Big changes are coming.
The 2024 Formula 1 season may be well underway but that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward to 2025 and the shakeups to team drivers. Here’s a look at how the next year is shaping up for a few teams that will see drastic changes.
Mercedes And Ferrari
Undoubtedly, the biggest headline going into the 2025 season has to be Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes and a move to Ferrari. After this bombshell move was announced, you could almost hear jaws from around the globe drop and hit the floor. After over a decade with Mercedes, Hamilton will be paired up with Charles Leclerc while the tifosi cheer him on. This, however, leaves an open spot next to George Russell at Mercedes, which has yet to have been filled as of writing this. On the upside, with a young Russell, Mercedes has a chance to bring in young talent and have a solid team for years to come.
Alpine and Haas
Pierre Gasly has posted a handful of top-10 finishes, which will keep him at Alpine as the team renewed him with a multi-year deal, but his teammate for 2025 will not be Esteban Ocon as he moves over to Haas. In fact, we still need to find out who Gasly will race alongside. Over at Haas, Ocon will be racing with Oliver Bearman, who finished 7th at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Ferrari this year. Oh, and that also happened to be Bearman’s Formula 1 debut. Now that’s how you make an entrance.
Williams
There had to be an open spot for Hamilton to move to Ferrari, and Carlos Sainz’s absence in 2025 made it possible. And that’s because Sainz will be driving for Williams alongside Alex Albon. Williams has so much history behind the team, and with years of shortcomings, Sainz can aid Albon’s push to make the team a true contender once again.
RB
We know that Yuki Tsunoda will race for RB again in 2025, but Daniel Ricciardo has yet to have been confirmed. He has been fighting off critics all year due to a poor start but has since turned it around, posting three top 10 finishes. But, will that be enough for him to hold on to his seat? Only time will tell.
Kick Sauber
Another team without a second driver is Kick Sauber, a team that will have Nico Hulkenberg join them in 2025. This means only one of the current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, could stay or Kick Sauber could look for a driver elsewhere.
McLaren, Red Bull, and Aston Martin
For these three teams, their drivers will remain and why not? McLaren has seen incredible success with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri this year; Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will remain with the team as they see no reason to mess with success; Aston Martin sees no reason to part with Fernando Alonso and Lance stroll, even giving the latter a new deal to stay through the 2026 season.
This article appeared in our October 2024 Issue.
