With a significant technical overhaul on the horizon for 2026 and a potentially seismic shift in the competitive order, it would be easy to forget we have a whole year of racing to enjoy and argue about before then. Before the fuse is lit for 2025, let’s go through the storylines to watch up and down the grid.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Debut
File this under Rather Obvious. There will be a huge amount of data for Hamilton to sift through, new relationships to build, and even a new language to learn. His teammate Charles Leclerc is immensely quick and regarded as one of the best-equipped to challenge Max Verstappen. But to those who say that Hamilton no longer has the goods, bear in mind that the people who know best – like Verstappen – say otherwise. Hamilton will be as motivated as ever, and with good reason. Underestimate him at your peril.

Liam Lawson’s Baptism of Fire at Red Bull
Picture this: you turn up to a new job and meet a colleague who’s been there a while. Your job performance is expected to get respectfully close to this guy – immediately – and your employer has a reputation for not tolerating excuses. Oh, and when that other dude isn’t casually chatting about his cats, he’s an absolute beast of a competitor, has eaten rivals for snacks, and is undeniably one of the most sublimely talented people ever to work in your industry. No pressure, then.

Joking aside, the Red Bull driver saga had worn thin by late last year, and many of us were tired of the speculation. Claims that the team is afraid to put a fast driver alongside Verstappen are contrary to the evidence. Back when Daniel Ricciardo was able to keep Max honest, ‘replacement’ talk was unheard of. Danny Ric left on his own accord, and Sergio Perez’s role was unquestioned in early 2023 as he and Max traded wins. Does Red Bull want a Hamilton/Rosberg scenario? No, but those total implosions are rare. Do they want someone who will get in the mix and bump rivals down the order? Yes.

That is Lawson’s goal. Every point matters in motor racing, a truth that regularly plays out across F1, NASCAR, and IndyCar. If Lawson can take points from rivals and solidly contribute towards the constructors’ championship, then he’s golden. Otherwise, I guess we’ll brace ourselves for more replacement speculation…

Who Will Pull the Plug on 2025 First?
For me, this will be the most intriguing off-track story as the season progresses. In 2008, McLaren and Ferrari battled it out to the bitter end, and both began 2009’s new rules era far off the pace, the championship fight having consumed valuable resources. Conversely, BMW had a legitimate shot with Robert Kubica in 2008 but stopped developing the car early and switched focus to the following season, only to underperform in 2009 and leave the sport at the end of the year. We’ll never know what could have been had they shoved all their chips into the middle of the 2008 table.

The juxtaposition between those two concurrent tales raises difficult questions. At what point do you throw in the towel and sacrifice the current season to get a head start on the next one? What is the achievement ceiling if you stay in the game? Does the extra glory and prize money in 2025 offset a slower start when the new rules come in for 2026?

The team with the easiest decision is likely to be Aston Martin. The Adrian Newey factor is part of it, of course. Newey joins the team on March 1st, with the new wind tunnel due online soon, a new ruleset to prepare for, and the imminent return of Honda as a works PU supplier. If Aston Martin shows up to Melbourne this March and hasn’t made forward progress since packing up in Abu Dhabi, you can make a logical case for this being nothing more than a building year for them. But the teams scrapping at the hot end of the grid will have some tough choices to make and a game of juggling resources that would make Cirque du Soleil stop and stare.

Who Will Win the Battle of the Rookies?
The 2024 driver line-up was unchanged from the previous season, a first for F1. This year is the opposite, featuring a stacked grid of new recruits. Ollie Bearman, Liam Lawson, and Jack Doohan have already seen race day running, but 2025 will be their first full campaign. They are joined by F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, runner-up Isack Hadjar, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

On paper, Antonelli probably has the best opportunity, replacing Hamilton at Mercedes. He joins a top team with full faith in his abilities and who have already spoken of a nurturing tolerance towards his development. The pressure will be there, but certainly no more than Lawson. Ollie Bearman is my dark horse pick for having a stand-out year. Bearman, Hadjar, Doohan, and Bortoleto all drive for teams expected to fight for the minor points at best. There is always pressure, but the heat of the spotlight will surely not be as intense as it will be for Antonelli and Lawson.

Who Will Win the Battle(s) of the Team Mates?
Due to the driver line-up changes discussed above, there will be much scrutiny on the refreshed intra-team battles. And with good reason, as there are some exciting and curious new match-ups. So grab some popcorn and get ready for Sainz vs Albon, Hamilton vs Leclerc, Norris vs Piastri, Alonso vs… You know what, scrub that last one.

Conclusion
With the gap between the best car and the worst likely to be at its narrowest as we near the development ceiling of the current ruleset and a wide variety of competitive storylines to watch both on and off the track, this is poised to be a classic season. Last year, we saw qualifying sessions where a tenth of a second could cost multiple places and seven different winners on Sunday. Expect at least that again this year, along with the added intrigue brought about by a big rule change for 2026.

Buckle those six-point harnesses; it’s going to be a ride.

Image Sourced via Scuderia Ferrari X