Lewis Hamilton prepares for his Ferrari debut as the 2025 Formula 1 season begins in Melbourne this week at the Australian Grand Prix.
After making the blockbuster move from Mercedes to partner up with Charles Leclerc, the Scuderia will hope to dethrone Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with the Dutch driver bidding for a fifth successive F1 crown.
After the official three-day pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, excitement builds around McLaren, with Lando Norris and this week’s home favourite Oscar Piastri moving into title contention.
While George Russell now leads the Silver Arrows with Kimi Antonelli among an exciting crop of rookie drivers with Briton Ollie Bearman.
Follow all the latest F1 news with The Independent as we count down to the Grand Prix during race week.
Read More
Formula One news LIVE
- F1 returns for 2025 season at Australian Grand Prix on Sunday
- Lewis Hamilton poised for Ferrari debut after making switch following 11 years with Mercedes
- Lando Norris starts 2025 campaign as favourite for Drivers' Championship
- Four-time defending champion Max Verstappen predicted to struggle in Red Bull
- Hamilton’s Verstappen promise revealed ahead of Australian Grand Prix
‘No love lost’ between George Russell and Max Verstappen as last season’s feud rumbles on
12:56
,
Flo Clifford
The dispute between four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell shows no sign of abating as the new season gets underway.
The pair memorably clashed after the Qatar Grand Prix last season, when Verstappen, the eventual winner, was penalised for impeding the Brit.
Russell claimed that afterwards Verstappen threatened to "purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and 'put me on my head in the wall'", while his Dutch counterpart said he had “lost all respect” for the Mercedes driver.
Who is Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli?
12:30
,
Kieran Jackson
It was the big question last year – who would be capable of replacing seven-time world champion and Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes?
Carlos Sainz? No. Fernando Alonso? No. Instead, Toto Wolff has turned to Mercedes’ hottest academy product, with a staggeringly impressive junior résumé.
Kimi Antonelli – who ironically hails from Bologna, close to Ferrari’s Maranello HQ – joined Mercedes’ junior programme at the age of 11 and quickly rose to prominence as he steamrolled to success in karting and junior single-seaters.
He won the European Karting Championship in 2020 and 2021, Italian F4 in 2022 and Formula Regional championships in Europe and the Middle East in 2023. As such, he skipped F3 to race in F2 last year for Prema, finishing an impressive sixth for a team whose car did not reach the heights expected.
As last year developed, it soon became clear that Antonelli was the man (or should I say, teenager) Wolff had plumped for. There was an initial setback: a day before his promotion was confirmed, Antonelli crashed in his first F1 practice session at Monza, spinning into the wall at Tamburello corner.
Ferrari’s British teen and the next Max Verstappen? Meet the six full-time rookies on the 2025 F1 grid
12:00
,
Kieran Jackson
What a difference 12 months can make.
Prior to the 2024 season, for the first time in F1 history, not one team changed their driver lineup in the off-season. It gave the look of a sport in stagnation, particularly amid Max Verstappen’s hyper-dominance, with fresh blood and intrigue nowhere to be seen.
Where was the next generation? Well, they were actually just a year behind.
This year sees six full-time rookies (classed as rookies because, despite three having race starts to their name, this is their first full-time seat in F1) enter the fray, with eight teams in total changing their driver lineup.
So ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 16 March, who are the rookies who have been thrown into the limelight at the top tier of world motorsport?
Toto Wolff makes shock Max Verstappen F1 revelation after breaking ‘promise’ to Lewis Hamilton
11:30
,
Kieran Jackson
Toto Wolff promised Lewis Hamilton he wouldn’t pursue a move for Max Verstappen while the Brit was at Mercedes, as revealed in the new season of Drive to Survive.
The Mercedes team principal, who worked with Hamilton for 12 years, spent the first half of the 2024 season looking for a replacement for the Ferrari-bound driver.
Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso were among the contenders, with Wolff eventually opting to promote teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli to partner George Russell this year.
Yet Wolff made no secret of his desire to sign Hamilton’s 2021 foe Verstappen – especially amid unrest at Red Bull at the start of last season – and details as such in season seven of Drive to Survive, released on Friday.
Who could drive for Cadillac in 2026 F1 season?
11:00
,
Kieran Jackson
After Cadillac were confirmed as Formula 1’s 11th team on the grid for the 2026 season, attention now turns to who the American team could select as their drivers.
A number of free agents could tempt Cadillac due to their experience, though, namely Valtteri Bottas or Kevin Magnussen, who has driven for fellow American outfit Haas. The flashy pick might see Cadillac turn to big names Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo, who both fell short in their efforts to retain or claim the No. 2 seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, with Liam Lawson making his debut this year.
Cadillac confirmed as 11th team on F1 grid for 2026
10:30
,
Kieran Jackson
Just over a week out from the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, F1 and the FIA have confirmed the team’s entry “met their requirements to join the existing 10 teams starting next year”.
Cadillac will also be supported by TWG Motorsports and powered by Ferrari before it develops its own engines.
The confirmation comes after F1 initially rejected the bid headed by US team Andretti, fronted by former driver Michael Andretti, son of 1978 world champion Mario Andretti. But the Andretti name is no longer part of the project, though Mario could come on board as an adviser.
Drive to Survive review: Season 7 airs with Christian Horner Red Bull scandal rehashed on Netflix
10:00
,
Kieran Jackson
Let’s start with the obvious: Christian Horner has been a dream for Drive to Survive since the show landed in 2019. The Red Bull F1 CEO has been front-and-centre of countless episodes in the past six seasons, gladly playing the role of F1’s pantomime villain, with numerous scenes filmed at his country mansion home in Oxfordshire, alongside Spice Girl wife Geri Halliwell.
Season seven is no different. The latest instalment, chronicling the 2024 season, begins with Horner at the wheel of his 4x4, locked in conversation with Geri about a record-breaking 2023 campaign, in which Red Bull won 21 out of 22 races.
Drive to Survive: The major F1 storylines Netflix missed in season 7
09:30
,
Kieran Jackson
The latest season of Drive to Survive was released on Friday as the popular docu-series tells the story of the 2024 season.
Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari featured prominently, as did the Christian Horner scandal and Max Verstappen’s title win. But what major stories from last year did Netflix miss in season 7?
Emotional Daniel Ricciardo’s reaction to F1 axe revealed: ‘Is it worth the risk?’
09:00
,
Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo’s emotional reaction to a difficult 2024 F1 season is revealed in the new season of Drive to Survive – in which the Australian questions his ability to take on the dangers of the sport.
Ricciardo was given a reprieve in F1 at Red Bull after being dropped by McLaren in 2022 and was handed a drive at the sister team RB, for the second half of the 2023 season leading into 2024.
The popular Aussie, a fan favourite on the Netflix docu-series, was eyeing Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull as he looked for a second chance at the team he raced for from 2014-2018.
Yet his performances for RB did not meet the standard required and he was dropped after race 18 of the 2024 season in Singapore, with his replacement Liam Lawson now in Perez’s seat for 2025. The Kiwi will be Max Verstappen’s teammate, billed as the hardest seat in the sport, for the forthcoming season.
Why Lando Norris knows there is ‘no excuses’ now – he has to win 2025 F1 title
08:30
,
Kieran Jackson
Taking the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi at the final race of 2024, bringing home a first constructors’ title in 26 years for McLaren, brought up mixed emotions for cheerful chappy Lando Norris.
On one hand, it was pure elation. A member of the McLaren family for eight years, this meant as much to Norris as anyone else. He described it as a “perfect” end to the season, beating Ferrari to the championship by 14 points. And he’d need no invitation; he was going to get “hammered” later that night over the border in Bahrain.
Yet in the same breath, even amid joyous papaya-clad celebrations on the pit-wall, the boy from Bristol could not help but sample that bittersweet taste. “It’s been a special year,” he said over team radio, before adding: “And next year is going to be my year, too.”
Hamilton’s Verstappen promise revealed ahead of Australian Grand Prix
08:14
,
Jamie Braidwood
Toto Wolff made a promise to Lewis Hamilton that he would not try to sign Max Verstappen while the British driver was still at Mercedes.
Wolff said on the latest series of Netflix’s Drive to Survive that he would have only moved for Verstappen after it was confirmed that Hamilton was leaving for Ferrari.
“I haven't spoken to him because I promised Lewis I wouldn't talk to him but I will have the conversation now.,” Wolff said.
Cadillac confirmed as 11th team on F1 grid for 2026
07:58
,
Jack Rathborn
Just over a week out from the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, F1 and the FIA have confirmed the team’s entry “met their requirements to join the existing 10 teams starting next year”.
A joint-statement read: “The FIA and Formula 1 can confirm that, following the completion of their respective sporting, technical and commercial assessments, the application by General Motors and TWG Motorsports to bring a Cadillac team to the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2026 has been approved.”
While Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, added: “As we said in November, the commitment by General Motors to bring a Cadillac team to Formula 1 was an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport.
“I want to thank GM and TWG for their constructive engagement over many months and look forward to welcoming the team on the grid from 2026 for what will be another exciting year for Formula 1.”
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are amicable at Ferrari for now – but it won’t last
07:46
,
Jack Rathborn
The eagle-eyed amongst the F1 ‘twitter-sphere’ on Tuesday spotted something far too endearing to ignore ahead of F1 75 Live in London. Sat next to each other in sleek black suits, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were already turned off by the preamble in The O2. As such, Leclerc whipped out his mobile phone and triggered a game of online chess between the pair. Currently, Hamilton has a one-game lead.
Nip-and-tuck already, it seems, in the quest for checkmate. This year, seven-time world champion Hamilton and Ferrari’s long-term golden boy Leclerc will be teammates at the prancing horse yet, in the same breath, will carve out every millisecond to beat the other.
Is your teammate your friend or foe? In F1 spiel, it’s more often the latter. And as Hamilton will know from his torrid qualifying record against George Russell last year (5-19), the stopwatch doesn’t lie.
Ferrari’s British teen and the next Max Verstappen? Meet the six full-time rookies on the 2025 F1 grid
Friday 7 March 2025 16:00
,
Jack Rathborn
What a difference 12 months can make.
Prior to the 2024 season, for the first time in F1 history, not one team changed their driver lineup in the off-season. It gave the look of a sport in stagnation, particularly amid Max Verstappen’s hyper-dominance, with fresh blood and intrigue nowhere to be seen.
Where was the next generation? Well, they were actually just a year behind.
This year sees six full-time rookies (classed as rookies because, despite three having race starts to their name, this is their first full-time seat in F1) enter the fray, with eight teams in total changing their driver lineup.
So ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 16 March, who are the rookies who have been thrown into the limelight at the top tier of world motorsport?
Lewis Hamilton admits racism in Serie A ‘crossed his mind’ before Ferrari F1 move
Friday 7 March 2025 16:01
,
Jack Rathborn
Lewis Hamilton has admitted that incidents of black footballers being racially abused in Italy did make him think twice when deciding to move to Ferrari this year.
The seven-time F1 world champion has switched to Ferrari after 12 years and six world titles at Mercedes. His first race in Scuderia red is at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 16 March.
Hamilton is also F1’s first and only black driver and has detailed in the past the “traumatising” racial abuse he has suffered, detailing in 2023 that he had bananas thrown at him and was repeatedly called the “n-word” at school. He was also racially abused at F1 testing in Barcelona in 2008.
Serie A footballers such as Mike Maignan and Moise Kean have been subject to racial abuse in the past and Hamilton did admit that racist chanting at Italian matches “crossed his mind” when making the decision to move to Ferrari last winter.
“I don’t want to dwell,” he told TIME, when asked about some black footballers being racially abused in Italy.
Christian Horner scandal rehashed as Drive to Survive unearths new F1 villain
07:00
,
Jack Rathborn
Let’s start with the obvious: Christian Horner has been a dream for Drive to Survive since the show landed in 2019. The Red Bull F1 CEO has been front-and-centre of countless episodes in the past six seasons, gladly playing the role of F1’s pantomime villain, with numerous scenes filmed at his country mansion home in Oxfordshire, alongside Spice Girl wife Geri Halliwell.
Season seven is no different. The latest instalment, chronicling the 2024 season, begins with Horner at the wheel of his 4x4, locked in conversation with Geri about a record-breaking 2023 campaign, in which Red Bull won 21 out of 22 races.
With an air of inevitability synonymous with Netflix’s exquisitely curated narratives, Geri strikes a warning to her husband: “You never know what life’s going to bring.” In actual fact, we all know what’s coming next.
F1 2025 season predictions: Who will win, Hamilton vs Leclerc and the biggest shock?
Friday 7 March 2025 16:02
,
Jack Rathborn
Roll up, roll up – it’s pre-season predictions time!
The 2025 F1 season has all the foundations to be one of the most action-packed in the sport’s 75-year history, with a title race set to be extremely close and Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari certain to attract even more eyeballs to the sport.
Lando Norris is the favourite, given McLaren’s constructors’ triumph last year, with four-time world champion Max Verstappen his closest contender, chasing a fifth title in a row.
There are also six new full-time rookies on the starting grid, including British teenager Ollie Bearman – who impressed on debut for Ferrari last year in Saudi Arabia – and Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes, 18-year-old Italian hotshot Kimi Antonelli.
Less than two weeks out from the season-opener in Melbourne, these are the predictions for 2025:
