Everything you need to know to be unbeatable on this new F1 2025 season

The 2025 Formula 1 season promises to be thrilling with rule changes, intense duels between drivers like Hamilton at Ferrari and Norris at McLaren, and ambitious rookies ready to make their mark. Norris will also need to be wary of his increasingly performant teammate. Leclerc, a key part of the Ferrari project, will have to make room for the seven-time world champion. Verstappen will be on the attack for a 5th crown, following in Schumacher’s footsteps.

This is the last season under the current engine regulations, and it promises to be extremely tight. Indeed, for several decades, when the regulations reach maturity, teams reach a certain limit of development. Already at the end of 2024, some qualifiers were decided by hundredths of a second where the driver made more of a difference than ever. The drivers’ championship is likely to be decided by the smallest of margins.

This closeness in performances allowed 7 different drivers to win at least twice in the season last year, a record.

24 Grand Prix and 6 sprints

24 Grand Prix on the program, which does not change compared to 2024, and it’s a real logistical and physical limit currently. The order of the races changes little. If last year Bahrain opened the season, it’s Australia again that is responsible for starting the hostilities. This hasn’t been the case since 2020. Bahrain will be the 4th stage.

In addition to the 24 Grand Prix, some events will feature a sprint race, held on Saturday with a special weekend format, also including a second qualifying session. The Grand Prix events in question are in China, Miami, Belgium, USA (Austin), Brazil, and Qatar.

> See the 2025 F1 calendar

Barcelona, goodbye

2025 will be the last race on the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. Indeed, from 2026, F1 will organize the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.

Attention to Super Licence points

With the launch of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the risk of accumulating penalty points resumes. In the event of an on-track infraction, drivers receive a different number of penalty points: anyone who accumulates twelve points within a year will be banned from a race. The twenty drivers start the new year under varying conditions. Some drivers, like Lewis Hamilton, will head to Australia with a clean slate, while others, like Max Verstappen, cannot afford to make too many mistakes.

The Dutchman, in particular, must be very cautious, as he is only four points away from a suspension. It will probably take some time before his first points expire: the Red Bull driver only got his first points on June 30th last year. This means he is not as severely threatened as Pierre Gasly in 2023, who could only afford one more point at the start of the season, but the margin for error is still not particularly large.

A regulation that evolves slightly

We had already mentioned it, several changes in the regulations took place in 2025 but are mostly minor. The wings will be thoroughly scrutinized, for example, to check their rigidity.

The FIA justified the decision to remove the quota of five gearboxes per driver for the entire season. Last year, three drivers were penalized for this reason: Alex Albon, Franco Colapinto, and Carlos Sainz.

The point for the fastest lap in the race disappears.

It’s the end of the bonus point given during the race to the driver who set the fastest lap. Indeed, at the end of the 2024 season, it could strategically allow teams to “steal” the point from another driver by making last-minute pit stops. Not very sportsmanlike and certainly not truly deserved.

The weight of F1 cars increased

The 2025 F1 cars cannot weigh less than 800 kg, including the driver, which is 718 kg without the driver. The driver’s weight has been increased from 80 to 82 kg to avoid the “forced diets” some drivers underwent when the cars could not reach the minimum weight.

The misuse of language heavily sanctioned

The FIA has strengthened its sanctions against drivers for misconduct or statements deemed inappropriate or harmful, inciting violence or hatred, including political or religious speeches. A specific framework has been established with a gradation of sanctions depending on repeat offenses. While drivers can face financial penalties, they also risk suspensions and point deductions. Fines of €10,000 per swear word in press conferences are being discussed, with potentially much higher penalties for insulting gestures.

Monaco with a special feature

The Monaco circuit will also have the particularity of seeing the regulations adapted regarding the mandatory pit stops. This year, there will have to be two, compared to the usual one in all other races. Thus, drivers who pit twice can no longer “slow down” the drivers behind them.

Shake-up in the schedule

The grid is shaken after 2 stagnant years. It changes dramatically with the arrival of 6 rookies.

Thus only two teams see their line-up remain the same after this winter: McLaren and Aston Martin.

The drivers in 2025

The stakes of 2025

The transfer that made the most noise is obviously Lewis’s arrival at Ferrari after 12 years with the Silver Arrows and 6 titles won with that team. But the Brit is not lacking in familiar faces, as he reunites with Frédéric Vasseur, with whom he worked 19 years ago in GP2. Will Lewis shine with Ferrari and bring back a crown? The Italian team hasn’t had a driver’s title since 2007, and the last constructors’ title dates back to 2008. It’s a big challenge, especially as McLaren broke the bad luck and won the constructors’ championship last year.

For Red Bull, 2024 hasn’t been great, with only 9 victories after a completely dominant 2023. On the constructors’ side, the Austrian team was outpaced by McLaren and Ferrari. Even if Max isn’t very optimistic for the start of the season, we know, and we’ve seen it many times, that the four-time world champion can achieve great feats, regardless of the car or the weather.

Mercedes is back among the favorites this year. The technical difficulties they’ve been dragging for 2-3 years now seem a thing of the past, but will they manage to establish themselves in this position permanently? Russell thus takes the lead position. Last year, he had better results than Hamilton.

Aston Martin, always in the top 5 for the past 2 years, would like to move up in the rankings, but the team now seems more focused on next year than on truly performing this season. With a new factory and the legendary Adrian Newey, they now have all the keys in hand.

Alpine also has ambitions to be a top team: the team finished 6th in the constructors’ championship, with a very strong end to the season. Internal staff changes and the car’s development seem to be paying off. Pierre Gasly will have to ensure his role as a model for Doohan.

Haas has also greatly evolved over the past season: a new team principal, a new technical partnership with Toyota. All these changes fuel hopes, especially for Ocon who, after 4 years with Alpine, aims to find the dynamic in the American team to help him progress. Nevertheless, the French driver will have alongside him a rookie named Bearman.

Racing Bulls welcomes the third French driver on the grid, Isack Hadjar. Even though Tsunoda is used to changing teammates, he will this time have to serve as a reference for the French rookie. Only one question remains: which one will catch Red Bull’s eye? The Japanese driver, after 5 years in F1, still hopes for a seat alongside Max Verstappen.

He could have it this year only if Lawson or Verstappen are injured or sick.

Under the Vowles era, Williams is revived and the team director has set a goal: to restore the team’s former glory and colors. Carlos Sainz joined the team this year. As we know, the Spaniard has the ability to move up the ranks in every team he joins. His feedback with the engineers will be crucial, as they rely on his experience to move further ahead. His tests in Bahrain were rather convincing; now it remains to be seen how it translates on the circuits. For Albon, there will finally be a bit of a challenge with his teammate, as he has only really known Latifi and Sargeant, he is no longer alone in leading the team.

Sauber, the underperformer of the grid, almost finished the 2024 season with 0 points. The team is relying on the very experienced Hülkenberg to bring in points. His teammate won’t be as aggressive on track as Magnussen at Haas, as it’s Gabriel Bortoleto who has just arrived from F2, although he has been racking up victories in F3 and F2.