F1 2025

[spitfire]

Vroom vroom here we go again, the piranha club is sharpening its' teeth, the drivers have selected their steeds and we have the most races in history to look forward to. (citation needed?)



The FIA and Formula 1 has announced the calendar for the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, with another 24-round season in store for fans, drivers and teams as the championship marks its 75th anniversary.

Kicking off with the Australian Grand Prix from March 14-16 and concluding with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the weekend of December 5-7, the paddock will again visit five of the world’s seven continents.

READ MORE: The key differences and stand outs from the 2025 F1 calendar

Ramadan will be throughout March in 2025, and therefore the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will be held in April.

The traditional summer break remains in August, with three weekends off separating the pre-holiday Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring and the post-holiday Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Changes made to the calendar in 2024 to create a better geographical flow of races have been carried over to 2025, with Japan in April following Australia and China, followed predominantly by the European races over the summer and the Americas during the Autumn, before Qatar and Abu Dhabi finish the season back-to-back.

There will be six Sprints held in 2025, with Shanghai, Miami, Spa, Austin, Sao Paulo and Qatar all hosting Sprints next year - tap here for more details. And pre-season testing will again take place in Bahrain, on February 26-28.

Team	Drivers
Red Bull	Max Verstappen (contract until 2028) Liam Lawson (contract unknown)
Ferrari	Charles Leclerc (beyond 2025) Lewis Hamilton (beyond 2025)
Mercedes	Kimi Antonelli (2025) George Russell (2025)
McLaren	Lando Norris (beyond 2025) Oscar Piastri (2026)
Aston Martin	Lance Stroll (beyond 2025) Fernando Alonso (beyond 2025)
Alpine	Pierre Gasly (multi-year deal) Jack Doohan (2025)
Williams	Alex Albon (beyond 2025) Carlos Sainz (multi-year deal)
Racing Bulls formerly RB	Yuki Tsunoda (2025) Isack Hadjar (2025)
Haas	Oliver Bearman (beyond 2025) Esteban Ocon (beyond 2025)
Sauber (formerly Alfa Romeo)	Nico Hülkenberg (beyond 2025) Gabriel Bortoleto (multi-year deal)

 

[1%er]

Christian Horner hints at Yuki Tsunoda release from Red Bull​

Christian Horner has suggested that Red Bull could release Yuki Tsunoda at the end of the 2025 F1 season. Tsunoda was overlooked by Red Bull, who instead opted to promote Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson to race alongside Max Verstappen next year after Sergio Perez was axed following a weak season. The 24-year-old Japanese driver, who outqualified Lawson in all six races they contested together in 2024, will instead remain at sister team Racing Bulls for the final year of his contract.

For the first time Red Bull team principal Horner has admitted that Tsunoda could be let go if he is not needed by the senior team. “We're acutely aware that if we're not able to provide an opportunity for Yuki – being, in all honesty, this year [2025] - does it make sense [to keep him]?” Horner told the media. “You can't have a driver in the support team for five years. You can't always be the bridesmaid. You've either got to let them go at that point or look at something different.”

Horner said he had spoken with Tsunoda about the “very tight” call and insisted the Honda-backed driver was focused on continuing to prove he deserves a shot at Red Bull. “He said he was enjoying having some wagyu beef while he was on his time out, but his motivation was to demonstrate that he warrants that opportunity,” Horner said. “The Racing Bulls team will hopefully make a step forward again next year as they utilise the [Red Bull] rear suspension and the gearbox, and the aspects that they're allowed to use. As that team and new management matures, that team will naturally take a step forward. I think he's very determined. He knows that things change very quickly. Who would've thought nine months ago we'd be sitting here talking about Liam Lawson being our driver for 2025? Things change quickly in this industry and he's aware of that and knows that he needs to be the one demonstrating that he's the one knocking on the door.”

What other options does Tsunoda have?
As we discussed when the news first broke on Thursday, Tsunoda finds himself at an F1 career crossroads following his snub. Perhaps the most intriguing option for Tsunoda, were he to decide to cut ties with Red Bull, would come at Aston Martin. Excitingly, Aston Martin are about to become Honda’s works F1 team when the Japanese manufacturer takes over their power unit supply from Mercedes as part of a deal from 2026. Tsunoda has already found himself linked to Aston Martin as a result of being a Honda-backed driver.

But such a move would ultimately depend on factors outside of Tsunoda’s control. The first is whether Fernando Alonso will continue to race in F1, and the other is dependent on whether Lance Stroll is kept on. Haas and Audi were known to have shown interest in Tsunoda prior to signing Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg respectively, and he is likely to have several admirers. Two seats are also set to open up at Cadillac when the American brand joins the grid as F1’s 11th team in 2026.

 

[1%er]

99 Percent Of Ferrari’s 2025 Car Is New – Vasseur [really?]​

Frederic Vasseur says Ferrari’s car for the 2025 season will be “completely new”. It’s a surprising statement, given the Maranello based team’s end-of-season competitiveness and the fact that 2025 is the final year of the existing regulations before the all-new chassis and engine rules for 2026. Christian Horner, for instance, was asked whether Red Bull’s 2025 car will be evolutionary or revolutionary, and he admitted: “It will be a bit of both. There will be developments in different areas of the car and major changes in others,” he said, noting that it will be the first Red Bull that Adrian Newey did not design. “The team has to rise to the challenge and I’m confident they will. We’ll see what the RB21 looks like when it’s unveiled at the end of January.”

However, Horner’s counterpart at Ferrari says the Italian team has a very different approach to 2025. “We are in the fourth year of applying these regulations and we know our previous project very well,” said Vasseur. “That is why the 2025 car will be completely new.” He added that the 2025 Ferrari “will share less than 1 percent” with the red single seater that was raced by Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc this season. Spanish broadcaster DAZN believes the changes include a cockpit position change, as per Lewis Hamilton’s request, which also means changes to the engine mounting and a shorter gearbox. Additionally, a move to McLaren-style pull-rod front suspension is expected, as well as Mercedes-like brake cooling.

But although Vasseur seems to have been receptive to Hamilton’s cockpit position request, the Frenchman says the seven time world champion will not be bringing any engineers with him from Mercedes. “No,” he insisted, “because we have no intention of replicating Mercedes here at Ferrari. We have our guys and the right resources to win, so let’s work to create an original. I don’t want a copy. He will bring his own experiences and background, but that doesn’t mean we have to change our approach. I think Lewis will understand that perfectly,” Vasseur added. “I know Lewis very well, but we must not copy and paste from Mercedes. The working environment there was very good at the beginning and less good at the end. They are not the champions. We must do something different.”

 

[1%er]

Liberty Media issue statement as EU launches investigation into F1 owner​

Liberty Media has issued a statement in response to the European Union launching an investigation into its bid to buy MotoGP. The EU Commission - the executive arm of the bloc - has opened a Phase II investigation into the proposed takeover of Dorna Sports by Liberty Media, which would bring F1 and MotoGP under the same ownership umbrella. The EU believes this move could stunt free competition when it comes to broadcasting rights, with a final decision needing to be made by May 14th, 2025 after 90 working days.

In response to the investigation being opened, Liberty Media, which purchased F1 ahead of the 2017 season released the following statement. "Liberty Media today received notice from the European Commission opening a Phase II investigation into its previously announced acquisition of MotoGP," it read. "We are confident this transaction will benefit MotoGP’s business, fans, viewers and the broader motorcycle industry. Market participants have widely recognized the benefits of the transaction. There is a very large and growing market for audiovisual entertainment well beyond sports, and this transaction will enhance MotoGP’s ability to compete in this highly competitive market. We will continue to work with the European Commission as they progress their review and have agreed with the sellers to an extension of the longstop date to June 30, 2025 in order to accommodate the more in-depth investigation. We believe that the European Commission will conclude that the transaction should be approved."

 

[Petcha]

I'm only a casual follower of F1 - probably only catch a couple of races a year - but how does a 22yo kid from New Zealand get what I assume is a pretty big gig in your sport? I've spent a lot of time in NZ. Motor racing is probably not even in the top 10 sports of a very sports obsessed country. Was he just born in NZ but then trained elsewhere?

And another question, and excuse my ignorance. Is the role of the 'second' driver in a team simply to support the main guy. Ie, let him past if he happens to find himself in front of him, hold up others etc etc... Or are they allowed to actually race for themselves. Oh, and does the main guy get better kit and better mechanics?

 

[1%er]

South Africa challenges Rwanda for African F1 race​

F1 has not raced on the African continent since 1993 despite a number of projects to lure the world championship back in the decades since. Most of those have come from South Africa but have typically failed to secure the necessary funding. There is now a renewed push to return Kyalami to the calendar, coinciding with an announcement last month that work is planned to upgrade the former F1 venue to Grade 1 standard. South Africa hosted F1 from the 1960s through to the mid-1980s, before returning in 1992 and 1993 at the then-heavily modernised Kyalami circuit. However, the venue has since fallen behind modern safety standards despite some investment by Toby Venter, who acquired it in 2014.

To host a grand prix, a venue must have Grade 1 certification from the FIA. That fact previously scuppered the chances of F1 returning to South Africa as a dispute over who should fund the upgrades broke out between Venter and the team behind the proposed event. Now, South Africa’s minister of sports, arts and culture, Gayton Mckenzie, has announced the formation of the South African Formula 1 Bid Steering Committee, a 13-strong group charged with bringing F1 back to the country for 2027. “Lewis Hamilton, we want to pay tribute to you and your activism,” began Mckenzie. “You introduced so many of us to Formula 1 and turned us into passionate fans today. You inspire us with who you are as driver, a person and a tireless activist for what you believe in. We want to crown your career by seeing you race here.”

He went on to point out that F1 had not visited South Africa since it was democratised and that the current calendar was imbalanced. “Europe has 10 races, if you include Baku,” Mckenzie noted. “One country, Italy, has two F1 races. Africa, with 54 countries, does not even have one race. So, there’s no reason that we can’t all put our name forward, and support each other, to make sure that the world championship takes place everywhere in the world, as it should.”

South Africa is not the only African country vying for a race, however, with strong interest from Rwanda. The FIA recently held its annual prize-giving ceremony in the country, and president Paul Kagame has made appearances at several grands prix in recent months. An unlikely venue for a grand prix, there is a degree of business sense behind it. Rwanda is pushing to grow its tourism economy, an area Kagame has identified as a key driver for economic growth and employment in the country. He has also identified the cost of air travel in and around Africa as a barrier to growing the sector and has worked to introduce the Single African Air Transport Market in an effort to drive down costs.

Meanwhile, construction work has begun on an all-new international airport in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, in a project valued at $1.3 billion. The first phase will see the airport designed to accommodate seven million passengers a year, expanding to 14 million with the second phase which will begin in 2032. The project has backing from Qatar Airways, an official partner of Formula 1, which has a 60 percent interest in the facility. Qatar Airways also has a codeshare agreement with state-run carrier RwandAir, a partnership that will deepen with plans to acquire a 49 percent ownership stake. The new facility in Kigali is designed to become an African transit hub to rival Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia. “We’re looking at 2027 and 2028 in terms of the airport being operational,” confirmed RwandAir CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo. “Addis is already a huge hub but Kigali will be an alternative regional hub, especially given the geographical position of Rwanda right in the heart of Africa, which gives us access to all the points.”

 

[1%er]

I'm only a casual follower of F1 - probably only catch a couple of races a year - but how does a 22yo kid from New Zealand get what I assume is a pretty big gig in your sport? I've spent a lot of time in NZ. Motor racing is probably not even in the top 10 sports of a very sports obsessed country. Was he just born in NZ but then trained elsewhere?

And another question, and excuse my ignorance. Is the role of the 'second' driver in a team simply to support the main guy. Ie, let him past if he happens to find himself in front of him, hold up others etc etc... Or are they allowed to actually race for themselves. Oh, and does the main guy get better kit and better mechanics?

Liam Lawson has been a race winner at pretty much every level of junior motorsport, and a front-runner in the highly competitive F3 and F2 championships. Most of his F2 and F3 was done in Europe. While he is very likely to be the 2nd driver in the team he will get the same kit and top mechanics, I'm sure Red Bull will allow there drivers to race, until or unless one needs support to win the championship, I'd expect Max to outdrive Lawson at the start of the season but if Lawson is any good (and the cars are good) we should see them racing each other later in the season.

 

[Petcha]

I assume Verstappen would have had a big say on this - he wouldn't want someone he thought could knock him off his perch?

 

[1%er]

Well, well Brenie's F1 collection just keeps going, last week wasn't the end here is more. I'd hate to have to put a value on his collection but for sure Tom Hartley Jr is one of the few who can.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Wish they'd get rid of the sprint weekends. Does anyone actually like them?

 

[Limejuice]

Wish they'd get rid of the sprint weekends. Does anyone actually like them?

I'm sure Liberty Media loves them.

Sprints give LM more content free-of-charge. More content = more eyeballs = more advertising loot = bigger executive bonuses = more bank accounts in the Cayman Islands = soaring demand for yacht catalogues.

It also allows promoters to sell an action-packed, thrill-bloated weekend that's worth the bloated ticket-prices to punters, especially on the two pre-race days, which are essentially noise, stop-watches, and burgers with botulism.

The fact the promoters can lure innocent, hard-working people away from the salt-mines for a couple of days and spend their pension contributions on botulism means the promoters can afford to pay the hideous sums demanded by Liberty Media for the rights to stage the races. Bigger race fees = more yacht catalogues.

For the teams, sprints are extra work, costs, crash-risks and fatigue. So they are bought off by the offer of extra world championship points, stoked by the burning fear a competitor will steal all the points like Bunter, Fat Owl of the Remove.

So sprints, it is, and the drivers who win all the extra points suddenly find they love sprint weekends. In reality, they'd much prefer to be playing with their ugly bulldogs and training their mullets. Or the other way round.

Anyway, yuletide bah-humbugs all round.