Here’s to a great 2025! I hope you’ve all had a fun end to last year, but if not then this is the point when we get to look forward with hope and anticipation that there will be better times ahead.
And in keeping with that theme, I always like to kick off the New Year with a set of requests. Think of it like writing a Christmas list to Santa Claus – you know a lot of it might be highly fanciful, but you might as well stick it down anyway…
A reminder to anyone who has not read one of these before, this is not a set of predictions, and certainly not intended to be insightful (although go and check out last year’s, as quite a few did end up coming true). This is just a list of topics that I wish I had the power to make come true if I was in charge of the Formula 1 world.
THE TOP TWO TEAMS ARE CLOSELY-MATCHED FROM THE START
A year ago I wanted someone to challenge Red Bull, and for the majority of the season we were lucky enough to have three different teams capable of putting up a fight – and even comfortably beating Red Bull – at specific tracks. But that dominant opening part of the year set the tone, both in terms of expectations and early interest, and also in Max Verstappen getting just a bit too far out of reach.
The way team bosses were talking by the end of the season, all of the expectation is for an absolutely epic year in 2025, with the top four teams all fighting for the title. But I’ll admit that actually leads me to worry about how disappointing it would be if the reality is different.
If one team just gets a march on the rest, even a small one, then others are potentially going to switch full focus to the 2026 regulations earlier than usual, and we won’t see the picture closing up through the year.
So my wish is that at least two teams – any two teams – are fighting it out for wins from the word go. That will not only be great to watch, but it will also prevent either one of them getting a daunting lead such as Verstappen had early on in 2024, in turn keeping the rest of the top four in touch.
HAMILTON AND FERRARI CLICK
It was probably my favorite story of 2024, and we finally get to see how the Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari partnership will play out.
It had a huge impact on the driver market chaos that followed (another wishlist item from last year – one that predicted Kimi Antonelli and Ollie Bearman stepping up!) but it also clearly affected both Hamilton and Mercedes at times, as the two sides acknowledged later in the year.
Yet despite some qualifying struggles, there were still a number of highlights and race performances when Hamilton looked to be at his best. And wouldn’t it be great if there was a lot more of that in 2025?
In fact, wouldn’t it be great if Ferrari provides Hamilton with a true title-contending car, as it did in the second half of last year for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz? 2021 was the last time he had one, and it would be huge for F1 if the seven-time world champion was in a car capable of fighting for an eighth crown.
LIAM LAWSON’S REPUTATION HOLDS UP
I’ve written in-depth about how I think Red Bull isn’t learning from the past or getting the most out of its second car, and to that end, that it risks hurting Liam Lawson by promoting him straight away rather than Yuki Tsunoda.
I don’t mind being wrong, so I either want Lawson to have a really good season and prove to be the right choice this year for Red Bull, or I want there to be enough understanding of the situation he has been put in if it doesn’t go well.
A good season in a competitive car could be a lot of fun to watch too, given his early predilection for getting his elbows out, so I guess my wishlist includes me wanting my earlier comment piece to look silly.
GEORGE RUSSELL REMAINS PUNCHY
The final media day of a 24-race season could have been a bit of a slog for the paddock in Abu Dhabi, but George Russell injected plenty of energy into it with his comments about Max Verstappen following their Qatar run-ins.
Some of it I agreed with, some perhaps less so, but all of the drivers don’t have to like each other, and in my book they’re more than welcome to talk up a rivalry.
Now, Mercedes could really do with providing a more competitive car so Russell and Verstappen have to fight it out on track more often, but I’d also like Russell to maintain his conviction into 2025 and not let the off-season turn the heat down too far.
THE GM WHEELS MOVE QUICKLY
Another one along the same lines as last year, but having 11th team approval hasn’t led to a full resolution of the situation. General Motors/Cadillac/what-was-Andretti is still waiting for its entry to officially be granted, and that leaves it on the back foot heading into 2025 when it needs to be working at full capacity.
Hopefully there’s an announcement from the FIA in a matter of weeks rather than months, and we can start getting excited about the countdown to a bigger grid in 2026.
VEGAS TO CHANGE ITS START TIME
It’s a rollover topic! I wrote it last year and I’ll write it again. Just bring the race start time a bit earlier in the evening. Make it more sensible for those in the stands, those on the East Coast, and, yes, those on the ground starting a triple-header that also takes in Qatar and Abu Dhabi at the end of such a long season.
If it’s a crucial race from a championship point of view, you’re likely to still get other audiences tuning in at strange hours, and if it’s not, the existing start time is still far from perfect for European viewers so you’re surely losing out either way.
I still don’t understand how it makes sense for anyone to have it so late, especially with how early the track now shuts for a support race too. Let’s hold it after dark, but when it’s that bit warmer, and when it suits pretty much everyone involved far better.
CARLOS SAINZ GETS AT LEAST ONE BIG RESULT
I totally get the reasoning for Ferrari taking Hamilton, but Carlos Sainz really can feel like he was the collateral damage because his performances were strong once again alongside Leclerc.
The Williams project is an exciting one, but is focused on taking advantage of the 2026 regulations and longer-term goals. There’s definitely more potential than was shown last year, but Sainz might be facing a really tough year after winning multiple races for Ferrari.
So I’d like him to get just one big high point that provides a hint of why the move could pay off over the coming years. If the 2025 car is not a competitive one, then a surprise top five or podium that provides that reminder of how strongly he was performing, and keeps motivation high ahead of the major rule change.
ALPINE GETS A REALITY TV SHOW
It really does feel like you never know what’s coming next at Alpine, and that can be from both a good and bad perspective. Amid the hirings, firings, power unit program curtailings and Flavio Briatore returnings, there was some strong progress with the car last year, and I’m still massively impressed the team pulled P6 out of all that.
But I also feel like the improvements don’t automatically mean there will be stability from now on, and I know we have Netflix and Drive to Survive but if someone could just ensure there is a camera within the darkest corners of Alpine at all times, that could prove to be TV gold.