Just a year ago, before the 2024 Formula One season started, there was a sense of trepidation about where the sport was heading. Red Bull had come off a sensational season, winning 21 of 22 races, and fears of one team dominating F1 for the foreseeable future felt very real.
However, things changed dramatically in the space of six months. Although Max Verstappen still managed to clinch his fourth straight drivers’ crown, he was made to work hard for it. McLaren became a force to reckon with, displacing Red Bull from its perch, and claimed the constructors’ title for the first time since 1998.
As a result, the 2025 season has sparked a lot of excitement. It is a landmark year for the most prestigious motor-racing series on the planet — the 75th anniversary of the championship, which started in 1950 with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Ahead of this weekend’s season-opener in Melbourne, The Hindu looks at some key plotlines that could define the year.
Will this be the end of Max’s era?
Last year, when Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races, he would hardly have foreseen the need to mine every last reserve of his talent to seal his fourth title. The Red Bull was a tricky car and needed someone of Verstappen’s calibre to extract performance from it.
Champion and challenger: Max Verstappen had to dig deep for his fourth consecutive drivers’ crown in 2024 while Lando Norris proved he could be a contender in a top-end car. With McLaren looking strongest in pre-season testing, this could be Norris’ year. | Photo credit: Getty Images
As long as it enjoyed a significant advantage over its rivals, the inherent weakness in the machinery was manageable. But once the others — mainly McLaren — stepped up, Red Bull stood exposed. And after McLaren became the front-runner, Lando Norris began to make it something of a title fight even as Verstappen’s frustration grew.
Parting ways with technical wizard Adrian Newey, the architect of Red Bull’s success since joining the outfit in 2006, made the season trickier for the team. Newey has since revealed that the engineering group failed to heed his warnings about the weakness in the car. The design genius was an important reason Verstappen had signed a long-term deal until 2028.
This year will be an acid test for the outfit. Can it produce a race-winning product without Newey at the helm? More to the point, this year’s development curve will be an indication of whether Red Bull is ready for the significant rules shake-up next year. If the technical department does not get its act together, the team could risk losing its star driver.
Does Norris have what it takes?
While Verstappen emerged triumphant in 2024, runner-up Norris did his reputation plenty of good. Once McLaren gave him a top-end car, he produced eye-catching performances. He won four races, stepped onto the podium on nine other occasions and was instrumental in his squad clinching the constructors’ title.
There were, however, chinks in his armour that stopped him from ever becoming a serious contender. Norris was especially impressive in qualifying, taking eight poles, proof of his outright speed. But his failure to convert them, often fluffing the starts, held him back.
Crucially, in wheel-to-wheel battles, especially against Verstappen, Norris was often second best. The 25-year-old later admitted that he needed to get his elbows out. He also had a few off-weekends when he was still in the title picture, his inexperience showing.
Sifting through pre-season testing times, it appears as though McLaren will start favourite, after executing a smooth programme over three days in Bahrain. This year could just be Norris’ golden chance to go one better.
The threat within McLaren
Having two top-drivers in a team in a championship fight can be a recipe for disaster. Norris will be acutely aware of this even as he keeps an eye on his teammate across the garage. For, Oscar Piastri has already exhibited signs of being one to watch out for. In his sophomore season last year, the Australian won two races, significantly improving his tyre-management skills.
Red shift: Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari is the defining move in F1 this century. It will be interesting to see how the seven-time world champion performs, especially if the Prancing Horse builds on its progress last year. | Photo credit: Getty Images
He was also sharp in on-track battles, his best moment an audacious first-lap move on Norris in Monza. If Piastri can show the same level of improvement as last year — and there certainly is room for it in his qualifying performances — the intra-team battle will get very interesting. McLaren extended Piastri’s contract this week, a vote of confidence in the 23-year-old’s abilities. The last thing Norris would want is his colleague taking points off him.
Hamilton’s scarlet switch
Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari is the defining move in F1 this century. The most decorated driver joining the most illustrious team is a dream match-up. The expectations are sky high as he chases a record eighth drivers’ crown.
But, at the same time, the British driver has been far from his best over the last few years at Mercedes. Since the ground-effect cars came into being in 2022, the Mercedes, with its very narrow operating window, has not been to Hamilton’s liking.
Although he won two races last year, it was evident that he did not have the outright pace his teammate George Russell did. Hamilton, who even admitted he was probably no longer as fast as he was in his prime, is stepping into a Ferrari built around Charles Leclerc.
The 27-year-old Monegasque was by far the second-best driver on the grid last year behind Verstappen and is at the peak of his game. At 40, Hamilton doesn’t have much time left in the sport and needs to hit the ground running if he harbours any hope of getting back to the top.
The early rounds will show where Hamilton stands relative to Leclerc, currently considered the fastest driver over a lap. If the seven-time champion is within a few tenths of his teammate in qualifying, he will back himself to make it up in the races. Much depends, however, on whether the Prancing Horse can build on its progress last year. It finished strongly, but some of its strength was circuit-specific. It remains to be seen whether the Ferrari can be at the sharp-end at all the tracks this year.
Stick or twist: the developmental conundrum
2025 will be the last year of the current technical regime. Next year, F1 will have new aero and engine regulations that include active aerodynamics and sustainable fuels.
The year before a significant rules shake-up is always the toughest for the teams. They need to develop the car for the ongoing season without compromising the preparation for the following year, which requires substantial resources.
It will be doubly difficult for the teams fighting for glory. Do they try to win when they are competitive and risk falling behind in 2026, or give up an opportunity now by gambling on getting it right next year?
At the same time, a new rules cycle also resets the established order and provides an opportunity for teams down the grid to give up a year and focus on their next campaign. The stakes involved in the decision-making will heighten both the thrill of this season and the anticipation of the next.
Published – March 15, 2025 12:14 am IST
