The last two Formula 1 seasons could hardly have been more different.
In 2023 Max Verstappen and Red Bull smashed the records for dominance. But in 2024 their rivals hit back and F1 set new benchmarks for competitiveness.
What will 2025 bring? Many are hopeful last year’s close competition will continue – no driver has taken back-to-back wins for the last 15 grands prix (ignoring sprint races). The last time F1 saw a longer run than this was across the 2011 and 2012 seasons, when no driver won consecutive grands prix for 17 rounds in a row.
Seven different drivers won races last year but some of those have swapped seats since. If Carlos Sainz Jnr manages to win again this year he’ll deliver Williams’ first victory for 13 years.
Once the season begins, Sainz will have driven for F1’s three longest-running teams: Ferrari (1,098 starts), McLaren (970) and Williams (839). He is the third driver in F1 history to have represented this trio, the others being Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost, who were team mates at Ferrari in 1990.
Lewis Hamilton has taken his place at Ferrari. He ended by far the longest victory drought of his career last season – his British Grand Prix win was his first for 56 rounds. However he has already equalled his second-longest win-less run since then, at 10 races.
But this drought pales next to that of Fernando Alonso, who will mark 12 years since his last victory if he doesn’t win any of the first six rounds. Given Aston Martin’s form at the end of last year, that seems likely.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Hamilton could end his latest win-less run by taking victory on his debut for Ferrari. He’ll be in good company if he does: His fellow world champions Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Nigel Mansell, Mario Andretti and Juan Manuel Fangio all won on their first appearances for the Scuderia.
Another driver who won on his debut for Ferrari was Giancarlo Baghetti, who achieved the unique feat of winning his first F1 race (ignoring the first ever world championship grand prix). Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a fellow Italian, could have the rare chance to match that feat if Mercedes’ new W16 delivers the goods. If he wins a race before the year is over he will be the first driver to claim a victory in his debut season since his predecessor, Hamilton, in 2007.
Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari means his record of starting the most races exclusively with the same engine manufacturer will come to an end. Every one of his 356 starts has been powered by a Mercedes. During that time he has won a record 105 grands prix.
He is still heading slowly towards Michael Schumacher’s record of 77 fastest laps. Hamilton set two last year, putting him on a total of 67. As the fastest lap is no longer worth a bonus point, there will be less competition for them this year.
Formula 1 has an influx of six new full-time drivers this year. However only one of them has picked a number which no driver has used since the FIA introduced ‘career numbers’ in 2014. That’s Oliver Bearman, who will race with number 87.
Meanwhile Isack Hadjar will become the third driver to use number six under the current rules – the first time the same number has been chosen by three different drivers. It previously belonged to Nico Rosberg (2014-16) and Nicholas Latifi (2020-22). Out of the 97 numbers available to drivers (every single and double-digit number excluding one, which is reserved the reigning world champion, and 17, which was withdrawn in honour of Jules Bianchi) still more than half have never been chosen.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Jack Doohan would have joined the small group of drivers who made their grand prix debuts on home ground. However his unexpected early start at Alpine means that will no longer happen.
Australia will resume its place as F1’s season-opening venue, as was the case for the majority of races between 1996, when its race moved from Adelaide to Melbourne, and 2019. The 2020 race would have opened the season but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
For the third year in a row, F1 will make three visits to the United States of America. Liberty Media’s eagerness to grow the sport in the USA means the country will overtake Britain and Germany this year to be F1’s second most frequently visited country. The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be America’s 82nd world championship round, but by the end of the year Italy will have held 109.
Underlining the swing in competitiveness we saw from year to year, Verstappen won all three US rounds in 2023, but three of his rivals from three different teams won the same events last year. Will he face similar opposition this year?
His chances of another championship success rest on this. If he does take another title, he will become only the second driver in F1 history after Michael Schumacher to win five drivers’ titles in a row – an achievement Verstappen denied Hamilton in that controversial finale at Yas Marina four years ago.
2025 F1 milestones
- Chinese Grand Prix: Ferrari’s 1,100th grand prix start
- Japanese Grand Prix: Sauber’s 400th grand prix start
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Aston Martin’s 100th grand prix start
- Miami Grand Prix: Nico Hulkenberg’s 250th participation in a race weekend
- Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Red Bull’s 400th grand prix start
- Canadian Grand Prix: Haas’s 200th grand prix start, Yuki Tsunoda’s 100th participation in a race weekend
- Belgian Grand Prix: Yuki Tsunoda’s 100th grand prix start
- Qatar Grand Prix: Nico Hulkenberg’s 250th grand prix start
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Over to you
What other F1 records could be broken this year? Share your views in the comments.
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
Formula 1
- FIA may “shut down” F1 radio broadcasts due to swearing – Ben Sulayem
- How much F1 will you watch in another packed, 30-race season?
- Hamilton won’t last two years at Ferrari, predicts Ecclestone
- “No doubt” Herta is quick enough for Formula 1 – Ericsson
- I’m not the “really angry guy” I sound like on the radio – Hadjar