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The 2025 F1 season is here and there are six new drivers on the grid, all of which are rookies. Lewis Hamilton has officially moved from Mercedes-AMG to Scuderia Ferrari, and Carlos Sainz has joined perennial backmarker, Williams. However, with James Vowles now settled in and two of the best drivers on the grid on the roster, it could be the year that Williams returns to its championship-winning ways. Ultimately, the 2025 season is already a write-off for most of the bottom teams as they look ahead to the 2026 F1 Season and the new rule changes. This year, it’s all about rookies showing they can be quick enough for the future and veterans reminding their teams why they belong. Now, it’s about time we look at the 2025 F1 drivers and teams they race for in detail.
1. McLaren
- Lando Norris (No. 4)
- Oscar Piastri (No. 81)
It’s McLaren’s championship to lose in 2025. They won their first constructors’ championship since 1998 last season, and now it’s Lando Norris’ turn to take home some metal of his own with a driver’s championship. He’ll join other greats such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren Hall of Fame if he does, and after a stellar preseason and a slower-than-expected Red Bull car, it’s certainly looking like his year in the spotlight has arrived. Well, that’s if Australian Oscar Piastri doesn’t have something to say about it, as the sophomore driver has already proved that he has what it takes to podium every race weekend.
Full Team Name: McLaren Formula 1 Team
Base: Woking, United Kingdom
Team Chief: Andrea Stella
Technical Chief: Peter Prodromou / Neil Houldey
Chassis: MCL39
Power Unit: Mercedes
First Team Entry: 1966
World Championships: 9
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x189)
Pole Positions: 164
Fastest Laps: 172
2. Scuderia Ferrari HP
- Charles Leclerc (No. 16)
- Lewis Hamilton (No. 44)
Charles Leclerc has a new teammate at Scuderia Ferrari and he goes by the name of Sir Lewis Hamilton. It adds some much-needed mentorship to Leclerc’s side, but it will be interesting to see how the team manages the driver’s roles as Sir Lewis is not one to take a secondary driver position on any team. Nor should he. Hamilton is arguably the GOAT F1 driver, and while his prime is past him, he has proven that he has what it takes to win races at the age of 40 after winning his home race at Silverstone last season.
Full Team Name: Scuderia Ferrari HP
Base: Maranello, Italy
Team Chief: Frédéric Vasseur
Technical Chief: Loic Serra / Enrico Gualtieri
Chassis: SF-25
Power Unit: Ferrari
First Team Entry: 1950
World Championships: 16
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x249)
Pole Positions: 253
3. Oracle Red Bull Racing
- Max Verstappen (No. 1)
- Liam Lawson (No. 30)
It’s shaping up to be a strange year for Oracle Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. They’re one of the few top teams that have already shown signs of being distracted by the rule changes that are set to be implemented next season. Max hasn’t been happy with the car since last season and it showed with a disappointing 3rd place finish in the constructors championship. “There are still a lot of unknowns,” he said in an interview with this publication before the AusGP.
“As a driver, you always want to win. You want to fight up front. At the moment, it does look like McLaren is a bit faster, but we just keep going, keep working, keep trying to be better and keep improving. I think that’s the main focus for us at the moment,” he said.
Max will be joined by Liam Lawson, a Kiwi sophomore who raced in six races last season, finished with 4 points, and scored a best-place finish of 9th at the United States GP and Brazil GP. Lawson has a lot to prove this season, and experts such as Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle are already issuing warnings to Lawson after a tough start to the season in Australia. “Liam Lawson of Red Bull, in particular, will be very happy that we head immediately into another race week so that he can hopefully park the misery and errors he endured in Melbourne and put them right.”
“P45s are more their thing if you can’t keep Verstappen at least in view from time to time,” he continued.
Full Team Name: Oracle Red Bull Racing
Base: Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Team Chief: Christian Horner
Technical Chief: Pierre Waché
Chassis: RB21
Power Unit: Honda RBPT
First Team Entry: 1997
World Championships: 6
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x122)
Pole Positions: 103
Fastest Laps: 99
4. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS
- George Russell (No. 63)
- Kimi Antonelli (No. 12)
The Lewis Hamilton era is over at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS and he’s now behind the wheel of a Scuderia Ferrari. Depending on who you ask, that’s either a blessing or a curse, but it’s George Russell’s team now. It was two wins apiece for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the W15 last season, but it proved to be an inconsistent weapon of choice, and the team fell to fourth in the constructor’s title. Now, Merc’ is looking at the future and they’ve signed rookie Kimi Antonelli from the Mercedes Junior Team. He made his free practice debut at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix and set the fastest lap before he spun out 10 minutes into the session. He’s the third-youngest driver in Formula One history at 18 years and 203 days old, but he’s proving to be uber-quick when he keeps it on the track.
Full Team Name: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team
Base: Brackley, United Kingdom
Team Chief: Toto Wolff
Technical Chief: James Allison
Chassis: W16
Power Unit: Mercedes
First Team Entry: 1970
World Championships: 8
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x120)
Pole Positions: 133
Fastest Laps: 100
5. Aston Martin Aramco
- Fernando Alonso (No. 14)
- Lance Stroll (No. 18)
Not much will change at Aston Martin this season as Fernando Alonso (No. 14) and Lance Stroll (No. 18) remain the two drivers of choice for 2025. It’s been a tough couple of seasons for the team, and they’ve never looked the same after a strong start to the 2023 season that saw Fernando Alonso finish on the podium in six of the first eight races. They’re one of those teams who is looking far ahead to the 2026 F1 season where Red Bull legend Adrian Newey will lead the team into the future and start from firmer footings.
Full Team Name: Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
Base: Silverstone, United Kingdom
Team Chief: Andy Cowell
Technical Chief: Eric Blandin
Chassis: AMR25
Power Unit: Mercedes
First Team Entry: 2018
World Championships: 0
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x1)
Pole Positions: 1
Fastest Laps: 3
6. BWT Alpine
- Pierre Gasly (No. 10)
- Jack Doohan (No. 7)
Oli Oakes replaces Bruno Famin as Team Principal of BWT Alpine as the outfit does its best to recover from a few throw-away seasons. They’ve also added F1 veteran Flavio Briatore in an advisory role, but the big news is that Australian Jack Doohan has slotted himself into the second seat behind Pierre Gasly after a strong tenure as an Alpine Academy driver. Like most of the bottom teams, Alpine’s success will only be judged next season as the 2026 rule change is realised. We certainly wouldn’t expect much from them this season.
Full Team Name: BWT Alpine Formula One Team
Base: Enstone, United Kingdom
Team Chief: Oliver Oakes
Technical Chief: David Sanchez
Chassis: A525
Power Unit: Renault
First Team Entry: 1986
World Championships: 2
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x21)
Pole Positions: 20
Fastest Laps: 16
7. MoneyGram Haas
- Esteban Ocon (No. 31)
- Oliver Bearman (No. 87)
Like BWT Alpine, MoneyGram Haas has a season of despondency ahead as they focus the majority of their attention on the 2026 F1 season. Still, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are gone, and their refreshed driver line-up is very solid with veteran Esteban Ocon joined by rookie Oliver Bearman. Ocon has 445 total career points, four podiums, and a race win under his belt in 157 races. Meanwhile, Bearman came from FIA Formula 2 where he won four races. Of course, he’s most famous for finishing seventh on his Formula 1 debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Full Team Name: MoneyGram Haas F1 Team
Base: Kannapolis, United States
Team Chief: Ayao Komatsu
Technical Chief: Andrea De Zordo
Chassis: VF-25
Power Unit: Ferrari
First Team Entry: 2016
World Championships: 0
Highest Race Finish: 4th (x1)
Pole Positions: 1
Fastest Laps: 3
8. Visa Cash App Racing Bulls
- Yuki Tsunoda (No. 22)
- Isack Hadjar (No. 6)
The RBs finished eighth in 2024, but they will bounce back in 2025 with a refreshed driver line-up. Yuki Tsunoda is a familiar face and remains one of the most underrated drivers on the grid. Meanwhile, rookie Isack Hadjar, who was a member of the Red Bull Junior Team in 2022 and the runner-up in the 2024 Formula 2 championship, is looking forward to showing the same pace that he set while testing RB20 in Abu Dhabi. His pace was faster than that of teammate Yuki Tsunoda and was enough to impress Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Let’s see if he can carry that into his debut F1 season in 2025.
Full Team Name: Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team
Base: Faenza, Italy
Team Chief: Laurent Mekies
Technical Chief: Jody Egginton
Chassis: VCARB 02
Power Unit: Honda RBPT
First Team Entry: 1985
World Championships: 0
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x2)
Pole Positions: 1
Fastest Laps: 4
9. Williams Racing
- Alexander Albon (No. 23)
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (No. 55)
While other teams are quite clearly focused on the 2026 season, Williams has shown interest in results this season. With Carlos Sainz Jr. on board, the team has one of the best driver line-ups on the grid, and the FW47 is showing pace, so they have a legitimate chance to upset the likes of Aston Martin this season. Sainz is a proven race winner and will be on a mission after being ousted at Ferrari with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. How this translates into points is another question, but he has the car, team chief, and skills to show that he’s one of the best on the grid. Albon, meanwhile, is Mr consistent, Mr underrated, and will do Albon things as usual. That likely means a couple of near podiums.
Full Team Name: Atlassian Williams Racing
Base: Grove, United Kingdom
Team Chief: James Vowles
Technical Chief: Pat Fry
Chassis: FW47
Power Unit: Mercedes
First Team Entry: 1978
World Championships: 9
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x114)
Pole Positions: 128
Fastest Laps: 133
10. Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber
- Nico Hülkenberg (No. 27)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (No. 5)
It’s a filler year for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber as they await their transition into Audi for 2026. The driver line-up is strong with 228-race veteran Nico Hülkenberg driving alongside 2024 Formula 2 championship winner Gabriel Bortoleto. They’ll try and ruffle a few feathers before the rule change kicks in next year and the great reset begins.
Full Team Name: Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber
Base: Hinwil, Switzerland
Team Chief: Alessandro Alunni Bravi
Technical Chief: James Key
Chassis: C45
Power Unit: Ferrari
First Team Entry: 1993
World Championships: 0
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x1)
Pole Positions: 1
