Okay, buckle up motorsport fans, because the moment we’ve all been waiting for is pretty much here! The 2025 Formula 1 season is revving its engines, and it all kicks off this weekend down in Australia. We’re talking 24 races of pure adrenaline with the 20 best drivers on the planet battling it out. Can Max Verstappen make it a stunning five championships in a row? Is this the year Lando Norris finally grabs his first win and maybe even the title? And what about Lewis Hamilton – can he bring Ferrari back to the top and snag his record-breaking eighth championship? Plus, will any of the new kids on the block surprise us with a win? Honestly, who knows right now, but one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be another wild ride, and I personally can’t wait to see all the drama unfold! But before we get too carried away, let’s take a look at who’s who in the teams and drivers for this year!
The Formula 1 Class of 2025: New Faces and a Legend in Red
You just know all eyes are going to be on Sir Lewis Hamilton. Seeing the seven-time World Champion decked out in Ferrari’s iconic Rosso Corsa is something else! This mega-transfer is said to have lit a new fire under the British legend, but only time will tell if he and the Prancing Horse can hit that winning stride and truly challenge for the championship. I’ll be on the edge of my seat watching this story play out, from this weekend right through to the finale in December!
But Lewis isn’t the only big story. We’ve got five fresh drivers joining the grid, and that includes a couple of familiar names who’ve now landed full-time gigs. The debut everyone’s buzzing about has to be Andrea Kimi Antonelli, stepping into Hamilton’s old seat at Mercedes-AMG. This young Italian is tipped as the next big thing, with a cabinet full of trophies from junior categories and a year in F2 under his belt. He’s not the only F2 star moving up; 2024 F2 champ Gabriel Bortoleto will be racing for Stake F1. Last year’s F2 runner-up, Isack Hadjar, has bagged a seat with Visa Cash App RB. And over at BWT Alpine, their junior driver Jack Doohan has been promoted from reserve to a full race seat. The last two rookies you might remember: Oliver Bearman, who did a stellar job filling in for Ferrari, gets his full-time chance at Haas, while Liam Lawson, who impressed when he subbed at Alpha Tauri, is now stepping up to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
And if that wasn’t enough excitement, Formula 1 has tweaked a few rules that could really shake things up. That extra point for the fastest lap? Gone. The limit on how many gearboxes teams can use? Lifted. For those scorching hot races like Singapore and Qatar, drivers will get cooling vests – smart move! There are also new parameters for DRS. Those controversial flexi-wings will be under much closer watch by the FIA, and they’ve updated the guidelines for things like pit lane starts or when a start gets interrupted. Oh, and to top it all off, LVMH’s TAG Heuer is stepping in as a new title sponsor! Busy times!
Oracle Red Bull Racing – Max Verstappen & Liam Lawson – TAG Heuer
Max Verstappen, the guy who just keeps winning for Red Bull, had a bit more of a fight on his hands last year but still managed to clinch his fourth consecutive title. With Ferrari and McLaren pushing hard, he really had to dig deep, and sometimes even push the boundaries, to stay ahead. A brilliant start to the season and a masterful drive in a rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix pretty much sealed the deal. This year, he’s joined by New Zealander Liam Lawson. Liam already showed us what he’s made of back in 2023 when he stepped in for Daniel Ricciardo at Alpha Tauri for five races, even scoring points in Singapore.
He then got a seat at Visa Cash App RB midway through 2024 and has now earned the big promotion to the main Red Bull team. It’s going to be fascinating to see if young Liam can take the fight to the rest of the grid and give Red Bull that crucial second competitive car again! And, as you might expect, especially with the whole Formula 1 watch collection getting a revamp (including a cool RBR special edition), the team from Milton Keynes is sticking with TAG Heuer as their timing partner.
Scuderia Ferrari – Charles Leclerc & Lewis Hamilton – Richard Mille
The bombshell news last year was definitely Lewis Hamilton jumping ship to Ferrari, but let’s be fair, Ferrari themselves were looking seriously sharp on track in 2024! Those scarlet cars were right in the mix for wins all season, with Charles Leclerc grabbing three victories and the departing Carlos Sainz Jr. adding another two. This year, the Maranello squad is aiming even higher, hoping to finally end that long 17-year championship drought (Kimi Räikkönen was the last Ferrari driver to win the title, way back in 2007).
Before the 2024 season even properly got going, the news broke: seven-time F1 World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton was leaving Mercedes-AMG for Ferrari. It sent shockwaves through the whole F1 paddock, and honestly, a lot of us struggled to picture Hamilton in red. But here we are! He’s taking over from Carlos Sainz to team up with Charles Leclerc, and they’ll both be hunting for wins and, hopefully for them, the championship titles. You just know Lewis will be absolutely determined to make a huge impact in his first season with Ferrari. The dynamic between Lewis and Charles? That’s going to be one to watch, for sure! On the wrists of both drivers, you’ll spot watches from Richard Mille, as the brand has been a loyal partner of Ferrari for years now.
McLaren Formula 1 Team – Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri – Richard Mille
After a couple of really tough years and a bit of a wobbly start to the 2024 season, McLaren pulled off a massive turnaround in the second half. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were both on fire, winning multiple races, and Lando came agonizingly close to clinching the driver’s title! They’ve kept that awesome duo for this year, and it looks like the Woking team is aiming to go even better in 2025!
It’s actually quite a surprise, but McLaren is one of only two teams on the entire grid keeping the exact same driver lineup as last season! Zak Brown must be absolutely itching to see his team not just win the Constructor’s Championship again (their first since 1996!), but the Driver’s Championship too. You’ll see both Lando and Oscar rocking Richard Mille watches, as this team, just like Ferrari, has had a long-standing partnership with the very expressive Swiss watchmaker.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 – George Russel & Andrea Kimi Antonelli – IWC Schaffhausen
Mercedes-AMG F1, the team that completely dominated the hybrid era by winning an incredible 8 consecutive titles between 2014 and 2021, has left a huge mark on the sport. Since then, though, they’ve found it a bit tougher to consistently perform at that championship-winning level. The much-talked-about “zero-pod” concept didn’t quite work out, and issues with “porpoising” allowed other teams to catch up. Now, they’re also dealing with the departure of Lewis Hamilton, who’s being replaced by rookie sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli will be joining George Russell, who now steps into the role of lead driver for the team. Russell has shown some great pace and strong performances in the Mercedes, often finishing ahead of Hamilton in the last season or two. Now, it’s all about finding that rhythm and raw speed again to get back to competing for race wins and titles! The timing partner for the Mercedes-AMG F1 team is no surprise at all; they’ve been working with IWC Schaffhausen for over 10 years (and even longer with the Mercedes road car division). It’s a classic pairing.
Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team – Fernando Alonso & Lance Stroll – Girard-Perregaux
Just like McLaren, their fellow Brits at Aston Martin are sticking with their driver pairing of the legendary Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. The big talking point leading up to the 2025 season for them is the arrival of engineering guru Adrian Newey, who left Red Bull looking for a new challenge. Whether his magic touch pays off straight away or if that much-needed speed and performance boost comes in later seasons remains to be seen, but you can bet his presence will make a difference!
Fernando Alonso is the oldest and most experienced driver on the grid – seriously, he made his F1 debut before some of the current drivers were even born! Lance Stroll has also matured nicely in F1 and often brings home valuable points for the green team. Just like last year, their partnership with Girard-Perregaux continues, and we’re definitely expecting to see some more cool special edition watches from them.
BWT Alpine F1 Team – Pierre Gasly & Jack Doohan – H. Moser & Cie
Another driver making his full-time debut this year is Australian talent Jack Doohan. He’s already been a reserve driver for the BWT Alpine team for the past couple of years and even raced in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, stepping in for the departing Esteban Ocon. He’s joining the experienced BWT Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, who’s heading into his 9th season in Formula 1. Pierre will be looking to improve on his 10th place finish in last year’s Driver’s Championship.
The BWT Alpine F1 team is, of course, the continuation of Renault, a name that’s been involved in F1 for decades and is part of the Renault Group. However, in a move that surprised pretty much everyone, Renault announced they’ll be stopping their engine-building activities after this season. So, even though the Alpine name will likely still be on the grid from 2026, it won’t be powered by a Renault engine. For 2025, though, it’s Renault all the way. Well, except on the drivers’ wrists, because H. Moser & Cie is the team’s official timing partner – a very stylish choice!
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 team – Yuki Tsunoda & Isack Hadjar – Tudor
Oracle Red Bull Racing’s sister team, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (or V-CARB, if you prefer!), will have Yuki Tsunoda back in the cockpit for the upcoming season, alongside newcomer Isack Hadjar. He’s another one of the talented youngsters making the leap from F2 to F1. Hadjar finished second in F2 last year and now gets his big shot. The team will be absolutely desperate to improve on last year’s pretty underwhelming performance, where they finished 8th out of 10 teams in the Constructors’ Championship.
To help them do that, Visa Cash App RB will have a works Honda engine in the back for this season, which will then be replaced by a Ford-badged engine built by Red Bull Powertrains for next year. In the past, this team – formerly known as Toro Rosso and Alpha Tauri – has always managed to pull off some surprisingly strong results (remember Vettel winning the 2008 Italian Grand Prix against all odds?!). So, let’s hope they can find some of that magic again this year. Tudor joined the team as their timing partner last year, and that striking black-and-blue Black Bay they released was a real looker. We’ll probably see another special edition from them this year.
MoneyGram Haas F1 – Esteban Ocon & Oliver Bearman – Bianchet
The Haas F1 team has decided to completely shake up their driver lineup. Nico Hulkenberg has moved over to Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and Kevin Magnussen has left F1 altogether. Stepping into their shoes will be Esteban Ocon, who was told by BWT Alpine there wasn’t a seat for him this season, and Oliver Bearman. Ollie really showed his talent when he subbed for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and impressively finished 7th.
It’s always a bit of a gamble changing both drivers at once; usually, teams like to keep one experienced driver for continuity. Esteban Ocon, of course, is no stranger to F1 and even has a race win under his belt with Alpine, so he’ll likely be keen to push the team forward as the lead driver. Hopefully, Oliver Bearman can get into the F1 groove quickly too. Since the team has close ties with Ferrari for their engine and several other key parts, they might actually be quite quick, especially as some of last year’s tech will have likely found its way to Haas by now. When it comes to watches, Ocon is a brand ambassador for Bianchet, but that hasn’t extended to a full team partnership just yet.
Atlassian Williams Racing – Alexander Albon & Carlos Sainz – Unknown
After being squeezed out of his Ferrari seat, Carlos Sainz has landed at the Atlassian Williams Racing team. He’ll be pushing for points, and maybe even more, alongside his teammate Alexander Albon, who has put in some seriously impressive performances in recent years despite not always having the fastest car. As one of the longest-running and most beloved teams in the sport, there’s always a special feeling around Williams, and it would be absolutely fantastic to see them back in race-winning form!
During pre-season testing, Sainz was clocking some very quick lap times in the Mercedes-powered FW47, so expectations are definitely high! As I’m writing this, there’s no official word on a timing partner for Williams, though they have worked with brands like Oris and Bremont in the past. Carlos Sainz himself is a known watch guy. So, this is another team and driver duo we’ll be keeping a close eye on to see what timepieces they might be sporting!
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber – Nico Hulkenberg & Gabriel Bortoleto – Unknown
The Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber can lay claim to two things: probably the most confusing name on the grid (thanks to international gambling and sponsorship rules) and finishing dead last in the 2024 F1 season. Personally, I find it a bit sad that the Sauber team, which used to be a solid midfield performer, has slipped to this level. So, I’m really hoping they can find their way forward again soon. The good news for them is that Audi is taking over the team next year, so at least there should be plenty of funding on the way!
The team has said goodbye to Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu and has brought in Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto as their drivers. Hulkenberg brings a massive amount of experience, while Bortoleto is last year’s Formula 2 Champion. So, even though both are new to Stake, they’ve got a ton of talent and, hopefully, some serious speed! At this moment, there’s no news on an official timing partner, so we’ll just have to keep our eyes peeled to see what watches these two might be wearing during the season!
