The pinnacle of motorsport is back! And fans couldn't be more excited. After an extremely unpredictable and eventful 2024 season, 2025 has been looked forward to by fans even before any of the related announcements were out.

With high-potential rookies like Ollie Bearman, who set expectations high after his drive in Abu Dhabi 2024, Kimi Antonelli having been regarded as the 'Next Verstappen,' and of course Hamilton's transfer to Ferrari—which had reached even the ears of non-fans.

So here's everything you need to be updated on before the season kicks off on Friday, 14th of March, as well as a rundown of everything that has happened so far.

Money, Machinery, and Glory: The World of Formula 1

Formula 1, or F1, is an adrenaline-driven, high-speed motorsport, which works a bit differently from other sports. With an intriguing system of operations and an entire world of its own, the sport seems to be just that and comes with content, events, and an annual seasonal recap in the form of a docu-series on Netflix that is a dramatized introduction for fans to the sport.

Image Credit: Netflix / Formula One on Wikimedia Commons

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The sport, with a podium system unique to its category, consists of 10 teams, each with 2 drivers, who compete for the title of World Drivers Championship (for the individual drivers, with individual scores amassed) and the World Constructors' Championship (for the teams/constructors, with combined points amassed by both drivers).

Teams construct the best and the fastest cars every year to increase their chances of winning and scoring points in races, which are allotted to only the top 10 positions at the end of the race, the highest being the 1st place and subsequently reducing as the position falls back.

Consisting of a usual 24 Grand Prix races throughout the year and held across the globe, the sport takes place over the weekend. With Fridays being the practice sessions, Saturdays the qualifying, and the actual race held on Sundays.

The sport comes to be an incandescent bubble of speed, passion, adrenaline—and, of course, controversy.

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Drivers, Development, and Drama: A 2024 Recap

After a rather melancholic season that was 2023, fans went into the 2024 season expecting the same pattern of hearing the Dutch anthem play at the end of almost every race. But this year proved itself to be quite the wild one that did not remain silent for too long.

From Norris and Verstappen's on-track rivalry to Charles winning in Monaco AND Imola, and from Christian Horner's scandal to Donald Trump attending the Miami Grand Prix, the year almost never had a boring moment.

Image Credit: Wastrickon Wikimedia Commons

2024 saw Max Verstappen win the Driver's Championship, albeit after quite many hurdles. Although starting off strong in the first two races, the cracks in Red Bull Racing's RB20 began to show in Melbourne. Paired with poor performances from his teammate Sergio Pérez, questionable race strategies, the swearing ban fiasco, and several messy penalties, the now 4x time World Champion had less than an ideal year, especially after his 21/22 wins in 2023.

But Verstappen proved to take home the WDC title in Qatar with a 63-point lead after producing one of the most phenomenal drives in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, going from P17 to P1 amidst the heavy Brazilian rain.

With the leading driver, disadvantaged by circumstances, McLaren won the Constructors' Championship, also attributed to their brilliant car and engine developments, which had their drivers contending for the WDC title. A total of 6 wins throughout the year, the team celebrated both their drivers' first ever wins in Miami and Hangari.

Swaps, Rookies, and Races: Everything You Need to Know

The season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on the 14th-16th of March 2025 and, through the 22 other races, concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the 5th-7th of December 2025.

McLaren (Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri) and Aston Martin (Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll) stood to be the only two teams that retained both their drivers from 2024, while other teams either swapped drivers or took in rookies.

Image Credit: Ferid Faiqoglu on Pexel

Red Bull Racing: Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson

Scuderia-Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton^

Mercedes AMG Petronas: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli

Alpine- Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan

Haas: Esteban Ocon^ and Oliver Bearman

(Stake) Kick Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg^ and Gabriel Bortoleto

Racing Bulls (or Visa Cash App Racing Bulls): Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjara

Williams: Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz^

^ -- swapped drivers * -- rookie driver

With the looming presence of the upcoming 2026 regulations, the entry of Audi as Sauber, and the introduction of Cadillac as the 11th team for next season, this year will be the last with booming cars and possibly even the dominance and reign of some drivers/teams.

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the sport, this season is all set up to be one of the most intriguing ones. Brimming fans with anticipation, to know what chaos unfolds this year and probably most importantly—if Verstappen will emerge with his 5th WDC title or Hamilton finally breaking the record with his 8th WDC title, or maybe a third driver playing the fight between the Austrian Bull and the Italian Prancing Horse, to his advantage and standing on the highest podium, instead.