A new Formula One season dawns — and change is at the wheel
Hamilton joined Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, pushing Leclerc's former teammate Carlos Sainz to Williams, where the Spaniard will pair with Alex Albon. Hamilton's departure led Mercedes to promote 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli to fill his seat alongside George Russell.
Advertisement
Antonelli, a former Formula Two standout, is one of six drivers gearing up for their first full season in F1. Others include Liam Lawson (replacing Sergio Pérez at Red Bull), Haas's Oliver Bearman (replacing Kevin Magnussen) and Jack Doohan of Alpine, who replaced Esteban Ocon (now Bearman's new teammate at Haas).
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
At Sauber, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are out, replaced by reigning F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg. The 2024 F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar will team with Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, Red Bull's sister team, replacing Daniel Ricciardo.
McLaren's constructors' title-winning duo featuring Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Aston Martin's pairing of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll remain unchanged.
Second placed qualifier and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia (left) and Pole position qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren are seen during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 15.
Mark Thompson/Getty
How will Hamilton fare at Ferrari?
With Hamilton's move to Ferrari, which was announced in February 2024, one of the sport's biggest stars signed to join its most storied team. The expectations are high, and Hamilton is considered by some observers to be a preseason favorite for the drivers' title. Still, the 40-year-old finished a spot behind former teammate George Russell last year in seventh place, and Mercedes continued its struggles in recent years to compete at the very top.
Hamilton has been optimistic in his early months with Ferrari, telling reporters, 'This is the most positive feeling that I've had in a long time.' Though he was limited during last month's preseason test in Bahrain, he said Ferrari feels like a title-winning team.
Advertisement
'[McLaren] look really quick, really competitive,' Hamilton said. 'We won't know obviously until next week truly, exactly where we stand, but we know that we've got work to do and everyone is just heads down and I've been really inspired and really encouraged by my colleagues.'
Can anyone stop Max Verstappen?
Verstappen won four of the first five races of 2024 and appeared on pace for
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares for qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia.
Mark Thompson/Getty
Norris enters this season with high expectations and is the betting favorite to win the drivers' title. Meanwhile, after Verstappen and Red Bull worked through an underwhelming preseason test, their issues continued into the practice sessions heading into Sunday's race. Verstappen admitted they weren't the quickest and later cited 'hard to fix' tire grip issues.
'Like, no massive or major problems,' he said Friday. 'But somehow the grip was not coming alive and just struggling on all four tires, really, in sector one and the last sector. That means of course that we are not really up there at the moment.'
Favored behind Norris are Verstappen, Leclerc, then Hamilton. Oddsmakers are less kind to Piastri and Russell.
Who impressed during preseason testing?
Yes, preseason test results are known to offer an unreliable picture of the true competitiveness of the field because of a variety of variables. Still, McLaren left Bahrain as the consensus front-runner following its showings across three days late last month.
Advertisement
Norris and Piastri's average lap times during their respective race simulations provide one measure that buoys those beliefs. The McLaren was notably faster across both sims, suggesting the team's rise since the midway point of the 2023 season may continue into 2025.
Ferrari and Mercedes produced strong showings, an encouraging sign for the latter given its struggles since F1's ground-effect car regulations were introduced in 2022. Further back, Williams appears hopeful to jump from the back to the middle of the pack. For his part, Hamilton left Bahrain ranked second on the overall time sheets, just behind Sainz.
Carlos Sainz of Spain driving the Williams FW47 Mercedes on track during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia.
Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty
Are there any major regulation changes in 2025?
In the chase for championship points, a driver who ran the fastest lap and finished in the top 10 in a race was awarded one point. It was a potentially valuable source of scoring in a close title chase, but it also became a tool of gamesmanship late in races. That point will no longer be rewarded in 2025, though the rest of the points scoring system remains unchanged.
Another noticeable change concerns the Monaco Grand Prix, which has been criticized for its processional, sometimes uncompetitive races. In 2025, the race drivers will be mandated to make two pit stops – erasing the typical one-stop strategy.
For more sweeping changes, look ahead to 2026, when major shifts in the sport's regulations will take effect. Those revisions demand lighter vehicles, altered power units and a new aerodynamics system.
How many races will take place in the US?
The 2025 calendar features 24 Grands Prix from March through December, with three races in the United States, as was the case last season.
F1 heads back to Miami for its sixth race of the season May 4. It returns to Austin for the US Grand Prix on Oct. 19, then circles back a month later for the Nov. 22 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Advertisement
For what it's worth, no American is set to race in F1 this season. Former Williams driver Logan Sargeant competed in 2023 and 2024, but lost his seat midway through last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Former F1 Driver Slams Lewis Hamilton's Behavior Toward Ferrari
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher has called out Lewis Hamilton for his behavior toward Ferrari, highlighting that the seven-time world champion criticizes his team extensively, which "doesn't help anyone." Hamilton has been facing a tough challenge at Ferrari since his move in January this year. His bombshell onboarding at Maranello might have been a great marketing exercise, but it likely multiplied people's expectations of him. His sprint race victory in the second round in China added to heightened expectations. However, Hamilton still had the job of adapting to a new car and a new team, which takes time and effort. But the challenges in doing so have resulted in unfavorable sporting results, often leading to frustration on his part. While his teammate, Charles Leclerc, secured five podium finishes thus far, Hamilton has yet to finish in the top three. Hamilton is also attempting to make changes within his team, especially to the way it has been moving forward with the development of the 2026 car. However, tense radio exchanges on Grand Prix weekends with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, have often highlighted the dissatisfaction in his tone. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Ferrari walks in the paddock during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Ferrari walks in the paddock during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 3, 2025 in Budapest, 40-year-old driver is facing challenges with his SF-25 F1 car, given the reported lack of rear stability. Among all 14 race weekends thus far, the most recent one in Hungary made headlines, as Hamilton secured P12 in qualifying after getting knocked out in Q2. The result led him to call himself "useless." He even went to the extent of saying Ferrari should change the driver. His statements attracted criticism from many F1 personalities. Unfortunately, finishing the race in the same position the next day didn't improve his morale in any way. Schumacher, who raced for Jordan, Williams, and Toyota from 1997 to 2007, called out Hamilton for being dramatic and for criticizing Ferrari. He told BILD: "I said before the season that this could go wrong. Currently, I see a lot of drama from him. He's been slamming the team, criticizing internally, arguing with the car—that doesn't help anyone." Schumacher boldly stated that Hamilton is either too old to race now or cannot cope anymore, but stressed that he won't leave Ferrari mid-season in case the situation deteriorates further. Admitting that the SF-25 is more suited to Leclerc, the former driver added: "The car suits Leclerc, not him. Maybe he's too old to adapt. Or he just can't cope. "I think the decision for Leclerc was made long ago. But I don't think he'll quit during the season."
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Sardinia Holiday Photos of Max Verstappen With Toto Wolff Go Viral
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Red Bull Racing Formula One driver Max Verstappen has been reportedly pictured with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, holidaying on the Mercedes chief's yacht off the coast of Sardinia. The images posted by Autosprint on Wednesday have been going viral on social media. As F1 enjoys the summer break, drivers and team principals take time off from the hectic 24-race schedule, staying away from the world of premier class racing. However, Wolff potentially spending the holiday with the four-time world champion has caused a row. The Italian publication posted that Verstappen was a guest on Wolff's yacht. In addition, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was also spotted by fans in Sardinia. The post read: "What do Formula 1 drivers do when they're on vacation? This is a question many ask, and for three of them, we have a definitive and concrete answer. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing arrives by boat prior to practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 23, 2025 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing arrives by boat prior to practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 23, 2025 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco."Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen met in Cala di Volpe, Sardinia, on the Austrian's yacht, where the four-time Dutch world champion was a guest. "Max has renewed his commitment to Red Bull for 2026, but it's hard to believe Wolff has given up on his plan to bring the Dutch driver to Mercedes. Just as it's easy to imagine Verstappen is keeping several options open for 2027. "And that Sardinian pier was also frequented by Charles Leclerc: the Ferrari driver appeared relaxed and very willing to take some photos with the fans present. "Even with the engines off, F1 can be very hot... " [Translated by Google] The images appear to be unusually blurry, especially Wolff's face, which is not entirely clear, which gave rise to the suspicion that they could be AI-generated. However, Planet F1 has confirmed that the photos are genuine, stating that the "images are authentic and that Verstappen did visit Wolff's yacht while both men are holidaying in Sardinia." While speculation about Verstappen's potential move to Mercedes died down during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, the holiday photos with Wolff could bring up the topic of his Red Bull exit again. Related: Guenther Steiner Exposes Max Verstappen's Plan for Multi-Year Mercedes Contract George Russell revealed in June that Mercedes was in talks with Verstappen for a future signing. The British driver's contract, which expires at the end of 2025, is yet to be renewed by Mercedes. He revealed ahead of the summer break that he would use the much-needed holiday to rejuvenate, given the recent tensions surrounding his contract extension, for which he has been waiting for 12 months. Russell said: "He [Toto Wolff] has got nothing to be worried about, I've got nothing to be worried about. Nothing is going to happen over the summer because I just want to have a rest and recharge and come back stronger for the second half of the year but there's no time pressure either way. "It will happen when it happens, it's a when not if. I'm 27 now, I've been with the team four years, next year would be my fifth and we want to build the relationship together but it's got to be right and I don't want to rush it. I've been waiting 12 months, I'm not going to just rush it in the course of two weeks so we'll sit down when the time is right."
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Former F1 CEO Questions Ferrari for Signing 'Political' Lewis Hamilton
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Former Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone has questioned Scuderia Ferrari for signing Lewis Hamilton, who he believes is "political." Ecclestone has been surprised by Ferrari's current struggles, especially given that the team hasn't won a Grand Prix in the last 14 rounds. The red team is currently placed second in the Constructors' Championship with 260 points, trailing McLaren by 299 points. Charles Leclerc was on his way to the team's maiden win in the last race in Hungary after starting from pole position, but a problem with his SF-25's chassis meant his pace dropped significantly, leading him to finish fourth. Related: Lewis Hamilton Exposes Inequality in F1 Employee Salaries, Urges Reform Speaking about the seven-time world champion, his sprint race victory in China early in the season filled many with the hope that he could elevate Ferrari to new heights. However, Hamilton has found it challenging to adapt to his car. The race at the Hungaroring saw him start and finish the race in P12. The disappointing Q2 exit in qualifying left him dejected to the point where he described himself as being "useless" and said that Ferrari should change the driver. Hamilton has never appeared so low since his Ferrari onboarding in January 2025. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari looks on in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 24, 2025 in Spa,... Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari looks on in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 24, 2025 in Spa, Belgium. MoreThe Briton admitted that he wasn't happy with certain things at Ferrari, but refused to reveal details. Ecclestone, who led F1 from the 1970s until 2017, chose not to blame the staff at Ferrari for its current performance, but stressed that someone needed to lead the team in a determined manner, and also questioned Hamilton's hiring. In an interview with F1 Destinations, the 94-year-old was asked about his views on Ferrari's ongoing challenges. He said: "It is quite incredible. Ferrari worked well under the leadership of Jean Todt, when he brought Michael [Schumacher] and many other personnel from Benetton. At the moment, I cannot say anything negative about the Italian staff working for Ferrari. But I think the team needs someone to take charge, find the right direction and get the job done. "I am not sure that taking Lewis was the right decision. Lewis is obviously talented, but a little bit political, which is typical for Ferrari and typical for him. But he could come to life again which would be good for him and good for Ferrari." With ten F1 races to go before the 2025 season concludes, it remains to be seen whether Ferrari can address the problems on its SF-25 and have it set up in the working window Hamilton prefers.
