The 2024 Formula 1 season has proven to be a dramatic one, with seven different race winners, a drivers’ championship battle, and a three-way fight for the constructors’ title. Max Verstappen currently leads the drivers’ championship with 393 points, ahead of Lando Norris in second on 331 points. McLaren leads the constructors’ on 593 points, Ferrari are in second on 557, and Red Bull sit in third on 544.
Over half of the grid’s contracts were set to expire at the end of the year, resulting in a massive shake-up over the last few months. The driver market was sent into chaos at the start of the year when Lewis Hamilton announced he would be leaving Mercedes - the team he’s been with since 2013 - to join Ferrari, leaving Carlos Sainz out of the Italian outfit.
2025 F1 driver line-up
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Alpine |
Jack Doohan |
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Aston Martin |
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Ferrari |
Lewis Hamilton |
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Haas |
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McLaren |
Lando Norris |
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Mercedes |
Kimi Antonelli |
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RB |
TBC |
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Red Bull |
Max Verstappen |
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Sauber |
Gabriel Bortoleto |
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Williams |
Carlos Sainz |
Hamilton's announcement of his move to Ferrari meant that contract negotiations began earlier in the season than anticipated, as teams looked to secure their driver line-ups for the next season. The move left Sainz without a seat and he had been described as "the cork in the bottle" by Kevin Magnussen, as the grid tried to solidify their seats for next year.
That cork may be out of the bottle now though, as Sainz announced at the start of the summer break that he will be joining Williams in 2025. The Spaniard has signed a two-year deal with the option to extend past 2026. Team principal James Vowles has said: "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 move from Hamilton left the second Mercedes seat available and after much speculation, it was confirmed that Andrea Kimi Antonelli would be joining the team. Despite the announcement, he had appeared hesitant about the move and following the then 17-year-old’s maiden F2 feature race win in Hungary, he said "I don't know if I will be ready2 for a move into F1 next year. The news came at the Italian’s home grand prix in Monza, with team principal Toto Wolff saying: "Our new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent."
Antonelli’s Prema team-mate Oliver Bearman announced in July that he would be joining Haas in 2025. The Chelmsford-born driver had an impressive debut for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian GP after he was called to stand in for an unwell Sainz. Following the announcement of his move into F1, Bearman said: "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 MoneyGram Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud."
Esteban Ocon has parted ways with Alpine ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, 2025 driver Jack Doohan taking his place, therefore making his Formula 1 debut a race earlier than expected. Ahead of the Dutch GP, Alpine announced that Doohan would be promoted from reserve driver to replace the outgoing Ocon in 2025. The Australian has been part of the Alpine Academy since 2022 and will be the first driver to graduate up to the F1 team.
Following the announcement Doohan said: "I am very grateful for the trust and belief by the team’s senior management. There is so much work ahead to be prepared and ready and I will give my best in the meantime to absorb as much information and knowledge to be ready for the step up."
Ocon will instead take part in the post-season test with Haas, who he will drive for in the 2025 season alongside Oliver Bearman. The news of his move to the American team followed his controversial collision with team-mate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco GP which left the team’s management upset and threatening to replace him for the following Canadian GP. Ocon has spent five years with the Enstone-based team after joining Renault in 2020 which rebranded to Alpine in 2021.
Nico Hulkenberg will return to Sauber 12 years after previously racing for the team. The German will leave Haas at the end of 2024 after rejoining the team last season to replace Mick Schumacher. Hulkenberg will work with Sauber as they become Audi in 2026, with former Audi F1 CEO Andreas Seidl saying at the time: “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.”
Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto will join Sauber alongside Hulkenberg after signing on a multi-year deal with the team. He currently leads the F2 championship, having taken the F3 title in 2023. COO and CTO of Sauber Motorsport Mattia Binotto said: "Nico and Gabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, positioning us strongly for the future." However, this leaves Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu out of a seat for 2025.
Following the Singapore GP, RB’s Daniel Ricciardo was dropped from the team in favour of Liam Lawson, who filled in for the Australian driver last year while he recovered from a broken hand. He lines up with Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the 2024 season, and although the second RB seat is yet to be confirmed for 2025, it seems likely Lawson will continue with the team.
Things also remain uncertain for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. While he is contracted with the Milton Keynes outfit until the end of 2026, having signed an extension earlier this year, RB drivers Tsunoda and Lawson are waiting in the wings to make the step up into the Red Bull seat should Horner and Helmut Marko come calling.
“We will fully support him until the chequered flag drops in Abu Dhabi. Whatever he decides after that is ultimately his decision,” Christian Horner told Sky Sports after the Qatar GP. While this is no absolute confirmation that Pérez will lose his seat come the end of the season, the fact that Red Bull are effectively out of contention for the constructors’ title may be what pushes for a driver change.
Despite a series of good performances, Tsunoda doesn’t appear to be the favourite for the Red Bull seat, instead relative newbie team-mate Lawson seeming to have the upper hand.
If one of the RB drivers were to make the step up to the main team, that would leave a seat open for a new driver to take. The main contender for this seat appears to be Isack Hadjar, who is currently scrapping it out with future Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto for the F2 title.
These shuffles have left several drivers without confirmed seats for 2025. The following current drivers are yet to announce their plans for the next season and are currently out of a seat going into next year:
Kevin Magnussen
Valtteri Bottas
Zhou Guanyu
Liam Lawson
Franco Colapinto
2025 F1 calendar
Formula 1 and the FIA have revealed another 24-round season for 2025, which also marks the championship’s 75th anniversary.
The season opener will return to Melbourne for the first time since 2019. The Australian GP will take the season-opener spot from the Bahrain GP which had hosted the opening race for the last four years. The race in Sakhir will now move to the fourth race of the season, followed by the Saudi Arabian GP which have both been moved due to Ramadan taking place in March.
Despite moving the Middle Eastern races until April, F1 has since announced that the Bahrain International Circuit will still host pre-season testing on the 26-28 February. It is the fifth consecutive year that testing will take place at the track, following more stable conditions in Bahrain compared to the previously used Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
The Hungarian GP will mark the start of the summer break, swapping places with the Belgian GP which is closing the first half of the 2024 season. Once again the Dutch GP will make the end of the summer break, with F1 returning on 29-31 August for the final 10 races of the year.
The 2024 calendar saw several big changes, which bunched countries together for a better geographical flow in hopes of reducing the carbon footprint of the series. The changes will continue in 2025 including the season openers of Australia, China and Japan scheduled together and the Middle East races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi closing the season.
Here is the full 2025 F1 calendar:
| Date | Grand Prix | Location | Track |
| 26-28 February | Pre-season testing | Sakhir, Bahrain | Bahrain International Circuit |
| 14-16 March | Australian GP | Melbourne, Australia | Albert Park Circuit |
| 21-23 March | Chinese GP | Shanghai, China | Shanghai International Circuit |
| 4-6 April | Japanese GP | Suzuka, Japan | Suzuka International Racing Course |
| 11-13 April | Bahrain GP | Sakhir, Bahrain | Bahrain International Circuit |
| 18-20 April | Saudi Arabian GP | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | Jeddah Corniche Circuit |
| 2-4 May | Miami GP | Miami, Florida, United States | Miami International Autodrome |
| 16-18 May | Emilia Romagna GP | Imola, Italy | Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola) |
| 23-25 May | Monaco GP | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Circuit de Monaco |
| 30 May-1 June | Spanish GP | Barcelona, Spain | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya |
| 13-15 June | Canadian GP | Montreal, Canada | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve |
| 27-29 June | Austrian GP | Spielberg, Austria | Red Bull Ring |
| 4-6 July | British GP | Silverstone, United Kingdom | Silverstone Circuit |
| 25-27 July | Belgian GP | Spa, Belgium | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
| 1-3 August | Hungarian GP | Budapest, Hungary | Hungaroring |
| 29-31 August | Dutch GP | Zandvoort, Netherlands | Circuit Zandvoort |
| 5-7 September | Italian GP | Monza, Italy | Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
| 19-21 September | Azerbaijan GP | Baku, Azerbaijan | Baku City Circuit |
| 3-5 October | Singapore GP | Marina Bay, Singapore | Marina Bay Street Circuit |
| 17-19 October | United States GP | Austin, Texas, United States | Circuit of the Americas |
| 24-26 October | Mexican GP | Mexico City, Mexico | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez |
| 7-9 November | Brazilian GP | Interlagos, Brazil | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos) |
| 20-22 November | Las Vegas GP | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Las Vegas Street Circuit |
| 28-30 November | Qatar GP | Lusail, Qatar | Lusail International Circuit |
| 5-7 December | Abu Dhabi GP | Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi | Yas Marina Circuit |
What is the F1 sprint race schedule for 2025?
Once again there will be six sprint races for the 2025 season. Shanghai will be the first sprint race of the year, followed by Miami, as was the case at the start of the 2024 season.
Spa will host its first sprint for the first time since 2023, replacing Austria which hosted a 2024 sprint. Events will also be held in the US and Qatar for the third time. Interlagos is the only venue returning to the calendar which has hosted a sprint race every year since 2021, and will mark the fifth sprint race at the Sao Paulo-based track.
There are no announced changes to the 2025 sprint race format, following some significant changes in 2024. A new format was introduced this year which replaced the Friday race qualifying session with sprint qualifying.
Saturday then begins with the sprint race before qualifying for the main race taking place later in the day. These changes allowed for cars to be released from parc ferme conditions after Saturday’s sprint, allowing for teams to make set-up changes before qualifying.
Here is the full 2025 F1 sprint calendar:
| Date | Grand Prix | Country | Track |
| 21-23 March | Chinese GP | Shanghai, China | Shanghai International Circuit |
| 2-4 May | Miami GP | Miami, Florida, United States | Miami International Autodrome |
| 25-27 July | Belgian GP | Spa, Belgium | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
| 17-19 October | United States GP | Austin, Texas, United States | Circuit of the Americas |
| 7-9 November | Brazilian GP | Interlagos, Brazil | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos) |
| 28-30 November | Qatar GP | Lusail, Qatar | Lusail International Circuit |
2025 F1 regulation changes
F1 will also no longer give an extra point to a driver in the top 10 who sets the fastest lap of the race. The point only being awarded to the top 10 drivers meant that those in non-points-scoring positions were free to nick the point from competitors, Ocon taking the point from Colapinto in Austin, and Ricciardo from Norris in Singapore. The rule was reintroduced in 2019, but has been scrapped from the 2025 season.
The FIA is considering acting on aero changes in 2025 to combat the significant drop in the ability of cars to be able to follow each other. It follows a number of complaints in 2023 by drivers that the current cars are struggling to race close to each other, with an analysis of performance showing a 50% drop in the ground effect machinery.
The FIA did not make the changes heading into the 2024 season as it felt it would be unfair given teams had already put a lot of resources into this year’s cars. The FIA's single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said: "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 (around the brake ducts). We could lay down somewhat more restrictive rules in these areas.
"It is clear we no longer have the advantage of 2022 and, therefore, we know that there is work to be done."
The 2025 season will be the 12th and final year of the V6 hybrid turbo power unit. It comes as part of the regulation changes which will see the end of the MGU-H unit for the more powerful MGU-K. F1 will also scrap DRS in 2026, opting for a push-to-pass system known as ‘X-mode’ which will put the front and rear wings into a low-drag setting on the straights.
The minimum weight for the driver will be increased from 80kg to 82kg and, as a result, the minimum weight of the car, without fuel, will be increased from 798kg to 800kg for 2025.
But the FIA also plans to introduce new chassis rules for the 2026 season which will make cars around 40-50kg lighter.
