The season of 2025 gave us the spectacle we haven’t seen since 2011. It was the 76th running of the FIA Formula One World Championship, a season defined by a fierce title fight, McLaren’s stunning comeback, late season pressure, and unexpected struggles from some of the sport’s biggest names. In the final race in Abu Dhabi, the fight came down to the wire. The tension was through the roof, drivers were under immense pressure and the garages were unusually quiet.
Three drivers from two teams were fighting for the title to the last meter of the track.
New Season, New Chapter in F1
The season kicked off with high expectations of other teams breaking the spell of Red Bull snatching both titles for years in a row. After years of Max Verstappen’s reign, many fans were wondering if we’re going to see more of the same status quo that plagued every race.
Out of nowhere, McLaren emerged as the team to beat, pushing the limits of their car, developing drivers and working on different strategies. It paid off big time with McLaren ending the season with both titles, Lando Norris as the driver’s champion and the team winning the constructor’s championship.
McLaren knew that they had two talented drivers, Norris and Piastri. Both drivers showed exceptional stamina and focus in every race, but it wasn’t enough until this season when McLaren did a few tweaks on the car. Suddenly, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could outpace Max’s relentless tempo, often achieving 1-2 spots on the podium.
As the season unfolded, Formula 1 odds and predictions shifted as it became clear that this duo was central to the championship fight. However, it didn’t go without its own share of drama both on track and off.
McLaren Takes Control
From the very early races, McLaren was consistent at the front. While other teams stumbled with development or reliability issues, McLaren maximized every opportunity. Norris and Piastri traded podiums and wins, often finishing first and second in what became a pattern for the team. By summer break Piastri had six wins, Norris five. The team, Zak Brown in particular, stayed by his statement that McLaren will let their drivers race freely, no matter the outcome and that there will be no favoritism. However, in Monza we saw a different story. After Norris’ slow stop, Piastri got in front and was immediately asked to switch positions, or to give back the position to Lando. This didn’t sit well with the young Australian, but he budged for the sake of the team.
Later in the season, a similar situation occurred when Piastri was in the back but had more chances to get on top if Norris had let him pass. The team stayed silent. Oscar finished his race and was never the same. The tension between the two teammates grew with each race. It culminated with Oscar cutting off the comms with Brown in Singapore, when the team took the championship.
Norris finished the season as the champion, with many raised eyebrows and not great support from the fans. Many were unhappy with how the season turned out, noting the bias within the team towards Lando, and Max’s magnificent comeback in the second half of the year.
Although Norris eventually lifted the drivers’ title, Oscar Piastri deserves his own chapter in the 2025 story. The Australian was often the pace setter through large portions of the year, and at several moments he led the championship standings. Piastri impressed both new and veteran fans with his calm precision and earned multiple victories as part of McLaren’s charge. Reputable sportsbooks like Stake.com were giving him the greatest chance to win the title which would be his first one.
Piastri ended the season in third place with 13 points less than Norris. Both had only 7 wins this season, with Lando having 18 podiums and Oscar 16 altogether.
Max Verstappen’s Fight Back
Everyone expected Red Bull with their number one driver Max to go after the fifth title in a row. However, the season didn’t go their way. It was clear from the beginning that McLaren had a better, faster car, and Red Bull drivers, Verstappen and Tsunoda were struggling to keep the pace. Max kept on fighting, but the odds were stacked against him. By the time he was racing in the Netherlands, his home race, Max was more than 100 points behind the top driver. It seemed that not only would Red Bull end up without the title, but Max was lagging on the track and was unlikely to make up the lost points.
In the last half of the season, Verstappen came back stronger and more focused, winning 6 out 9 races, making the championship unpredictable till the end. Still, it wasn’t enough against Norris, and Max ended up in second place with a 2 point difference. Regardless of the results, it was a great feat of power and resilience that could shape up the next season.
Ferrari’s Struggle to Find Direction
The 2025 season began full of expectations from Ferrari fans. Lewis Hamilton joined the team alongside Leclerc, and the pressure was high for both drivers to make this a Ferrari year. However, cracks were visible from the start. The seven time champion seemed to be a great replacement for Carlos Sainz, but Hamilton struggled throughout the season. It wasn’t only a different car; it was the whole team that couldn’t get in sync. Hamilton openly admitted that adapting to the Ferrari environment and the car’s behavior took longer than anticipated.
Bonno stayed in Mercedes, and Hamilton seemed to have communication problems with how Ricardo Adami handled the radio. In Abu Dhabi Hamilton snapped at his engineer, which wasn’t the first time this season. Adami’s comments after the race suggest that Lewis will have a different engineer next season.
Leclerc had a forgettable season with seven podiums and zero wins. Every race was a struggle plagued with car problems. His consistency helped steady the team’s overall results, yet Ferrari rarely looked like true title contenders. The constant pressure from comparing the two drivers, Hamilton and Leclerc, didn’t help either one. Also, the media was buzzing the whole year about the decision to fire Sainz and bring in Hamilton in his place. Many seem to think that it was a marketing stunt that didn’t bring any quality to the team or win any points.
The problem is that people expect Ferrari to be at the top of their game every race, every season, which is impossible. However, the Scuderia fans are relentless with their pressure on drivers and the team to bring in more wins, or at least more podiums.
Ferrari’s season went on as expected by many experts. The team is in transition with a new driver, unpredictable cars and constant changes in the garage. Next year might be their year with new rules and smaller cars. Ferrari sees this season as a learning year, one that exposed weaknesses but also clarified where they must focus next.
Mercedes
Mercedes is way past its glory days when Hamilton used to dominate the tracks. Today, the team has new hope on the horizon, Kimi Antonelli. Named as a generational talent, Toto didn’t want to miss a chance like he did with Verstappen, so he jumped at the young driver to get him to the team. Kimi, for a rookie, did well with three podiums and 14 top ten positions. Not magnificent, though. George Russell on the other hand was in limbo with his contract with Mercedes up until recently which added the pressure of driving perfect races in a problematic car. Still, he managed to snatch a victory in Canada, which was the only one this season for the team.
For the next season, Mercedes will have a new car, but the same drivers. Antonelli is inexperienced but fierce, while Russell remains one of the drivers with great potential who was left in the shadows of Hamilton’s title runs. George is starting to find his footing in the team, but Wolff still seems to treat him as a second driver. All hopes hinge on Antonelli to bring back the glory to the team next year.
Aston Martin
Alonso and Stroll make a strange duo. Fernando ended this season without a podium, regardless of his experience and stamina. The car was just too weak to catch up to the top three drivers, leaving Nando to hope that next season will bring in some changes. Adrian Newey joined the team first as an engineer and then as the team principal which should change how the team operates. His sense of aerodynamics is impeccable, and with the new rules, and new cars, hopefully he will give Alonso the car he deserves.
As for Stroll, the season was just like any other. Nothing to write home about to his parents. He was in and out of the top 10, but very invisible on the track and in the team.
Aston Martin’s car showed flashes of competitiveness at circuits that rewarded traction and strong mechanical grip, but without aerodynamics to keep up with top teams. This is where Newey should come in with the new construction of the car.
Williams
The team celebrated their second podium in Qatar, earning the team P5 in the standings. This was the biggest success since 2016 for the team, mostly thanks to Carlos Sainz. Alex Albon had his contribution too, but the Spaniard managed to get on the podium in Azerbaijan and Qatar, bringing in the winning points for the team. Vowles was over the moon with the fifth position, calling it one of the greatest moments in the team.
Williams was struggling for years, somewhat with drivers but mostly with the car. Stability in management and engineering changed the path of the team and contributed to the growth of car development, which finally produced some results. With this, Williams established themselves as the team on the rise that won’t settle for top ten positions anymore. The fans are hoping that the team will stay true to their word.
Sauber/Audi Transition
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber spent 2025 in a transitional state as they prepared to transform into the full Audi factory operation for 2026. The change brought in mixed results, with Hulkenberg finally ending up on the podium. The team invested heavily in preparation for the Audi era, shifting focus to long term development rather than short term gains, and even though drivers worked hard to give their best in every race, they often fell short in the results.
The big hope is clinging to Audi next year to bring many improvements, and put the team in the battle for the championship. They are going to be one of the new teams, along with Cadillac, but the Germans are not rookies. They dominate many different championships outside of Formula 1, so the expectations are almost as high as the pressure for the next season.
Haas
This is one of the teams to watch in 2026. They are partnering with Toyota and will change the name to TGR Haas, signaling a new beginning. The team scored points in several races thanks to improved race strategy and better tire management, but failed to make any significant improvements to the car. They also have Ollie Bearman as the rookie driver that many can picture on the podiums in the future. Esteban Ocon was thrown a lifeline by Haas last year, and he’s been performing quite well this season.
Having Toyota will surely change the dynamics inside the team. The pressure will be higher, and the drivers will feel it the most. However, both Bearman and Ocon seem to be ready to start a new chapter in their careers.
The Season to Remember
2025 will go down in the history of sport as one of the most exciting in recent history. It took all 24 races to determine the driver’s championship. This was a season that rewrote expectations, crowned new heroes, and set the stage for another exciting chapter in 2026.
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