The 2025 season is nearly here, with a field that includes six rookies and sees a seven-time champion join the sport's most famous and accomplished team.
In fewer than seven days, the green flag will wave at the Australian Grand Prix, kicking off the 75th season of Formula 1 racing. The 2025 season might seem like a forgone conclusion after Max Verstappen handily claimed his fourth title in a row in 2024, finishing 63 points ahead of his closest challenger and winning nine races. But 2024 was actually the most dramatic season since Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's epic 2021 duel, with much of the hubbub revolving around a slew of driver changes that ushered in several new faces for 2025.
The cars have already undergone testing in Bahrain, but we won't fully know how things will shake out until this weekend. However, with the regulations remaining fairly consistent, a major engine shakeup looms for 2026; we don't expect massive changes in car performance. Here's what to watch for each team in 2025.
McLaren
McLaren's Constructors' Championship in 2024 was the team's first since 1998. Lando Norris led the charge, collecting four wins and eight pole positions en route to second place in the Drivers' Championship. Despite only being 25 years old, 2024 was Norris's sixth season in F1 and his best yet, with McLaren delivering a competitive car and Norris pressuring Verstappen as Red Bull faltered in the summer and Verstappen went 10 races without a win, shocking for a driver who racked up 53 wins over the last four years.
Norris's teammate, Oscar Piastri, was fourth in his second season, collecting his first two wins along with eight podiums. The 23-year-old Australian had a notable uptick in performance and showed a degree of levelheadedness that belies his age and is reminiscent of the steely demeanor of many champions.
McLaren hopes not only to reclaim the Constructors' title in 2025 but also the Drivers' honors, which it last accomplished with a young Lewis Hamilton in 2008. Norris got pushed around a bit by the unrelenting Verstappen last year and must show more tenacity on track while maintaining a positive mindset over the long season if he wants his first championship. Piastri, meanwhile, must improve in qualifying after a pole-less 2024 to ensure he can battle for the win when the car has the performance.
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Ferrari
Sergio Perez's woes at Red Bull allowed Ferrari to slide into second place in 2024, and golden boy Charles Leclerc is joined by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for 2025 following Hamilton's shocking departure from Mercedes after 12 years. Leclerc had a solid 2025 with three wins, three poles, and 13 podiums, putting him third overall. While Hamilton won twice in 2024—breaking a two-year winless streak—it was his worst season yet as he trundled to seventh. Hamilton, now 40 years old, will look to bounce back and prove age is just a number.
The Briton clearly didn't mesh well with last year's Mercedes and hopes to get better with a Ferrari team that has been quick but inconsistent in recent years. Both Leclerc and Hamilton can contend for the title, but Ferrari must minimize strategic mistakes. Leclerc and Hamilton get along well, but we'll see if that camaraderie will last if both are challenging for the top spot.
Red Bull
Red Bull's 2024 was tumultuous—Verstappen won, but Sergio Perez earned his only four podiums in the first five races before fading to the midfield, finishing eighth and losing his seat. Red Bull was also mired in controversy after allegations of inappropriate behavior by team principal Christian Horner towards an employee resulted in an internal investigation. Horner was cleared of wrongdoing by Red Bull, but the case has now been brought before a UK court. It also revealed hidden fractures in the dominant team, with Verstappen's father Jos publicly calling for Horner's removal amid reports of divisions among Red Bull management.
Regardless, Verstappen, who has cemented himself as one of the all-time greats, enters 2025 as the favorite for the Drivers' Championship. The real question is whether Liam Lawson—Perez's replacement—will fare better than Verstappen's past teammates, whom he has routinely trounced. Lawson isn't a complete newbie, filling in for an injured Daniel Riccardo for five races in 2023 before replacing Ricciardo for the final six races of 2024.
Lawson was solid in the junior categories too, taking third in his second season of Formula 2 in 2022 and finishing second in Super Formula in 2023 in his only season in the Japanese series. But Verstappen is a tough teammate to be measured against, and the Red Bull car, which is set up to Verstappen's liking, has befuddled other drivers in recent years. If Verstappen does what he does best and Lawson regularly lands on the podium, Red Bull could recapture the Constructors' title. But Lawson must constantly prove his worth in order to keep his seat at the historically ruthless Red Bull team.
Mercedes
After dominating from 2014 to 2020, Mercedes has slid backward since Verstappen's rise and finished a distant fourth in 2024. George Russell was sixth—one spot ahead of Hamilton—with two wins of his own and four podiums. With Hamilton leaving for Ferrari, the 27-year-old Russell assumes the role of team leader. Russell should compete for wins and podiums, but Mercedes may not provide the consistent pace needed for a championship challenge.
Russell is joined by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory. The Italian is just 18 years old and is stepping into a top team after skipping Formula 3 and spending just one season in F2. Antonelli won a couple of races as he finished sixth in F2 and has dominated just about every other series he's competed in since graduating from karts in 2021. Still, his inexperience could lead to a slow start and possibly see Mercedes fall even further adrift of the top three.
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Aston Martin
Aston Martin spent 2024 in no-man's land, finishing far behind Mercedes but spending most of the year comfortably ahead of sixth-place Alpine. The team went backward after a 2023 campaign where Fernando Alonso notched eight podiums. In 2024, Alonso's highest finish was fifth, as he placed ninth on the year. Lance Stroll, meanwhile, failed to score points for the last 11 races of 2024 and looked increasingly disinterested in F1 as he came in 13th.
While Aston Martin is one of two teams with an unchanged driver lineup, the team did acquire aerodynamic genius Adrian Newey, who left Red Bull after nearly two decades. Newey wasn't able to work on the 2025 car, however, so this year may serve more as a bridge to 2026, when Newey's handiwork will go into full effect. Alonso should continue scoring points and will aim to return to the podium, while Stroll will have to show that he actually wants to compete and isn't just here to fulfill the dreams of his father, team owner Lawrence Stroll.
Alpine
After a slow start to 2024, Alpine jumped in the standings after a double podium at the rainy Brazilian GP. A string of good results at the end of the year put Pierre Gasly in 10th overall, and the Frenchman will aim to move Alpine closer to Aston Martin in 2025 with more consistent top-10 appearances.
Esteban Ocon is replaced by Jack Doohan, the 22-year-old son of motorcycle champion Mick Doohan. A member of Alpine's driver academy, Doohan served as reserve driver for Alpine last year after placing third in F2 in 2023 and second in F3 in 2021. Alpine helped Doohan get acclimated by subbing him in for Ocon during the final race of 2024, but the pressure is already on. The young Australian clearly has talent, but Alpine signing Franco Colapinto, who impressed at Williams last year, as reserve driver has already prompted rumors that Doohan's security in F1 could be in danger.
Haas
Ocon departed Alpine after five seasons to join Haas, which has an all-new lineup for 2025 after a strong seventh place for the small team in 2024. Ocon's second place at Brazil obscured an otherwise inconsistent season that saw the Frenchman occasionally crack the top 10.
Haas will hope the experienced Ocon will help Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman get up to speed quickly, with the 19-year-old Briton signing with Haas after a middling F2 result of 12th. Bearman, however, already showed his pace with three substitute appearances in 2024, scoring with a seventh in Carlos Sainz Jr.'s Ferrari at Saudi Arabia and driving Kevin Magnussen's Haas to tenth in Azerbaijan. Last year's F1 interruptions could also explain Bearman's up-and-down F2 season, and he placed sixth in his rookie F2 campaign after a third place in his only F3 season in 2022. Haas has looked much improved under the supervision of team principal Ayao Komatsu, and the solid driver lineup will be bolstered by a technical partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing, signed last fall, that could propel Haas even further up the grid in 2025.
Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls was a lopsided affair in 2024, with Yuki Tsunoda scoring 30 of the Red Bull junior squad's 46 points. Twelfth place was Tsunoda's highest finish in his four years in F1, but it wasn't enough to convince Red Bull to promote him after booting Perez. Instead, Red Bull selected Lawson, who replaced Ricciardo partway through the season and had two points finishes in the six races.
Lawson's vacant seat is filled for 2025 by Isack Hadjar, a promising young talent coming off a second-place finish in his second F2 season. Fourth in his only F3 season in 2022, Hadjar has been solid on nearly every step of the F1 ladder. Just 20 years old, he aims for a hot start in case Lawson fumbles in the notorious second Red Bull seat, while Tsunoda will have to beat his rookie teammate to prove he deserves to retain his spot in F1.
Williams
Hamilton's move to Ferrari saw Carlos Sainz Jr. sign with Williams, which finished ninth in 2024. After an encouraging 2023, where Alex Albon led the team to seventh, Williams struggled in 2024, with several big crashes putting financial strain on the small team. Logan Sargeant was forgettable in the first half of the year, getting dropped in favor of Colapinto, who quickly impressed with two points finishes before getting crash-prone himself. Albon had a decent year but couldn't consistently reach the points like in 2023.
With the addition of Sainz, Williams seems poised to climb back up the standings. Sainz's 2024 was the best year of his career, and both drivers bring experience. Sainz will want to make a big enough splash to remain in the conversation for top seats in the future, while Albon must contend with the fact that he's no longer the obvious team leader and prove himself against the most talented teammate he's faced since joining Williams.
Sauber
You'll be forgiven for forgetting that Sauber was on the grid last year. The Swiss team scored just four points courtesy of an eighth place from Zhou Guanyu in the penultimate race. Valtteri Bottas finished the year with a goose egg next to his name. Set to become the Audi works team in 2026, Sauber signed a fresh lineup to prepare for a new era.
Nico Hulkenberg joins after an impressive season at Haas, placing 11th and regularly contending for top 10s. Hulkenberg has famously yet to podium in 230 races, but he brings consistency and a wealth of knowledge. The latter will be imparted onto his teammate, reigning F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto. The 20-year-old Brazilian's F2 title was no fluke, coming back-to-back with an F3 championship in 2023 as a rookie.
Such a feat is usually the mark of a top driver—others with similar title runs in the junior categories include Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, and Hamilton. While this puts pressure on Bortoleto, he likely won't be able to demonstrate his talents in a car expected to remain near the back of the field. Sauber will be focused on 2026, as Audi gets ready to join as new engine regulations go into effect.