2025, what a year for motorsports! Welcome back to yet another Formula One Recap here at Echo, where we ensure you’re thoroughly up to date with all things racecars and drama. With the 2026 season just around the corner, we simply can’t help but reflect on the ups and downs of last season, and how it affects the year to come.
From shocking results and 6 new rookies to strategy fails that had fans screeching at their devices, the 2025 season delivered both skill and frustration alike.
As the 10 (now 11!) teams turn their attention to the future and fans begin counting down the days to the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, we look back not just to reminisce over the past 24 races, but to understand them. Because in Formula One, every season leaves behind lessons, legendary wins, and a fresh set of expectations.
So… about that season. Let’s dive in, shall we?
The 2025 Formula 1 Grid and Driver Lineup
WHO WAS OUR WORLD CHAMPION?
As many of us know, in Formula 1, there are two championships: the Driver’s Championship (in which the driver with the most points that season is deemed the overall driver winner for that year) and the Constructors’ Championship (in which the team with the most total points becomes the team winner for the year).
For many drivers, winning the Drivers’ Championship and being crowned World Champion solidifies their place as the best driver on the grid. And with Formula One cars being the fastest cars in the world, it’s a trophy that labels them the fastest driver on the planet.
With this in mind, who was our 2025 World Champion?
With a three-way title fight to the very last race in Abu Dhabi, McLaren’s Lando Norris took his first World Championship with a total of 423 points. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lost a fifth consecutive title, finishing just two points behind Norris at 421 points. Coming in at third was Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, who scored 410 points.
Lando Norris secured the title of 2025 World Champion at Abu Dhabi
(left to right) Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri
2025 was undoubtedly McLaren’s year, with the team winning the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore, with six races to spare in the season. The team’s consistency and positive driver performances are precisely what helped them cinch the title long before the season reached its end.
McLaren celebrating the 2025 Constructors’ Championship
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
1. A messy start to the year
The season kicked off in Australia, and it sure was messy! Rain proved to be challenging, as drivers struggled to stay on track for all 57 laps. Many drivers fell victim to the slippery track, with Visa CashApp RB’s Isack Hadjar crashing before the race even began, while BWT Alpine’s Jack Doohan crashed in the opening lap. Only a lap later was Atlassian Williams Racing’s Carlos Sainz, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, to be the fourth crash of the day in Lap 34. About 10 laps later, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto faced unfortunate damage, along with Red Bull’s Liam Lawson in Lap 47.
All this chaos led to Lando Norris claiming the top step of the podium, a strong start to the year, indicating that McLaren was a force to be reckoned with.
Drivers struggled with heavy rain at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix
Gabriel Bortoleto’s violent crash at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix
2. Let’s Talk About Ferrari
Many can agree that being a Scuderia Ferrari fan isn’t for the weak; there’s always a problem. Whether it be horrid team strategies, unfortunate performances on the drivers’ ends, or the team’s lack of communication, both Ferrari drivers and the fans struggle every year, despite our greatest delusions that ‘this year will be different!’. Well, 2025 may have proven to be our worst year yet, with the team possibly having one of the worst cars on the grid. This led to a lack of performance all year long, despite Charles Leclerc’s best efforts to turn that around.
With 2025 being Lewis Hamilton’s first year in red, it is safe to say he, too, is utterly disappointed. When asked about his season, the British driver states, “It’s a nightmare; I’ve been living it for a while.” As a driver who’s been around since 2007, this year was the only year whereby he hasn’t scored a single podium, and he was outperformed by his teammate in almost every single race.
Leclerc managed to finish the season fifth in the Driver’s Championship, with 242 points, while Hamilton fell drastically behind at 156 points.
Charles Leclerc after retiring early from the Dutch Grand Prix
(left to right) Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
3. Nico’s Time to Shine
After 15 (going on 16) years in Formula One, Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg has not once scored a podium. While many have lost hope over the years, Nico stood strong and continued driving forward, giving every race his all. But little did he know, 2025 would be his year!
In the first race of the season, Nico successfully scored 6 points for his team, which is already more than they’ve scored for the entirety of 2024! At the British Grand Prix, Nico amazed fans worldwide. From starting at 19th place, he successfully climbed up all the way up to third place, achieving his first podium in difficult rain conditions.
For one weekend, team loyalties faded, and everyone celebrated together. It was emotional, deserved, and undoubtedly a long time coming.
Nico Hulkenberg scoring his first podium
Nico Hulkenberg celebrating his maiden podium with his team
4. Mid-Season Driver Switches
Australian driver Jack Doohan started his 2025 season with Alpine, but unfortunately never got to finish it. For his first (and last) 6 races in Formula One, Doohan was underperforming when compared to teammate Pierre Gasly. He crashed on the opening lap in Australia, received penalties for the China races, and caused various collisions on track with other rookies. For this very reason, Alpine decided to replace him with reserve Argentinian driver, Franco Colapinto.
Former Alpine driver, Jack Doohan
Current Alpine driver, Franco Colapinto
However, Alpine wasn’t the only team to have implemented a driver switch in 2025. Visa CashApp RB, Red Bull’s second team, made a vital decision: to switch Red Bull driver Liam Lawson into RB, and promote RB’s Yuki Tsunoda into Red Bull. By the end of the season, it is safe to say that Liam performed much better in Visa CashApp RB, while Yuki…did the best he could with the car he was given.
(left to right) Red Bull drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen
(left to right) Visa CashApp RB drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson
5. Beginner’s Luck? Hardly!
Being one of the 6 rookies on the grid this year, it’s safe to say Isack Hadjar stands out! His funny personality has won over the fans’ hearts, while his performance on track and teamwork prove he deserves a spot on the grid.
Throughout the season, he has qualified relatively well, but his moment to shine arrived at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he earned his first podium win in his very first season, becoming the fifth-youngest podium finisher in the history of Formula One.
Because of this, it is no surprise that he has signed with Red Bull to replace Yuki Tsunoda this upcoming season, moving onto one of the most pressuring seats in Formula One, racing alongside teammate Max Verstappen.
Isack Hadjar celebrating his first podium at the Dutch Grand Prix
Visa CashApp RB Driver, Isack Hadjar
6. Not Once, Not Twice, But Make It Thrice!
While on the topic of podium finishes, yet another rookie has managed to make it on the list: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s Kimi Antonelli. Being the youngest driver on the grid, at only 18 at the time, Kimi was undoubtedly the rookie facing the most pressure. Mercedes is widely considered one of the main four teams on the grid, so signing a rookie felt like a bold choice to many. Thankfully, Kimi proved everyone wrong! He’s achieved a total of three podium finishes this year: 3rd in Canada, 2nd in Brazil, and 3rd again in Las Vegas.
Kimi has never ceased to amaze us, and hopefully, he can keep this streak up all the way through to the 2026 season (we’re crossing our fingers!).
Italian driver Kimi Antonelli’s first podium at the Canadian Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli with teammate George Russell
7. Smooth Operations and Sparkly Unicorns
If you’ve been following Formula One from at least 2024, you’d know one of the biggest shocks in the history of motorsport is Scuderia Ferrari replacing Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton. Because of this, fans sat at the edge of their seats in 2024, pondering over which team Carlos will ultimately sign with. It was later revealed that Carlos had signed with Williams Racing, and many felt this might have been the wrong decision; they’d soon take those words back.
A little girl, Thea, sent in a video to Carlos, asking if she should name her unicorn plushie Sparkles or Sprinkles, and requested that the drivers wear a unicorn on their helmets. True to his word, once Thea had sent in a drawing, the team made it into a sticker, and Carlos placed it on his helmet.
The next day, Carlos scored his first podium for Williams, and the team’s first podium in 10 years! Since then, Carlos kept Sparkles on his helmet as a good luck charm, and has managed to score yet another podium for the team later that year in Qatar.
Williams Racing Driver, Carlos Sainz, at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Sparkles the Unicorn on Carlos Sainz’s helmet
OFF THE GRID NEWS
1. Welcome to the World, Baby Verstappen!
In May 2025, it was announced that Max Verstappen and girlfriend Kelly Piquet’s baby girl, Lily Piquet Verstappen was born. This generated buzz among the public about her potential future in the motorsports world, with a prominent racing family in Nelson Piquet, Jos Verstappen and Max Verstappen. Well, only time will tell!
Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet with baby, Lily Piquet Verstappen
2. A REAL Race
At the Miami Grand Prix, all 20 drivers got behind the wheel of fully-drivable LEGO Formula One cars. It was all smiles across the grid as teams crashed into one another, sabotaging the LEGO race. Ultimately, the one-lap race was won by Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan, after a very strong fight by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
3. A Fan Favourite Duo
Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson didn’t just perform on track; they performed on our ‘for you pages’ as well! Through viral TikTok trends, behind-the-scenes moments, and unhinged humor, the Visa CashApp RB drivers showed fans a more relatable side of Formula One. Whether it was playful games or trend-hopping videos, their content helped connect the sport with its growing online fanbase.
4. F1: The Movie
In June 2025, Formula One branched past the physical track and into Hollywood, with F1: The Movie gracing the silver screens. Starring Brad Pitt, the film follows APX GP driver Sonny Hayes as he attempts to save his team, work alongside an ambitious rookie, and prove he’s the best (and fastest) in the world.
What made this film exciting for fans was the cameos of the Formula One drivers we know and love, with almost the whole grid being in the film. This drew fans into cinemas for weeks, helping the movie become a box office hit!
Promotional poster for F1 (2025)
5. Charles Leclerc Puts A Ring On It
Charles Leclerc may not have won on track this season, but he certainly was scoring off track! On November 2nd 2025, Charles Leclerc and girlfriend Alexandra Saint Mleux announced their engagement. The two posted pictures of their engagement on their socials, with rose petals, candles and a dog collar for their dog, Leo, with a tag saying ‘Dad wants to marry you!’
With this, Charles undoubtedly reminds us that some victories are much sweeter beyond the chequered flag.
Charles Leclerc and Alexandra Saint Mleux’s engagement pictures
AND… YOU’VE REACHED THE CHEQUERED FLAG
Congratulations! You’re fully informed on all things Formula One from the past year, and I can confidently say you’re ready for the year to come. With this in mind, we shall hold hands and manifest more silly rookie moments, exhilarating on-track battles, off-track drama and (hopefully) some Ferrari wins. See you on the grid!
Written By: Ashley
Edited By: Sherman Yap
