurry of contract negotiations. Sainz has found a new home with Williams on a two-year deal, with the option to extend. Williams’ Team Principal James Vowles remarked, “Carlos brings not just experience and performance, but also a fierce drive to extract every millisecond out of the team and car; the fit is perfect.”
The vacant Mercedes seat might go to rising star Andrea Kimi Antonelli, F2’s wonder kid. Meanwhile, Oliver Bearman, after an impressive stint as a stand-in at Ferrari, will be driving for Haas in 2025. Bearman couldn’t hide his excitement, “It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me. To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for Haas makes me so immensely proud.”
In a surprising twist, Nico Hulkenberg is set to return to Sauber, a team he last raced for 12 years ago. As Sauber transforms into Audi by 2026, Hulkenberg’s experience and speed will be critical. Former Audi F1 CEO Andreas Seidl commented, “With his speed, his experience and his commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team – and of Audi’s F1 project.”
Another major change is Esteban Ocon parting ways with Alpine to join Bearman at Haas. This move comes after a controversial collision with teammate Pierre Gasly at Monaco, leading to management displeasure at Alpine.
The 2025 driver grid is shaping up to be a thrilling mix of veterans and fresh talent. Here’s the current line-up:
Red Bull: Max Verstappen (end 2028), Sergio Perez (end 2026)
Mercedes: George Russell (end 2025), TBD
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc (beyond 2025), Lewis Hamilton (multi-year)
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso (until at least 2026), Lance Stroll (beyond 2025)
McLaren: Lando Norris (beyond 2025), Oscar Piastri (end 2026)
Alpine: Pierre Gasly (end 2026), TBD
Williams: Alex Albon (end 2026), Carlos Sainz (end 2026)
Haas: Oliver Bearman (until at least 2026), Esteban Ocon (multi-year)
Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg (until at least 2026), TBD
Red Bull: Yuki Tsunoda (end 2025), TBD
And for those still on the hunt for a seat: Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Valtteri Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu are yet to announce their plans.
The 2025 F1 calendar is also a blockbuster with 24 rounds, marking the championship’s 75th anniversary. The season kicks off in Melbourne, a return to its 2019 spot, pushing Bahrain to the fourth race. Ramadan in March has shuffled the Saudi Arabian GP as well. Notably, the Hungarian GP will mark the start of the summer break, swapping with the Belgian GP. The 2025 season continues the trend of grouping races geographically to reduce the carbon footprint.
Key dates for the 2025 calendar:
March 14-16: Australian GP, Melbourne
March 21-23: Chinese GP, Shanghai
April 4-6: Japanese GP, Suzuka
April 11-13: Bahrain GP, Sakhir
April 18-20: Saudi Arabian GP, Jeddah
May 2-4: Miami GP, Florida
May 16-18: Emilia Romagna GP, Imola
May 23-25: Monaco GP, Monte Carlo
May 30-June 1: Spanish GP, Barcelona
June 13-15: Canadian GP, Montreal
June 27-29: Austrian GP, Spielberg
July 4-6: British GP, Silverstone
July 25-27: Belgian GP, Spa
August 1-3: Hungarian GP, Budapest
August 29-31: Dutch GP, Zandvoort
September 5-7: Italian GP, Monza
September 19-21: Azerbaijan GP, Baku
October 3-5: Singapore GP, Marina Bay
October 17-19: United States GP, Texas
October 24-26: Mexican GP, Mexico City
November 7-9: Brazilian GP, Interlagos
November 20-22: Las Vegas GP, Nevada
November 28-30: Qatar GP, Lusail
December 5-7: Abu Dhabi GP, Yas Marina
Sprints make a comeback with six sprint races. Noteworthy additions include Spa and Miami. The format remains the same as 2024, enhancing the Saturdays with sprint action followed by the main race qualifying, allowing for some thrilling race weekends.
The FIA is also gearing up for aero changes in 2025, addressing the reduced ability of cars to follow closely. FIA’s single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis shared, “We are studying solutions for 2025. We have identified some parts of the cars to act on, such as the endplate of the front wing, the side of the floor and the fins inside the wheels.”
2025 will also be the last hoorah for the V6 hybrid turbo, set to be replaced in 2026 with more powerful units and a new ‘X-mode’ push-to-pass system, replacing DRS. The minimum weight regulations for drivers and cars will slightly increase to enhance safety. The FIA also plans to introduce lighter chassis rules for 2026.
With a mix of seasoned veterans and emerging talents, the 2025 F1 season promises to be a thrilling spectacle. The revamped calendar and upcoming regulations are set to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
