2025 F1 season preview: Which car is fastest and who will be crowned champion in Abu Dhabi?

The first race of the year takes place in Melbourne this weekend

Set to be the most competitive since 2010, the new Formula One season kicks off this weekend in Australia.

Bahrain has held the opening race for the past four years, but due to the timing of Ramadan, the Sakhir race, along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, have been rescheduled for April.

There is plenty of intrigue ahead of the first race in Melbourne, including how Lewis Hamilton will fare at Ferrari, how competitive can F1 rookies such as French-Algerian Isack Hadjar be, and can Max Verstappen win a fifth straight drivers' championship?

Who is favourite to be crowned champion at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

For the past four seasons, no one has proved to be better than Verstappen. Capitalising on Adrian Newey's brilliant designs, Verstappen breathed life into various iterations of the Red Bull car to demonstrate his strength and sensational race craft.

Regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all time, rumours persist that he will not remain at Red Bull for much longer. He is, however, as eager as ever to defend his title.

The Dutchman announced that he is expecting a child with girlfriend Kelly Piquet, and it remains to be seen whether impending fatherhood will distract him from sealing another title.

One man with intentions of adding to his own collection of drivers' championships is Hamilton.

His headline-grabbing move to the most famous team on the grid was always going to provoke fierce interest, and Hamilton has made it clear that he has joined Ferrari to win his eighth title.

Speaking to Time magazine, Hamilton laid out just how much he has sacrificed to ensure his success as a driver. “I’m hungry, driven, don’t have a wife and kids," Hamilton said. "I’m focused on one thing, and that’s winning. That’s my number one priority.”

Enjoying a new lease of life, he is both determined and energised, and the Italian giants have ensured a smooth transition for the driver who has spent the past 12 years at Mercedes.

The seven-time world champion already knows team principal Fred Vasseur well, having won junior championships with his former Formula 3 and GP2 team boss. Angela Cullen, Hamilton’s former trainer, has also returned to his side.

F1's most successful driver may take a while to settle into his new environment, but his experience, speed and intelligence should stand him in good stead for his new adventure.

Lewis Hamilton makes his debut in Ferrari colours

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With Ferrari focusing so much of their attention on Hamilton, can Charles Leclerc challenge for the title he so covets?

The battle between the two drivers is set to be the talk of the grid considering the Monegasque's audacious talent. Nicknamed “Il Predestinato", which means "The Predestined" in Italian, Leclerc has spent six years at Ferrari and continues to thrive. He may be prone to mistakes under pressure, but the 27-year-old has the skills to win if Ferrari finally give him a stable car. He was also much faster than his new teammate in pre-season testing.

In 2023, Verstappen believed that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at McLaren represented his biggest threat among Red Bull's competitors. It is a view shared by McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown: "We've got the best driver line-up on the grid.”

Norris’ remarkable growth last year, which culminated in him winning the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that clinched McLaren the constructors' championship in December, has seen the Briton emerge as a genuine title contender.

The winners' podium, from left, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, McLaren driver Lando Norris, McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. All pictures by Chris Whiteoak / The National

McLaren driver Lando Norris wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown lifts the constructors' trophy in the F1 at Yas Marina Circuit after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The drivers line up for the race at Yas Marina Circuit.

Action on the track at the Abu Dhabi GP.

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Kick Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas during the drivers' parade.

Amna Al Qubaisi competes in the F1 Academy race at Yas Marina Circuit.

Mercedes driver George Russell arrives at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Hamda Al Qubaisi competes in the F1 Academy race.

Fans watch the racing at Yas Marina Circuit.

French-Algerian driver Isack Hadjar during the Formula 2 race at Yas Marina Circuit.

Fans watch the racing at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Isack Hadjar in the Formula 2 race.

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell take part in a pre-race photo call at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Drivers line up for a pre-race photo at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Fans watch the racing at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Mercedes driver George Russell fist bumps Williams driver Franco Colapinto.

Drivers take part in a photo on the track at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

McLaren driver Lando Norris chats with Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen.

Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez.

Fans watch the racing at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

With another year of experience under his belt, Piastri is developing into a formidable driver capable of offering his teammate serious competition. The Australian has signed a new contract extension that will keep him at McLaren for the long term, and his ambition coupled with his work ethic should make for a compelling campaign.

Mercedes’ George Russell can't be discounted. Elevated to the team's lead driver following Hamilton's departure, the Briton is out of contract at the end of the year and will be looking to mount a serious title bid to secure his future.

Which is the best car on the grid?

By most accounts, there are four teams vying for top spot in the constructors' championship: Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.

It’s expected that Red Bull will not be as dominant as they have been in recent years, but they still feel RB21 has made the progress required.

Across the three days of testing in Bahrain, Red Bull completed the least number of laps, with technical director Pierre Wache admitting that it had not been as smooth as they had hoped. Neither Verstappen nor Liam Lawson completed a full race simulation to help demonstrate the pace of the car.

Verstappen said there’s still work to do and does not think they can compete to win in the opening race of the season, suggesting McLaren are the favourites at Albert Park.

Last year, McLaren secured their first constructors' title since 1998 and look favourites to win it again with most of the drivers on the grid pointing to the MCL39 as the car to beat.

Easily the standout car in Sakhir, especially when it came to long-run pace, it was highly competitive in their race simulations and experienced minimal tyre degradation. Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko suggested McLaren were concealing their true potential in testing, believing them to be even stronger and faster than what they showed.

Mercedes driver George Russell during pre-season testing in Bahrain. Getty Images

Ferrari narrowly missed out on the constructors’ championship last year and have made significant upgrades, describing the SF-25 as "a completely new car, utilising different technical solutions to those adopted in the past".

Technical director Loic Serra has managed the transition from Ferrari's traditional push rod front suspension to a pull rod layout, similar to those used by McLaren and Red Bull, while the rear suspension remains push rod.

Ferrari seem content with the car, but they have an issue regarding set-up, with the team unable to find the ideal operating window to optimise the SF-25. Nevertheless, the car is expected to challenge the McLaren again.

As for Mercedes, they made great strides in addressing the weaknesses evident last year. “The team has worked hard over the winter to improve on the weaknesses of the W15 and, from the initial signs, we seem to have made good steps in those areas," said engineering director Andrew Shovlin.

The W16 must still be optimised ahead of the opening race, and while Russell appeared quietly confident, he acknowledged the competition around him. Mercedes won only four races last season, so they will be targeting better performances ahead.

Who are the rookies on the grid?

Six drivers are making their full season debut in 2025, several of whom have driven less than 10 grands prix in their career. Brazilian Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto takes the empty seat at Sauber, while runner-up Isack Hadjar joins the Racing Bulls.

Hadjar is the son of a quantum physicist and is perhaps the most inexperienced on the grid. But he is quick, and took the F2 title race all the way to the final race in Abu Dhabi last season.

Replacing Hamilton at Mercedes is 18-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli. The youngest driver on the grid, Mercedes have accelerated the teenager’s development but the jury is still out as to whether or not he is ready. His talent is undeniable and his raw pace is bound to grab some headlines.

Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls takes a selfie with fans ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Getty Images

Over at Red Bull, Liam Lawson is Verstappen's new teammate, potentially throwing up some captivating storylines. Incredibly determined and focused only on being the best, it will be interesting to see how the duo will get on.

Elsewhere, Oliver Bearman made quite the impression when he replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He finished seventh, ahead of established drivers like Hamilton and Norris, and will take the vacant Haas seat, while Alpine's Jack Doohan will race alongside Pierre Gasly.

Doohan is the rookie facing the most pressure, as Alpine’s executive director Flavio Briatore signed Franco Colapinto as the team’s reserve driver. Unless Doohan impresses, he might find himself out of a seat fairly quickly.

What else is new?

• The extra point drivers received for securing the fastest lap of the race has been removed.
• The FIA World Motor Sport Council approved the addition of a compulsory second pit stop at the Monaco Grand Prix to allow for "better racing". The iconic race has always been a tight affair but with some feeling it’s become too boring in recent years.
• Newey has now joined Aston Martin. Having designed some of the most successful F1 cars of all time, he is tasked with making Aston Martin a force in F1.
• Major changes are set to take place in 2026, so this year will mark the final season of the current regulations, and the last time we will have 10 teams on the grid as Cadillac will join as the 11th from next year.
• Haas promoted Laura Muller, making her the first female race engineer in F1 history. She will be working with Esteban Ocon.