Why F1 will be so ‘tough' in 2025. Plus: Haas drivers on Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut

New York Times

21-02-2025

Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic's weekly F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox.
Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we're wondering what the big deal is about Racing Bulls' livery. It's mostly white. Bleh. Also, the sound of V10 engines is overrated. Happy Friday!
I'm Patrick, and Madeline Coleman will be along shortly. Let's dive in.
Why the grid will be tight in 2025
On Tuesday, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri said he thinks 'it's gonna be a tough season for everyone from the front of the grid to the back.' There's actually a lot packed into that casual observation, which was echoed by quite a few drivers leading up to F1 75 Live.
With F1's current regulations now in their fourth year, the performance gaps that gave front-runners comfortable advantages are shrinking fast. Teams that were once struggling to keep pace have had enough time with these cars to catch up on the learning curve. (See: Ferrari and McLaren's surge last year.)
The regulations change in 2026. When teams reach the limits of what's possible under current rules, finding those precious tenths of a second becomes a serious headache. So 2025 is a sweet spot for F1 competition: Innovation is starting to plateau and, as Madeline wrote today, 'all teams must shift their focus before the season's end' to the 2026 cars.
The grid has been gradually tightening, but 2025 could be when we finally see margins compress up and down the grid. Driver performance and strategy could make even more difference this season, especially at the top.
*touches earpiece* I'm sorry, I'm hearing from the future that Max Verstsappen won every race. Forget everything I've just said. Let's move on to one of F1's lesser-known teams.
That's the feeling this week out of Maranello, where Ferrari ran a shakedown of its 2025 car in front of fans and Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc spoke to the media.
If you're wondering how the two are getting on as teammates, well, consider the fact they were playing chess during F1 75 Live. (My initial thought: So proper F1 drivers play chess and reserve drivers play Candy Crush?) If you're wondering who the better chess player is, Luke Smith's story has all the details.
Advertisement
Hamilton's switch to Ferrari has breathed new life into the seven-time world champion. After 12 years in Mercedes silver, Hamilton is embracing the iconic Ferrari red with renewed enthusiasm. The move has clearly energized him after a frustrating final season with Mercedes.
'Every day, I'm experiencing something new, which actually is really exciting,' Hamilton said after his first test in Ferrari's new car. The adjustment has been significant – from the vibration of the Ferrari engine to different steering wheel functions – but Hamilton is embracing the change wholeheartedly. And, yes, Hamilton is learning Italian.
But what about the man in the next garage over? While all eyes are on Hamilton's Ferrari debut on March 16 in Australia, his teammate Charles Leclerc shouldn't be overlooked. The 27-year-old Monegasque driver has been with Ferrari since 2019 and has consistently outperformed his teammates.
With three wins and 13 podium finishes in 2024, Leclerc came within 18 points of Lando Norris in last season's championship battle. Now, he faces perhaps his greatest challenge yet — going head-to-head with the most successful driver in F1 history. Leclerc calls it 'a huge challenge and probably one of the biggest of my career.'
Interestingly, the two drivers have discovered they share similar driving styles, which could benefit Ferrari's development direction. 'We have a very similar driving style, which is a really good thing because I'm pretty sure we will need similar things from the car,' Leclerc noted.
Haas drivers on Hamilton's debut in red
For weeks (and months), people have discussed their thoughts about Hamilton's blockbuster move to Ferrari, but what do the people within the sport think now that Hamilton has started at the Prancing Horse?
Haas driver Esteban Ocon was at Maranello on the simulator the same day Hamilton did his test in January.
Advertisement
'It was insane, honestly,' Ocon told The Athletic. 'I got to feel the atmosphere that there is with the tifosi. I was not out on track. I was in the simulator, but when I came out of the factory, there was a lot of people. I'd been able to spend some time with fans out there and to be able to live what was happening there was incredible. You really feel the passion for Formula One, for Ferrari of course, but every year it's growing, and it's fantastic to see.'
But will it take some getting used to seeing Hamilton in red, after the lengthy stint at Mercedes? Not for Ocon.
'I'm not in a way surprised or shocked. It feels quite normal, which is weird,' Ocon said. 'Some of the people that I know have said it's gonna take time for them to adjust, and they said the same thing for me as well (at Haas), which they say, 'It feels odd to not see you with the Alpine anymore,' but I guess we will get used to it very quickly.'
Haas driver Ollie Bearman grew up a fan of Hamilton's and described it as 'amazing' to see him in the iconic Ferrari colors.
'Actually, I managed to see him in Ferrari quickly. But also seeing the photos and stuff and the driving on track that he's done, how interested and how much traction it got, it's quite incredible,' Bearman said to The Athletic. 'It's the biggest move, I think, in the history of F1 and it's great to see two monumental forces kind of joining together. I can't wait to see what they can achieve.'
Thanks, Madeline. Now it's time for …
On Wednesday at the Fiorano track, Ferrari fans (or maybe just one) were upset that trees were blocking their view of Lewis Hamilton driving the new Ferrari. How upset? This upset:
Some takeaways from me, a fan of nature/not doing vandalism:
By the metrics put out by F1, it seems so. The sport says: '1.1 million concurrent viewers watched live on Formula 1's YouTube channel, with 4.6 million total viewers on YouTube across the live broadcast.' Good numbers! And reactions from fans certainly lit up our live blog and social media.
But was F1 75 Live a success? Did it work? That's a different sort of question, one our writers tried to answer in their review here.
Advertisement
Elsewhere, Hamilton says he definitely thinks an eighth championship is in the cards this year at Ferrari.
And finally, it looks like Guenther Steiner's legal case against Haas has been resolved.
Five days until preseason testing.
📫 Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.