it's race week: updates and predictions ahead of the 2025 f1 season
with the AUS Grand Prix only days away, here's some updates
The countdown to the first lights out of the season is underway as pre-season testing came to a close a few weeks ago and the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne is a mere four days away. Here is my list of some recaps, reminders, and updates that I’ve collected in preparation for the season opener:
new duos
Getting used to seeing Carlos in white and blue is going to be an experience…but I am really excited to see what he can do at (and for) Williams this year with Alex. I heard on a podcast that he is the only F1 driver to have been a part of half the teams on the grid in the past decade, but even so his move to Williams is actually his first time racing with a Mercedes engine. He’s mentioned that adapting to the new engine has been one of the greatest changes and challenges he’s experienced since leaving Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season, and I’m excited to see what his experience is going to bring to a team that has consistently remained at the bottom of the grid for years.
Lewis and Charles are another new duo that are making waves ahead of this season, and as a Ferrari fan mourning Charlos, I’m still really excited to see how these two are going to approach taking on McLaren and Red Bull. Strategy has often favored Charles over Carlos in the past, and I’m curious to see how the driver race-time dynamic evolves as the season kicks off. Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur has said in interviews that bringing on someone as iconic and experienced as Lewis will ultimately benefit Charles through alleviating some of the pressure he’s endured in past seasons and providing an opportunity to learn and further develop as a driver.
Plenty of rookies are joining the grid for 2025 with 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli taking Lewis’s highly coveted spot at Mercedes, though he seems keen to brand himself as solely a Mercedes driver rather than a Hamilton replacement. Fair enough. Then we have Ollie Bearman joining Haas following his impressive F1 debut at the Saudi Grand Prix last year, where he scored 6 points for Ferrari in the place of Carlos (the appendicitis moment). Liam Lawson is joining Max Verstappen at Red Bull and Jack Doohan is joining Pierre Gasly at Alpine, while Isack Hadjar joins Yuki at the newly named Racing Bulls (previously AlphaTauri and RB) and Gabriel Bortoleto is joining Nico at Sauber.
new rules and regulations
The FIA also has some new rules and regulations in place for 2025. Some worth knowing about include the much needed driver cooling systems change, which mandates that if there is a forecast of 31 degrees celsius during a race, a Heat Hazard can be declared and driver cooling systems must be fitted by each team. Subsequently, an increase in the weight limit of the cars of an additional 5kg for sprints and races will be implemented. The cockpit of the cars can apparently reach up to 50 degrees celsius when the track temperature exceeds 31 C, resulting in extremely dangerous conditions that really should not be experienced or endured.
There will also be stricter technical regulations regarding DRS (drag reduction system) designs where the state of deployment can only be open or closed (2 positions). In the case that weather doesn’t permit for a safe qualifying session, the grid will be decided based on the Drivers’ Championship standings. The mandatory FP1 running for rookie drivers (those who have driven in 2 or less F1 races in their career) will also ensure that newer drivers get double the amount of track time during a race weekend.
There’s also, of course, the FIA’s attempt to crack down on swearing after Max faced a lot of backlash in 2024. Drivers could now face consequences in the form of hefty fines and as extreme as a race ban if they swear or criticize the FIA’s regulations during this season. This has been a controversial move, especially given the huge overreaction (in my opinion) to Max saying that the car was a bit fucked in Singapore…anyways
my predictions
I think Williams might finally be able to escape the bottom of the grid with Carlos on board. It also depends on the state of the car of course but I wouldn’t be extremely surprised if we started seeing some movement from them after Carlos adjusts to the new engine in the first few races. I’m also anticipating even closer teammate competition between Lando and Oscar over at McLaren given that while Lando seemed to dominate last season, Oscar still scored a lot of points for the team and was a consistent high performer. He’s also made it quite clear he is not willing to be a number 2 driver. I have a feeling Ollie Bearman is going to do a lot for Haas, and I am really apprehensively hoping for a Ferrari 1-2 to become a more consistent and likely outcome this season, though it’s hard to say if Lewis will begin taking the spotlight or not. They’re going to be McLaren’s primary competitor for the Constructors’ Championship after all…hopefully..
