Lights out, and away we go.
As we have started the 2025 Formula 1, let’s look back briefly at what has happened over the winter break. Over this winter break, we have had lots of content to unpack, specifically with driver changes and F1 75. On February 18th, F1 75, a huge celebration for the 75th anniversary of Formula 1, every team revealed what their new cars were going to look like, and you got to see the drivers together, potentially for the first time, with their team principals.
The race season started in Melbourne, Australia. This is the first time since 2019 that Melbourne was the opening race. Australia was not without its challenges. Sunday (race day) had less-than-ideal weather for the season’s first race. The downpour of rain and winds severely impacted the driver’s ability to control the car. The rookies particularly struggled, with it being the first time most of them had driven an F1 car. While only two rookies ended up finishing the race, the race helped the rookies gain a better understanding of the car.
Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz were part of the group of drivers who didn’t finish the race. The conditions of the race led to some surprises; Lando Norris ended up winning the race while his teammate ended up in 9th. Ferrari struggled in that race with the pace.
Shanghai, China, was the following weekend. The most recent race weekend was particularly special because it was also a sprint weekend. Lewis Hamilton has historically been the most successful driver on the track in Shanghai. The race started with Oscar Piastri, a driver for McLaren, on pole, the first of his career. This race was still eventful, even though the weather conditions were not like the weekend before. After the race ended, three different drivers got disqualified. Pierre Gasly for Alpine because his car was under the weight limit, Charles Leclerc for Ferrari because his car was also underweight, and Lewis Hamilton because the plank on Hamilton’s Ferrari was 0.5mm below the minimum thickness of 9mm mandated by FIA regulations.
During the race, there were a few drivers who ended up not finishing the race, most notably Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin had to retire the car because his brakes were on fire. The disqualifications of Leclerc, Gasly, and Hamilton changed the ending lineup of who would get into the top ten. This is extremely significant because Hamilton was 5th and Leclerc was 6th, meaning they would be stripped of championship points.
There are a few weeks in between the Chinese Grand Prix and the next race in Suzuka, Japan. Within this short break, there has been a pretty significant change as Oracle Red Bull has dropped Liam Lawson just after two races and promoted Yuki Tsunoda from their sister team, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB). This came as a shock because it is so early into the season, and Lawson had only done two races, one in terrible storm conditions and the other on a sprint weekend where practice is limited.
It has been confirmed by Helmut Marko, an advisor for the Red Bull team, that Tsunoda will have until the end of the season to prove himself worthy of the second seat. It has been well known that there is a “curse” on that second Red Bull seat with no driver lasting very long after Daniel Ricciardo left the team in 2018. The first seat is taken by four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Verstappen has had a variety of teammates since Ricciardo left, including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio “Checo” Perez, Liam Lawson, and now Yuki Tsunoda.
Now we look forward to the race in Suzuka!