The Formula One season is finally here after a grueling 10 weeks of no racing, and it might be better than ever. The grid has changed a lot since the last race of 2024, with five new rookies and a couple of drivers moving teams that have shaken up the grid, so let’s get into all the basics you will need for the 2025 F1 season.
There are 10 teams in F1: Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Haas, Sauber, Williams, Mercedes, Alpine and Racing Bulls. Williams, McLaren and Aston Martin get their engines from Mercedes, while Sauber and Haas get their engines from Ferrari. Mercedes and Ferrari own none of these teams but include their names because they buy engines from those providers.
Starting with the 2024 Constructors Champions McLaren-Mercedes also known as McLaren. McLaren has a winning driver pairing of No. 4 Lando Norris and No. 81 Oscar Piastri who finished second and fourth in the driver’s standings last year. Norris, who is entering his seventh season in F1, claimed his first win in last year’s Miami Grand Prix while Piastri, who is entering his third season, won his first race in Hungary last year as well.
Then there is Scuderia Ferrari, who finished second in the Constructors Championship. Ferrari’s drivers are No. 16 Charles Leclerc who has been with Ferrari since 2019 but made his F1 debut in 2018 with Sauber and No. 44 Sir Lewis Hamilton who joined Ferrari for the next two seasons following his exit from Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season. Hamilton has seven World Championships, which is tied for most all time along with 105 wins and 202 podiums. Both are the most in F1 history.
Third in the Constructors Championship was Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT, who have defending World Champion No. 1 Max Verstappen and rookie No. 30 Liam Lawson. Lawson joined the team after Sergio Perez was removed following poor performances in the 2024 season. Verstappen has been on the team since 2016 and has won the past four World Championships.
The fourth team in the Constructor Championship is Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Mercedes’ drivers are represented by three-time race winner No. 63 George Russell and rookie No. 12 Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes won the Constructors Championship eight years in a row between 2014-2021.
Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes was fifth in the constructor’s last year with drivers No. 14 Fernando Alonso and No. 18 Lance Stroll. Stroll’s dad Lawrence owns Aston Martin and world renowned Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey joined the Aston Martin team this season after being at Red Bull Racing since 2006. Aston Martins and McLaren were the only two teams without any driver changes.
Alpine Renault took sixth in the Constructors Championship in 2024. Their drivers are No. 10 Pierre Gasly and rookie No. 7 Jack Doohan. Doohan made his first race appearance in F1 at the last race of 2024 in Abu Dhabi.
Haas Ferrari F1 had their highest finish in their F1 existence at seventh in 2024. They were one of two teams with a completely new driver lineup. Their driver lineup consists of No. 31 Esteban Ocon and rookie No. 87 Oliver “Oli” Bearman. Haas Ferrari F1 is also an American team with owner Gene Haas of NASCAR Team called “Haas Factory Team” but was previously known as Stewart-Haas Racing.
Then there is Red Bull Racing’s second team, RB Honda RBPT or Visa Cash App Racing Bulls aka Racing Bulls. They finished eighth in the Constructors last year and have a lineup consisting of No. 22 Yuki Tsunoda and rookie No. 6 Isack Hadjar.
Ninth in the Constructors Championship was Williams Mercedes, with a driver lineup of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. Sainz’s dad, Carlos Sainz Sr., is also a race car driver racing in the World Rally Championship.
And lastly, there is Kick Sauber Ferrari who had a measly four points last season. They also have a completely new driver lineup consisting of Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. Next year, Sauber will become Audi as they were bought out for the 2026 season and beyond.
The first race of the season is in Australia and is 58 laps and 3.28 miles long. Michael Schumacher and Lex Davison have the most wins at Albert Park Circuit and Ferrari have the most wins for a Constructor. Last year, Verstappen took pole position and after a couple of laps had to stop the race due to his break catching on fire. Sainz, Lelcerc and Norris finished on the podium.
The race starts on Sunday, Mar. 16 at midnight, so it is very early but should be a great race.