In 2023, Formula One saw arguably its most uncompetitive season in a long time, as Max Verstappen won by nearly 300 points and Red Bull utterly dominated, winning the Constructors’ Championship by a whopping 451 points, more than doubling Mercedes in second place. Things seemed bleak for the field, but thankfully, 2024 brought some unexpected drama.
Verstappen started off 2024 how he finished 2023, winning five of the first seven races, with teammate Sergio Perez also reaching the podium in four of those. However, the McLaren car then overtook the Red Bull on the track, and the Ferrari and Mercedes weren’t too far behind either, creating an exciting back half of the season for the first time in a while.
The way 2024 ended has set up 2025 to be one of the most intriguing and exciting seasons in recent F1 memory. Here are the five top storylines to follow heading into the new year.
Was McLaren’s Big 2024 Upset a Fluke?
It was McLaren, rather than Mercedes or Ferrari, that caught up to Red Bull in 2024. Verstappen’s RB20 car couldn’t be matched for speed in previous years, but Lando Norris’ MCL38 did just that this past summer, to the shock of many. This wasn’t luck, this was superior engineering, not to mention the quality of drivers McLaren has managed to lure over.
It wasn’t just the pride of England, the 25-year-old Norris, that did well. McLaren’s other driver, the 23-year-old Oscar Piastri, also made good on his immense potential, finishing fourth. Norris, though, was the main challenger, beating Verstappen 10 times in 2024. Sportsbooks believe he’s going to do it a lot more in 2025.
This could truly be the first time in a decade—since Sebastian Vettel was the dominant force in F1 back in 2013 before Lewis Hamilton came on the scene—that someone not named Hamilton or Verstappen will go into a Formula One season as the favorite. If you’re sports betting in Canada, it will be, as F1 sportsbooks have pegged Norris as the favorite to win the Driver’s Championship in 2025, boasting +200 odds to Verstappen’s +225.
Lewis Hamilton Is Joining Ferrari At the Perfect Time
Let’s not forget about Lewis Hamilton. While he finished 7th in 2024, lower than his 2nd place finish in 2023 and his 6th place finish in 2022, he actually won his first two races since the 2021 season, when he suffered a controversial loss in the 2021 Driver’s Championship on the final day.
Hamilton did this despite the fact that teammate George Russell, the new face of Mercedes, seemingly became the priority for the team. It made sense, as Hamilton had announced prior to the season that he’d be heading to Ferrari in 2025.
It’s arguably the biggest F1 driver in history finally teaming up with arguably the most famous constructor, in Ferrari. And they’re getting together at a perfect time. Not only did they finish a close second behind McLaren, Ferrari put up 652 points, by far the most they’ve ever produced in a season. This seems like a match made in heaven with both Hamilton and Ferrari on the comeback trail.
Carlos Sainz Arrival Gives Williams One of the Most Exciting Driver Pairings
To make room for Hamilton, Ferrari had to dump Carlos Sainz, who finished fifth last year with two wins and nine podiums. Surprisingly, the 30-year-old Sainz, still seemingly in his prime, didn’t find a place with one of the other big teams, instead taking a chance on a spot with Williams.
It comes as a surprise, as Williams has finished 10th, 8th, 7th, and 9th since 2020. However, they experienced success with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas in 2014-2015, finishing third both years. Sainz probably believes he can bring that glory back to the underdog Williams team. He’ll join the exciting Alexander Albon, who has already proven he can drive when he’s got the right car, finishing in the top 10 in 2019 and 2020 with Red Bull and Torro Rosso. Williams might be a team to watch in 2025.
Can Liam Lawson Bring Red Bull Back to Glory?
There probably wasn’t a person on the planet, perhaps outside of Red Bull’s own engineers, that saw this overtake by McLaren and Ferrari coming. Even Mercedes is catching up. However, it’s clear their car is still elite, as Max Verstappen was able to continue to win races and remain atop the Driver’s Championship standings.
However, veteran Sergio Perez didn’t touch the podium after the 2024 season’s fifth race. He will be replaced by Liam Lawson, an exciting 22-year-old that has already performed well in a Red Bull car for their B-team over the last couple of years.
Mercedes May Be Placing Too Many Eggs in the Andrea Antonelli Basket
After a record-breaking 12-year run at Mercedes, the longest in history, Lewis Hamilton is gone. George Russell stepped up to the plate last year as the man and performed well, finishing 6th with four podiums, including two wins. Joining Russell is burgeoning 18-year-old star Andrea
Kimi Antonelli, who finished 6th in F2 last year.
With Russell still only 26, this is going to be one of the youngest driver pairings in F1 alongside McLaren. Mercedes will hope they can get a boost from their young duo, similar to how McLaren did in 2024.