Halfway through the 2024 Formula 1 racing season, the outcome seemed destined to be a replay of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s 2023 dominance. Max and Red Bull would have liked 2024 to end that way. But that’s not how it played out. The 2024 F1 Championship series became an exciting competition with subplots that continued until Jannik Sinner waved the last checkered flag of the season at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen won the 2023 Driver’s Championship thanks to the points lead he built at the beginning of the season, augmented by some incredible drives such as his stunning win at the rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix. But there were others in contention. And Red Bull didn’t win the Constructor’s Championship, finishing in third place after McLaren and Ferrari.
The green lights go out for the first time in the 2025 F1 season at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, from March 14 to 16. Before the first race, there’s a car livery launch at the O2 Arena in London on February 18 and pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 26 to 28—however, neither the livery launch nor the testing awards Championship points. The actual racing starts in mid-March.
Formula 1’s ten teams and 20 drivers operate at the top of their games every season. This year, there is a high expectation of exceptional drama, and it’s not just about whether Max Verstappen will win his fifth consecutive Championship. All F1 drivers have high aspirations, but Max and five others start the 2025 Formula 1 season with exceptional drama. It promises to be an exciting ride.
Why 2025 promises to bring even more drama to the F1 circuits
Only one driver can win the F1 Championship. Formula 1 is a team sport with hundreds of elite personnel who must work together under incredible stress levels to win a single race. Winning a season’s Championship measures the whole team’s strength. But, the center of the attention and the pressure, much of it internal, is the driver.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari:
Lewis Hamilton shocked the F1 world before the 2024 season began when he announced he would leave Mercedes at the end of 2025 to drive for Ferrari. Hamilton had reportedly always wanted to drive for Ferrari. Added to Mercedes’ inability to produce race-winning cars in the last few years, he saw the move as a chance to win at least one more Championship driving in a Ferrari.
Hamilton won six Championships in 12 years driving for Mercedes. He was driving for McLaren when he won his first Championship in 2008.
Hamilton is currently tied with Michael Schumacher with seven Grand Prix crowns. He wants to win the eighth title, which would seal his record as the greatest F1 driver ever. In a tightly contested battle, Lewis Hamilton lost the 2021 Championship to Max Verstappen. This year is a chance to win again in the last season before the F1 cars have a significant redesign.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull:
Max Verstappen is, above all else, a highly consistent driver. He’s determined to win and has superlative driving skills, but even when he had to cede podium place to drivers from other teams during 2024, he continued to score high. Max’s ability to come from the 17th position in the starting grid in pouring rain in the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix showed the world what he could do even without the fastest car.
Like a Clint Eastwood movie character, Verstappen doesn’t cope with drama; Max is the drama.
Lando Norris, McLaren:
Lando Norris was Verstappen’s greatest threat in 2024. Lando fought successfully in 2024 to overcome his record of starting in the pole position (first spot in the starting grid) only to lose it in the first lap. Norris won four Grand Prix in 2024. At the end of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, it was no longer possible for Norris to beat Verstappen for the crown, but many fans wanted the underdog to win.
Lando Norris has promised his team, fans, and himself that 2025 will be his year.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari:
Charles Leclerc is Lewis Hamilton’s teammate in Scuderia Ferrari. Leclerc is a strong, winning driver who has been the lead driver for Ferrari. Leclerc won three Grand Prix in 2024. Ferrari is fronting as if they have two leading drivers. The drama is obvious.
George Russell, Mercedes:
George Russell has the opposite situation to Charles Leclerc. Russell has been the second seat for Mercedes, even when he has outraced and outscored his former teammate Lewis Hamilton. Russell won two Grand Prix in 2024. Russell’s new teammate is 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli. Russell is eager to perform as Mercedes’ top driver.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren:
As the supposed second driver for McLaren, Piastri proved he was capable of winning, scoring two Grand Prix wins in 2024, including one race where fans and broadcasters wondered aloud why McLaren had not issued team orders for Piastri to let Norris stay in the lead because Norris was the only one who could use the extra points in the battle with Verstappen. By the end of the season, it was clear that, for 2025, McLaren had two leading drivers.
