…..On Sunday, December 7th, Lando Norris was crowned as the 35th Formula One World Drivers Champion at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He secured his championship victory by placing 3rd at the race, outscoring his championship rival and four time world champion Max Verstappen by just two points. It was an intense final showdown and an epic comeback for Max Verstappen, coming from 104 points behind the championship leader. However, he was unable to secure the title victory. 

…..Now, with the 2025 season behind us, it is time to take a step back and recap everything that it had to offer. This season was jam packed with internal team drama, record breaking performances, surprise driver trades, and much more. 

…..One thing that made 2025 so special was the influx of six rookies that took their spots on the grid; arguably more surprising though, was their astonishing performances as new drivers. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the 18 year old Mercedes driver from Italy, found himself breaking records all season. Kimi is now the youngest sprint race winner, youngest driver to lead a race, has the youngest fastest lap, and has the most points ever scored by a rookie (under a new points system). He has also found himself on the podium three times this year, the most by any rookie since 2008. 

…..Isacc Hadjar, the French rookie for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls is another young talent and rising star in Formula one. Hadjar secured his first podium this year in Zandvoort, and has already displayed a high level of professional resilience and racecraft. During the formation lap of the very first Grand Prix in Melbourne, Isacc lost control of his car due to weather conditions and was unable to participate in the race. However, Hadjar immediately bounced back, and he put together an exemplary rookie season collecting 51 total points. 

…..The rest of our (season finishing) rookies include Ollie Bearman, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoletto and Franco Colapinto, with Alpine rookie Jack Doohan being dropped early in the season due to costly accidents and underperformance. Oliver Bearman, who again had an incredible run in 2025, outscored his seasoned teammate with 41 total points. He also won overtake of the month for his audacious pass on Max Verstappen at the Mexican Grand Prix. Liam and Gabriel both put together good seasons, both with finishing above P6. However, Colapinto never made it past the midfield and scored 0 points this year.

…..This season, we were also met with a few surprise podiums from unlikely drivers. As previously mentioned, Kimi Antonelli and Isacc Hadjar impressively drove themselves to the top 3. However, former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and Kick Saubers Nico Hulkenberg astonishingly made their way to the podium as well. Both drivers were driving inferior cars this season, which made these podiums feel that much more exciting!

…..Aside from driver performances, 2025 was also filled with intense team drama, most of which rooting from McLaren. Both of McLaren’s drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, had been alongside each other in the World Drivers Championship fight for the entirety of the season. Their team etiquette was based around “papaya rules,” which ensured fairness between the two drivers. However, this has also created some heated moments and contentious decisions, such as swapping positions at the 2025 Italian GP, or Lando failing to be penalized after a collision into his teammate at the Singapore GP. These developments raised suspicions about the team possibly favoring Lando over Oscar, and left us fans perpetually curious. Former F1 driver champion Mario Andretti commented on the matter stating, “I like Piastri for his grit, but it seems to me that at Mclaren, they favor Lando Norris.”

…..Over at Ferrari, 7x World Championship Lewis Hamilton struggled to find success, and finished only 6th in the drivers standings. He has openly expressed his hopelessness in himself and the team, and certainly wishes to leave the 2025 season in the past. 

…..As for 2026, many new changes are coming to Formula one. Cadillac is joining the sport as the 11th team, along with their veteran drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Audi is also replacing the existing Kick Sauber for 2025 as a constructor and a team. Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunodia is being replaced by Isacc Hadjar for 2026, and will be a reserve driver for both Red Bull teams. Finally, replacing Isacc at the Racing Bulls team will be F2 driver Arvid Lindblad, who will have his F1 debut 2026.