It's lights out and away we go! Well nearly. The F1 75 car / livery launch was on 18th February. Bahrain pre-season testing starts on the 21st and Drive to Survive drops on the 7th March.

And editorial deadlines mean that this review pre-dates all of that so Mystic Stu is really being challenged this year. But Steve Roberts will be helping by agreeing or disagreeing with these wild predictions. 😀

But first, some broader perspectives on F1 2025 from both myself and fellow FF1 scribe Steve Roberts.

Autosport Changes

Autosport: From January 2025, the motor racing bible went monthly, after around 70 years as a weekly publication. Sky F1, websites, podcasts and social media do a better job of the day to day now. Autosport also has a full online presence but its new monthly tome is excellent with more depth and insight having freed itself from having to keep up with 24 Grand Prix.

Good from F1

Bad from F1

The Jury's Out from F1

The Racing

Converging Performance: The current regulations have led to converged performance among teams. The sliding scale on aero adjustments means the best team gets less, while the worst team gets more.

Established Order: The McLaren set up is settled and Ferrari has the GOAT. Two rookies at Merc and Red Bull may hamper them.

Five Rookies: This season features five rookie drivers, adding excitement and unpredictability. Or six rookies of you include Lawson in his first full season. Reputations will made and broken in 2025.

The Predictions

Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber (Audi next year)

• Stuart - We may have yet another team in Milton Keynes - Audi is looking for new premises in Milton Keynes. They were last in 2024, have two new drivers and Audi will be keeping its powder dry for 2026. Hulk will do a good job, I expect over at least two seasons and Bortoleto is the real deal, having won both F3 and F2 in his rookie seasons. But they will be 10th again.
• Steve - Hard to start with a disagreement with Stuart on this. Sauber/Audi are still a team playing the long game and they've taken the standard combination of journeyman and rookie. 10th.

Atlassian Williams Racing

• Stuart - I'm a big fan of Carlos and he will bring something good to Williams. Albon will have to up his game. They have a new main sponsor and the launch car looked busy with logos. James Vowles will be half way through bringing the facilities up to scratch. So they will be 7th this year.
• Steve - There's a lot of good noises coming out of Williams (no, not those V6s) and expect the Williams resurgence to continue under some good leadership and capable drivers. I'll go one better - 6th.
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Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB)

• Stuart - They have a base now in Milton Keynes on the Red Bull Campus. Yuki and Issac Hadjar are the pedallers. Issac's second place in F2 is promising, but he is quite a lively character so I look forward to the radio messages. Yuki might be heading to Aston Martin with Honda in 2026 having been overlooked for the Red Bull drive. I think their radio will be the most bleeped. But they will be 8th.
• Steve - Yuki deserves a shot at a competitive drive and sticking with the Red Bull Juniors isn't it. There is always a chance he'll get "the call" if Lawson doesn't shine at RBR but Yuki might be better advised to seek an alternate employer. If Hadjar can get up to speed quickly then they'll be pushing the mid-pack; finish in 7th.

MoneyGram Haas

• Stuart - Toyota is now involved and they are winners so potentially significant. Ocon has a reputation to repair so that will be interesting. Ollie Bearman says he isn't under pressure but I'm not sure it works that way. Especially when you do what he did last year in the Ferrari to raise everyone's expectations. They will be 6th.
• Steve - Haas are the team that blow hot and cold but ultimately their budget limits their ambition. Despite expectations I don't think the car will be beneath them so they'll miss out to RB and be 8th.

BWT Alpine

• Stuart - Gasly and Doohan are this years drivers. Gasly is reliable and damage-free in 2024, but Doohan faces a tough challenge with reserve driver (Colopinto) putting on pressure from the sidelines. The team management is a curios mix and they fire people left, right and centre. This is the last year of Renault as a power unit provider before they get a Merc. So backwards me things and 9th place.
• Steve - Another one hard to argue against. It doesn't seem like the Renault heart is in the sport at the moment and this reflects into poor performances on-track. Their saving grace is that Gasly is the best driver at the back of the pack so they can cling to 9th.

Aston Martin Aramco

• Stuart - This is year before Honda but they have a very good power unit they have used for ages. Newey's impact remains to be seen – I don't whether he makes a difference to the 2025 car. Their facility at Silverstone is complete, and both car and drivers need to perform well to do it justice. I think they will be 5th.
• Steve - Could be 4th if they had two competitive drivers; but their line up means they will struggle to match their potential. Newey's arrival is too late to substantially impact the 2025 car (although may help with some mid-season development), though their focus is clearly on 2026. 5th and both drivers to leave F1 at the end of the season. 5th

Mercedes AMG Petronas

• Stuart - Antonelli won't be under pressure, but George faces a pivotal season as team leader. Mercedes is still grappling with the current rule set, but this year might be different. The first post Lewis year. I'm saying 3rd.
• Steve - It's a rebuild year, again. But with different drivers and some changes in team personnel. That said, they should be entering the season from a much more established platform than recent years and this will put them back ahead of RBR. George will pick up some wins but Kimi will have to wait for his maiden win. 3rd

Oracle Red Bull Racing

• Stuart - Liam Lawson faces massive pressure to match Max. The team's history with two drivers in a slightly underperforming car isn't great, but Max will maximize everything. Success depends on the car produced. But I think that means 4th.
• Steve - End of an Era for Red Bull. The car won't be on the pace the pressures this brings will hinder rather than inspire. There'll likely be moments of Max brilliance, but overall they'll struggle and slip behind Mercedes. 4th.

Scuderia Ferrari HP

• Stuart - I can't wait to see Lewis in red, with his mojo back. I'm intrigued to see if it's these regs that don't suit Lewis or just Merc's interpretation. The combination of Charles and Lewis in a good car is tantalizing. They will score loads of points even if they're not winning. But not quite enough so I'm saying 2nd place.
• Steve - How Lewis and Charles will fit into a team that has historically preferred a clear 1 and 2 driver will be interesting to see. Despite his increasing years Lewis' move to Ferrari still comes with one eye on the next regulation change in 2026 and will take him some time to get up to speed with the new machinery. But they'll both take enough results to edge McLaren to the constructors title, with Leclerc taking the WDC he so longs for. 1st.

McLaren

• Stuart - Stable and massively competitive, with a full season in that state. Lando's continuous growth and Oscar's competitive edge keep the team on track. They will win the Constructors again.
• Steve - Interesting that it was Oscar who received the better reception over Norris at the F1 Live event and I expect him to translate that support into results on the track. Both drivers will take wins but at the expense of each other. Lando's inconsistency to hurt him again. Just falling short of Ferrari to miss out on a second title and finishing 2nd.

And the Drivers

This season has the ingredients to be a humdinger. I think the championship will be between:

• Norris – he will force himself ahead of Piastri
• Leclerc and Hamilton
• Russell – provided the car is good enough
• Verstappen – despite how good the car is