2025, Another Season Becomes History.

The 2025 Formula One season will be remembered as a year of papaya dominance, phenomenal newcomers, and a nail-biting, three-way championship fight that went down to the final laps. It was a spectacular 75th anniversary season for Formula One.

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The season kicked off in a very wet Australia, where McLaren immediately announced their title intentions. Lando Norris took the first victory, setting the tone for an incredible year. The team’s momentum continued with Oscar Piastri taking the next two wins, in what would position him as the betting favorite for most of the year. It was clear early McLaren had picked up where they left off and was the fastest car on the grid. At one point Lando was heard onradio asking, "Are we even using the right-side wing mirror? I haven't seen anyone there all race."

​Amidst this, the highly anticipated rookie class began to turn heads. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, filling the seat of the winningest driver in history, at Mercedes showed early promise, while Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls consistently impressed with strong points finishes against much more experienced rivals, despite his slippery season opener. These two topped the rookie class and showed they belong with the veterans and will continue to compete for top spots.

​Red Bull showed it was struggled to match the McLarens’ pace, but Max being Max he continuedto find ways to win, keeping himself within striking distance of keeping his fifth title run alive. The championship battle truly intensified through the early summer European rounds. At the Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell delivered Mercedes' first win of the season, a crucial victory that highlighted the team's steady progress and brought their rookie, Antonelli, his first-ever podium finish, signaling the young driver's arrival.

​However, the defining moment of the mid-season came shortly after the British Grand Prix in early July. Following a stretch of underperformance for the Red Bull team and the previous the "demotion" of rookie driver Liam Lawson, the team's leadership would see a dramatic overhaul. On July 9th, a sensational announcement confirmed that CEO and Team Principal Christian Horner had been released from his operational duties with immediate effect. Laurent Mekies was immediately appointed to replace him, a change that sent shockwaves through the paddock and created significant uncertainty around the future of the once dominant team.

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Despite the turmoil at Red Bull, McLaren maintained their dominance through Austria, Belgium, and Hungary, with both Norris and Piastri trading victories and consolidating a significant eventual insurmountable lead in the Constructors' Championship.

A late season Max Verstappen found renewed pace, capturing victories at Monza and Baku, and remindingthe world he cant be counted out just yet. The consistent points haul from Norris and Piastri, however, proved too much for the competition. The Constructors' Championship was mathematically clinched by McLaren at the Singapore Grand Prix in early October, securing their second consecutive title. This achievement, remarkably, still left the Drivers’ Championship wide open, setting the stage for one of the closest conclusions in F1 history. In a tense season finale, Max Verstappen won the race from pole, but Norris, controlled his pace, and finished third behind his teammate Piastri. This result was just enough. Lando Norris secured his first World Drivers' Championship by a tiny final margin of just two points over Verstappen.

Now that we have seen the final curtain fall what do we, the audience, take away with us? We saw one of the most competitive race seasons since the infamous events of the 2021 season. While the constructors title was cemented from the early races, the fans were treated to divers battle that remained competitive until the final laps. There were off track antics that the Netflix producers couldn't have written better if they tried. This season marks the end of a technical era as well. The V6 Hybrids are gone. DRS is history. Next year's cars will focus on power plants and electric battery deployment. 2026 so far promises the unknown. There are new teams new engine providers, all new cars. Will we see another battle to the last checkered flag? One can only hope.

Hopefully in a few months time, when the 2025 season hits Drive to Survive we will look back fondly.