From Hamilton to Ferrari, and other things to keep an eye out for in the year 2025

Max Verstappen has won four championships, and McLaren has won the constructors’ championship for the first time since 1998. The record-breaking 2024 season has come to an end, and the conclusion of the season has been announced.

It is now time to turn our attention to the 2025 season, which will mark the 75th anniversary of the Formula One World Championship. During this time, notable drivers are moving to competing teams, while intriguing newcomers are making their debuts on the grid.

The BBC Sport team takes a look at what the coming year has in store for us…Before the 2024 season had even began, the news that Lewis Hamilton had signed a multi-year deal with Ferrari was made public. As a result, the anticipation for finally seeing the seven-time world champion driving in red is at an all-time high.

Hamilton, who will turn 40 in January, is leaving Mercedes after working for the team for a total of twelve years and winning six individual titles. He will be joining Charles Leclerc at the Italian squad.Even though Sergio Perez signed a two-year contract in June to remain at Red Bull until the end of 2026, rumours and speculations about his future continued to circulate over his future.

A little over two weeks after the conclusion of the season, however, the team and Perez made the announcement that they had reached a consensus to terminate the Mexican player’s contract two years earlier than originally planned.

After competing in only 11 grand prix over the course of two seasons, New Zealander Liam Lawson will take his place. Lawson is making the transition from Red Bull’s second squad, which was referred to by the initials RB in 2024.

Isack Hadjar, a Frenchman, and Yuki Tsunoda, a Japanese driver, will be competing for the squad that will now be known as Racing Bulls.next his remarkable performance as a substitute for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia and for Kevin Magnussen twice at Haas, the team that he will be joining, Oliver Bearman will be given a full-time starting position in the next year.

In 2024, the 19-year-old driver made three appearances and scored seven points. In 2025, he will join Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Lando Norris as the fourth British driver to compete in the race.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is only 18 years old, has been selected by Mercedes to continue driving in lieu of Lewis Hamilton, who is leaving the team. Mercedes has decided to take the rookie way. Despite having just competed in Formula 2 for a single season, the Italian has been promoted.

In addition, Jack Doohan, an Australian driver who is 21 years old and the son of Mick Doohan, a five-time MotoGP world champion, will be joining the grid. Jack Doohan made his debut for Alpine at the race that concluded the season in Abu Dhabi. The twenty-year-old Gabriel Bortoleto, who won the Formula Two championship in Brazil, has been recruited by Sauber for their final season before they become Audi.

Prior to the 2025 season opener in Australia, which will take place from 14-16 March, the first time that Hamilton will be seen driving for Ferrari will be during pre-season testing in Bahrain, which will take place from February 26-28.