Jaden Stainforth ’27
Guest Writer
Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport. Twenty of the some of the most talented drivers race around the most challenging circuits in the world using top of the line machinery. Truly, the sport is a symphony of engineering and design. Since 2021, Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen, has absolutely dominated the sport. He clinched the 2021 drivers championship title after a contentious 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and handedly won the 2022 and 2023 drivers titles as well.
However, what the media and fans thought was going to be an incredibly boring 2024 season turned out to be an absolute thriller. At the beginning of last year, Max Verstappen was the favorite to win the driver’s championship and Red Bull Racing were the favorites to win the constructors title following a dominant 2023 season. The season started off predictably with Max easily winning the first two grand prix, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Glimpses of the chaotic season to come popped up at the Australian Grand Prix where Carlos Sainz won in the scarlet Ferrari SF-24. Yet, Max continued to dominate the first half of the season winning the subsequent Japanese and Chinese GPs as well.
Early May truly kicked off the turbulence of the 2024 season. At the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren driver Lando Norris won his first grand prix ever. Although the safety car caused by an incident between Hulkenberg and Sargeant was extremely serendipitous for the Briton, the race in Southern Florida showed that the Red Bull car no longer had the total pace advantage it held in prior seasons. From then on, almost every race was fair play for any driver and constructor. The rest of the 2024 season was filled with spectacular highs. Multiple drivers from multiple different teams went on to win races, fighting Max and Red Bull for not only podiums but race wins as well. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc broke the home race curse and won the Monaco GP along with masterfully strategizing a one pit-stop to win the Italian GP. Then-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton took P1 at Silverstone in his final season with the Silver Arrows team. Then-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had an absolutely brilliant win in Mexico. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took his maiden win in Hungary and secured another P1 with a brilliant drive in Baku; and Brit George Russell took home wins in Vegas and in Austria.
However, the season was also filled with pitiful low points for drivers. Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB) driver Daniel Ricciardo was dropped following the Singapore GP after failing to beat his teammate Yuki Tsunoda week after week. Williams Racing driver Logan Sargeant was replaced by Williams Academy Racing driver Argentine Franco Colapinto after crashing the car in the third free practice (FP3) session of the Dutch GP. Additionally, drivers seemed to be in conflict with the governing body of F1, the FIA, over swearing and language decorum.
Even though Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team faced numerous challenges in the second half of the 2024 season, the Dutchman was able to thwart off challenges from Brit Lando Norris and Monagasque Leclerc to win the 2024 F1 Driver’s title. However, the McLaren Formula 1 Team managed to steal the constructors title away from Red Bull Racing as the Papaya car was quicker and both Piastri and Norris were able to consistently clinch points whereas Red Bull really only could rely on Verstappen.
With that all being said, the upcoming 2025 season is set to be even more exciting and chaotic than last year’s epic drama. Every team kept their driver lineup the same from 2023 to 2024. Rolling into this year’s F1 season, only two teams have the same drivers, McLaren and Aston Martin. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has moved to Ferrari, displacing Carlos Sainz who has gone to Williams to replace Franco Colapinto. Red Bull Racing decided to replace Sergio Perez with up and coming Liam Lawson from New Zealand since Perez was no longer delivering as Max’s teammate. Mercedes junior driver Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli, only 18 years of age, steps in to fill Hamilton’s slot. Kick Sauber completely changed their driver lineup, dropping both Zhou Guyanu and Valterri Bottas for 2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoletto and seasoned veteran Nico Hulkenburg. Haas F1 Team has done the same, dropping Nico Hulkenburg and Kevin Magnessen for Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman, who’s only 19 years old, and Frenchman Estaban Ocon. With Ocon to Haas, Alpine filled their second driver seat with Aussie Jack Doohan. To round off all the teams, VCARB has replaced Liam Lawson with 2024 F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar.
Car regulations are not set to change until the 2026 season, so this year teams will be focusing on maximizing the output of their current designs. Commentators, media, and fans alike have posed numerous questions about the upcoming season: Will Red Bull be able to figure out their design issues and keep Max competitive for the drivers title? How will Lewis Hamilton adjust to the scarlet Ferrari? How will Leclerc manage to handle having Hamilton as a teammate? Can Liam Lawson face the challenge of being Verstappen’s teammate following four other drivers who have all failed? How will Carlos Sainz fit at Williams? Will Lando Norris be the favorite to win the driver’s title this year? How much of a fight will Oscar Piastri put up against his teammate in his third season in F1?
The 2025 season is shaping up to be an absolute thriller. The action starts to sizzle soon with multiple teams showcasing their cars this month and all the teams showing off their 2025 liveries at the F1 75th Anniversary event. Pre-season testing is only a few short weeks away, and the first set of red lights illuminate in late March in Melbourne, Australia but between now and then, stay tuned for updates from teams and F1 outside the paddock!
Featured image courtesy of F1
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