The ultimate F1 2025 guide: Everything you need to know about the 2025 season

The F1 2025 season will soon be upon us so here are all the dates and news you need to keep you up to speed ahead of lights out.

Massive driver changes and the final season before a regulation change makes 2025 a tantalising prospect so here is what you need to know.

When is F1 2025 pre-season testing?

Pre-season testing was held at the Bahrain International Circuit on the 26th, 27th and?28th of February.

Teams were allowed to run one car on each of the three days of testing and typically split the time equally between their drivers.

The fastest time of testing came courtesy of Carlos Sainz in the Williams, a 1:29.348. However, testing times are notoriously unreliable as a way of judging the true pace of each team and driver going into the season.

When does the F1 2025 season start?

Racing gets underway in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix from March 14-16.

The first event in the F1 schedule was the F1 75 live show in London, which was a two-hour display of all 10 teams to mark 75 years of F1.

F1 2025 calendar: Where are the races being held and when?

March 14-16 Australian Grand Prix – Melbourne
March 21-23 Chinese Grand Prix – Shanghai
April 4-6 Japanese Grand Prix – Suzuka
April 11-13 Bahrain Grand Prix – Sakhir
April 18-20 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Jeddah
May 2-4 Miami Grand Prix – Miami (USA)
May 16-18 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Imola (Italy)
May 23-25 Monaco Grand Prix – Monaco
May 30-June 1 Spanish Grand Prix – Barcelona
June 13-15 Canadian Grand Prix – Montreal
June 27-29 Austrian Grand Prix – Spielberg
July 4-6 British Grand Prix – Silverstone
July 25-27 Belgian Grand Prix – Spa
August 1-3 – Hungarian Grand Prix – Budapest
August 29-31 Dutch Grand Prix – Zandvoort
September 5-7 Italian Grand Prix – Monza
September 19-21 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku
October 3-5 Singapore Grand Prix – Singapore
October 17-19 United States Grand Prix – Austin
October 24-26 Mexican Grand Prix Mexico City
November 7-9 Sao Paulo Grand Prix – Sao Paulo (Brazil)
November 20-22 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Las Vegas (USA)
November 28-30 Qatar Grand Prix – Lusail
December 5-7 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina

Where are the F1 2025 sprint races being held?

As there was in 2024, there will be six sprint races in 2025.

March 22?Chinese Grand Prix – Shanghai
May 3 Miami Grand Prix – Miami (USA)
July 26 Belgian Grand Prix – Spa
October 18 United States Grand Prix – Austin
November 8?Sao Paulo Grand Prix – Sao Paulo (Brazil)
November 29 Qatar Grand Prix – Lusail

What driver changes were made ahead of the F1 2025 season?

Loads of them! Compared to 2024, the 2025 grid looks a lot different indeed with only two teams starting the season how they ended the previous one. There are five rookies on the grid while some big names have swapped colours.

The main news is Lewis Hamilton has departed Mercedes to join Ferrari while Carlos Sainz is now at Williams.

Nico Hulkenberg left Haas to join Sauber ahead of Audi’s arrival in 2026 and he has a new team-mate in the form of rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.

Another rookie is Oliver Bearman who is at Haas and there is Kimi Antonelli taking Hamilton’s spot at Mercedes. Jack Doohan is at Alpine with Esteban Ocon joining Bearman at Haas.

Isack Hadjar joins Racing Bulls from the Red Bull academy, after Liam Lawson made the move to Red Bull in place of Sergio Perez.

Who are the F1 drivers on the 2025 grid?

Here’s how the grid will line up:

Alpine – Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan
Aston Martin – Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Ferrari – Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Haas – Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon
McLaren – Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris
Mercedes – George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
Racing Bulls – Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar
Red Bull – Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson
Sauber – Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel?Bortoleto
Williams – Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz

More about the class of the F1 2025 season

? F1 drivers by age: From the oldest to the youngest

? F1 2025 driver heights: The tallest, shortest and everyone in between

What are the F1 driver numbers to look out for?

Rookie numbers are in italics

1 – Max Verstappen
4 – Lando Norris
5 – Gabriel Bortoleto
6 – Isack Hadjar
7 – Jack Doohan
10 – Pierre Gasly
12 – Kimi Antonelli
14 – Fernando Alonso
16 – Charles Leclerc
18 – Lance Stroll
22 – Yuki Tsunoda
23 – Alex Albon
27– Nico Hulkenberg
30 – Liam Lawson
31 – Esteban Ocon
44 – Lewis Hamilton
55 – Carlos Sainz
63 – George Russell
81 – Oscar Piastri
87 – Oliver Bearman

Who will win the F1 2025 title?

As of March 10, Lando Norris is the favourite followed by Max Verstappen, as Charles Leclerc completes this particular podium.

Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri round out the top five.

Which teams are on the grid for F1 2025?

In 2024 Championship order and how they will appear in the pit lane:

McLaren
Ferrari
Red Bull
Mercedes
Aston Martin
Alpine
Haas
Racing Bulls (formerly Visa Cash App RB)
Williams
Stake

What are the names of each F1 2025 car?

Not all names are confirmed as of yet but we expect them to appear as this:

McLaren – MCL39
Ferrari –?SF-25
Red Bull – RB21
Mercedes – F1 W16
Aston Martin – AMR25
Alpine – A525
Haas –?VF-25
Racing Bulls (formerly Visa Cash App RB) –?VCARB 02
Williams – FW47
Stake –?Kick C45

What are the key rule changes for the F1 2025 season?

The most obvious change is the removal of the fastest lap bonus point which has been in place since 2019.

A meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in October saw the point removed in the wake of Daniel Ricciardo snatching it from Lando Norris in Singapore. Now, there are no bonus points meaning the maximum a driver can score in a normal weekend in 25.

Another change is the increase of junior driver appearances to four, doubling the amount from 2024. The FIA state that a young driver (one with two or fewer grands prix under their belt) must take part in a session while the main driver sits out.

Speaking of drivers, the minimum weight allowances has been increased from 80 kilograms (176.4 lb) to 82 kilograms (180.8 lb) and the overall minimum weight limit of the car without fuel has increased from 798 kilograms (1,759 lb) to 800 kilograms (1,764 lb).

Another wellbeing change made for the drivers is a cooling kit which will only be mandated by the FIA in extreme heat conditions. When temperatures are forecast to be over 30.5°C, a “heat hazard” will be declared and teams will be required to equip the drivers with their cooling systems. As a result, the minimum weight will increase by 5 kilograms (11 lb).

A slight change on the rear wing sees the slot gap for the DRS changed from 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in) to 9.4–13 millimetres (0.37–0.51 in) and after McLaren were put under the microscope, the FIA will ensure that the wing can only be in two states, fully opened or fully closed.

Testing of previous cars will be limited to 20 days and active drivers will only be allowed to test for a maximum of 1,000km spread out across four days.

Will there be an 11th team in F1?

Yes! But not quite yet. F1 and General Motors have finalised the details to see Cadillac F1 officially accepted as F1’s 11th team, but 2026 is when that new outfit will arrive.

As it has been for the past eight seasons, 2025 will have 10 constructors.

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