Review of the Miami Grand Prix Part 1

Could we see a teenager win the world championship this year? Mercedes Kimi Antonelli has continued to build on his reputation in Formula 1 after winning his third Grand Prix in a row. Antonelli has been on pole in all three of these races.

Antonelli has thrived in most aspects of F1, but one area he has struggled with is his slow start to races. In multiple races this year Antonelli has lost positions on the opening lap. This included the sprint race at Miami. Antonelli started the race in second but was down to sixth by the second lap.

In the race, Antonelli was able to keep the damage to a minimum only losing one spot to Ferrari’s Charlies Leclerc. He would get passed early in the race by McLaren’s Lando Norris who would also pass Leclerc to lead the race. Antonelli would take second from the Ferrari driver.

Mercedes decided to bring in Antonelli for a pit stop before Norris. This would be a masterstroke as when Norris completed his pit stop he would come out at the same time as Antonelli and the Mercedes driver was able to pass him. Antonelli did complain about issues with his gear box over the radio but he was able to hold the lead for the rest of the race.

Another positive note for Antonelli was that McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all did upgrades to their cars for this race. Mercedes decided to wait to complete their upgrades before the Canadian Grand Prix in three weeks. This will give him more confidence going into the next race.

Antonelli now leads the world championship by 20 points over teammate George Russell. Russell couldn’t reach the same heights as his teammate in Miami. He finished the sprint race in fourth position and qualified for the race in fifth. In the race he wasn’t in contention to win the race or make the podium. On the final lap of the race Russell battled with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for fifth. The two drivers collided causing damage to Russell’s front wing. Russell was able to pass Verstappen and Leclerc who had spun around finishing in fourth. The Mercedes driver’s front wing was scraping on the ground as he passed the chequed flag.

Frustrating weekend for the number 1 driver at Red Bull. Max Verstappen would have been optimistic leaving the track on Saturday night. Top five finish in the sprint race and second in qualifying, only 0.166 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli. Disaster hit when his car spun around on the opening lap and lost seven places on the grid. One positive Verstappen’s car didn’t hit the wall or get significant damage from another car.

When the safety car was deployed on the seventh lap due to Isack Hadjar’s crash and the Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson incident, Red Bull decided to bring Verstappen in for a pit stop and put the car on the hard tyre. Most of the teams would pit half way through the race. Verstappen would move his way through the grid with passing and when the other drivers had their pit stops. He would take the lead but was quickly passed by Norris and Antonelli.

As Verstappen’s tyres were getting worn out, losing grip and performance, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Leclerc and Russell all had fresher tyres and would pass him. He would reclaim fifth from Leclerc when he spun out and finish in fifth.

After the race, Verstappen would receive a five second penalty for crossing the pit exit line. He would have been knocked to sixth but Leclerc received a 20 second penalty for repeatedly leaving the circuit on the final lap.

During an interview after the race, Verstappen spoke about the team’s pit stop strategy.

“We opted to go early onto the hard compound and I think now in hindsight after the race, it was probably a bit too long” he said.

Verstappen achieved 14 points in Miami, he received only 12 for the three race weekends of the season.

Preview of the Miami Grand Prix Part 2

The weather could become a big factor at Miami this weekend. Friday and Saturday will be sunny and blue skies for practice, the sprint race and qualifying but it becomes complicated for the race on Sunday. Heavy rain with a chance of thunderstorms predicted to hit around the start of the race at 16.00 local time.

Under US law an outdoor event will need to be halted if there are thunderstorms close by. It also states that an event cannot restart until there isn’t a clap of thunder for 30 minutes. An FIA spokesperson discussed the weather situation with F1 website RacingNews365.

“We have a contingency plan in place and will activate it if needed to minimise disruption to the on-track programme.”

This contingency could include moving the race to earlier in the day.

There has been a rule change with the boost button banned during wet sessions. The boost button is a button on the steering wheel when pushed will give the car extra power.

The difficulties of the second driver at Red Bull. Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon are all great drivers. All apart from Tsunoda are on the grid for 2026 but all struggled during their time at Red Bull Racing. In 2026 Frenchman Isack Hadjar was given the position after impressing at Racing Bulls in 2025.

At the first weekend in Melbourne Hadjar impressed with qualifying in third but had to retire the car during the race due to a power unit issue. The struggle continued in the next two races. Out of the points during the sprint race in China and during the race itself he finished in eighth. In Japan he started the race in eighth but was down to 11th by the end of the third lap. Hadjar pitted before the safety car which cost him two more positions. He would finish the race in 12th unable to pass the cars ahead. Hadjar has four points in the drivers championship. The Red Bull has struggled for performance with his teammate Max Verstappen only four points ahead of him in the championship and Red Bull well of the pace in the constructors championship.

Can Ferrari be a contender in Miami? There has been a lot to like about the start of the season for the team from Maranello. Ferrari’s start to races has been impressive. We first saw signs of this during testing in Bahrain. At the end of each testing session the drivers would practice their starts. Ferrari were the clear standout speeding passed the other cars down the straight. We saw it in full flight in the first race in Melbourne . Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc began the race in fourth and at the end of the first corner he was first. His teammate Lewis Hamilton started in sixth and was third after lap one. This happened again in China with the two Ferrari’s starting in third and fourth, Hamilton was in the lead after they finished the first lap.

It hasn’t just been their starts with one Ferrari on the podium for each of the races. Leclerc at Australia and Japan and Hamilton in China, both the cars were on the podium in the sprint race. in China. The Mercedes have been the standout but have been signs that Ferrari are close. At the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, Leclerc battled with Mercedes George Russell for the final spot on the podium. Leclerc was able to perform a brilliant passing move and hold him off for the rest of the race.

After the Japanese Grand Prix Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseaur spoke to the F1 Media about what he believes they need to improve on.

“We know we have a deficit in terms of straight line performance and we will work on that over the next weeks.”

Ferrari sit second in the constructors championship 45 points behind Mercedes.

Preview of the Miami Grand Prix

After five long weeks the Formula 1 is officially back this week. After races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the middle east this will be the first race since the Japanese Grand Prix. There will be so many questions as the cars hit the Miami streets for the first time on Friday.

Is Kimi Antonelli a genuine championship contender? As the teams began packing up their garages at the end of Australian Grand Prix it was clear that Mercedes were the front runner and their driver George Russell was the championship favourite. Russell dominated qualifying and apart from the first 15 laps controlled the race.

Since the Australian Grand Prix it has been Russell’s team mate at Mercedes Kimi Anonelli who has dominated, winning in China and Japan. Antonelli is only 19 and in his second year in Formula 1 but has proven that he is ready to take the next step. In China he qualified at the top of the grid but after losing it to Russell on the opening lap of the race he retook it on the second and wasn’t challenged for the rest of the race. He became the youngest ever Formula 1 winner.

In Japan Antonelli qualified first but slipped down to sixth after the first lap. Antonelli was fortunate though as all the drivers ahead of him on the track including Russel had pitted before Haas’s Ollie Bearman crashed causing a safety car. Antonelli was able to pit during the safety car and came into the lead. The Italian driver wasn’t challenged for the rest of the race, winning his second in a row.

Russell on the other hand had a battle for third with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The two drivers battled back and forth before Leclerc performed a brilliant move on Russell claiming third. Russell displayed his displeasure of our pit stop situation on the team radio saying “unbelievable”.

Antonelli leads the championship by nine points over Russell. Antonelli is the youngest world championship leader.

Will McLaren continue to rise at Miami? The first two races were difficult to say the least for McLaren. Home town hero Oscar Piastri crashed his car in Melbourne, breaking the hearts of the massive crowd around the track. Cold tyres, hitting the curb and more power than he expected were the cause of the accident. At China, both Piastri and his team mate Lando Norris were unable to start the race due to electrical issues but the cars had separate electrical issues.

At the Suzuka circuit, McLaren demonstrated they were getting in control of their electrical issues with Piastri and Norris qualifying third and fifth respectively. On the opening lap Piastri was able to pass Antonelli and Russell to take the lead. He was able to hold onto the lead until the safety car with Antonelli taking the lead. As the safety came in and racing resumed Piastri was unable to keep up with the speed of the Mercedes but would complete the race in second. Norris started the race and finished in fifth.

McLaren sit in third in the championship with 46 points, 28 points ahead of Haas in fourth.

Where to from here for Red Bull and Max Verstappen? Throughout the first three races weekends of the season it would be hard to find positives for Max Verstappen. It started with the first Saturday of the season with qualifying. In Q1 Verstappen crashed out and start the race at the back of the grid. He was able to get the car up to sixth but was unable to match the pace of Norris in the battle for fifth.

China was a complete disaster for the Red Bull driver, out of the points in the sprint race and in the race he had to retire with cooling issues. In Japan he finished the race in eighth, he had a battle with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly for seventh but was unable to pass him. Verstappen only has 12 points for the season already 60 points behind championship leader Antonelli.

Verstappen is not impressed by the new configurations of the cars in 2026 with 50/50 split between electrical combustion and internal combustion. After the Chinese Grand Prix Verstappen said during a press conference he doesn’t enjoy driving the cars and the racing between the cars.

“If someone likes this, then you really don’t know what racing is about, it’s not fun at all. This is not Mario Kart, it’s not racing.”

Vertappen has continued with this view in most of his press conferences. This has now caused speculation about his future in the sport.

“I mean I really don’t want to leave, I wish had more fun for sure but I’m also doing other stuff that is a lot more fun.”

“It’s conflicting, I don’t really enjoy driving the car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team” he said during an interview.

There will be more change for Verstappen with his race engineer at Red Bull Gianpiero Lambiase will be leaving for McLaren in 2028. Lambiase has been Verstappen’s race engineer since 2016 when Verstappen joined Red Bull. They have won four world championships together.

Verstappen is contracted until the end of 2028 but F1 website The Race is reporting that there are clauses in his contract that state that Verstappen must be in the top two by the summer break. Verstappen is 51 points behind second place.

F1 Australian Grand Prix 2025 Review Part 1

We are finally back! After testing in Barcelona and two weeks of testing in Bahrain we are back racing and what a weekend it was. Heartbreak, excitement, disappointment and so much discussion about those new cars.

The Heartbreak of a nation As 137,000 F1 fans were getting drinks and food 20 minutes before the start of the grand prix, Australia’s own Oscar Piastri lost control of his car and crashed it into the wall. He was driving it to the grid. All the hope and excitement of the nation down under was over before the race had begun. From the footage Piastri had hit the curve and then lost control of the car. Piastri spoke to the F1 media about the incident after the race and difficulties of these new cars.

”Unfortunately a combination of factors, including cold tyres, being up on that curb, and then having more power than in Quali [qualifying]”.

There were positives to come out of the weekend with Piastri qualifying ahead of his teammate Lando Norris. Piastri was also at the top of the second practice session.

Brilliant weekend of the Silver Arrow. At the last race of the 2025 season Abu Dubai as Lando Norris celebrated his first world championship all the talk in the paddock was Mercedes would be hard to beat in 2026. After two weeks of testing in Bahrain it appeared that prediction could be wrong as Red Bull, McClaren, Ferrari were all in the mix to compete with the Mercedes.

Halfway through qualifying everyone in F1 knew those predictions were exactly right. Mercedes would be the one to beat at the beginning of the season. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolf looked at the camera with the biggest smirk on his face, he knew he had a fast car. His drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli qualified in one and two respectively and this is where they would finish the race. They didn’t have it all their own way with Russell battling with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the lead over the first twelve laps. The two drivers continued to overtake each other before the first safety vertical safety car. Mercedes decided to pit Russell with Ferrari keeping Leclerc out. After the vertical safety car Russell wasn’t challenged for the win. After the race Russell spoke about the race win with the F1 media.

”This wasn’t a straight forward afternoon, but this win feels very sweet! Congratulations to the whole team; they’ve done an incredible job and this victory is for them.”

Kimi Antonelli’s Saturday started in despair with crashing during the final practice session. The only reason Antonelli made it into qualifying was because Red Bull’s Max Verstappen crashed and the qualifying session was red flagged. This gave the Mercedes mechanics enough time to finish fixing the car and getting him out in Q1.

Antonelli started the race in second but was down to seventh after the first lap. He worked his way through the cars ahead and finished the race in second.

”Coming to the grid, I had a lower battery level so the start was very stressful! We obviously made a slow launch but from there our recovery was good and our pace was strong” he said.

The new regualtions for the 2026 F1 Season

With new configurations comes the unknown and excitement. There is a revolution happening in Formula 1 with new regulations for the 2026 season. Let’s start with the basics, the cars will be shorter, narrower, lighter and they will sound different.

Underneath the car the floor will be flatter, the diffusers will be extended and have a wider opening. The diffuser is at the back of the car and is underneath the rear wing and in-between the two back tyres. In doing this there will be less downforce on the car. In having these new configurations on the car, drivers with different driving styles will have more confidence in driving these cars. At Red Bull Max Verstappen has been a master at driving the Red Bull but Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda have all struggled. These new rules will assist that.

The front and rear wings will be different for 2026 too. There will no longer be rear beam wing. The rear beam wing was a small wing underneath the main wing at the back of the car. It was designed to push the dirty air over the car behind them and make it easier for the car behind to follow and pass. There will also be fewer elements on the front wing too.

The wings will stay shut during the corner which will give extra grip but the designated straights around the track the drivers will be able to open the flaps and flatten the the wings. This will add speed to the cars. This is called Active Aero.

There is also Overtake Mode. When the car is within a second of the car in front, they deploy extra power in assisting to overtake.

On each steering wheel there will be a boost button. When the button is pushed, combined power from the engine and the battery will give them maximum power. It can be deployed around the track and used in attacking and defending cars from behind. The battery it will need to be charged and this is completed through breaking and the driver lifting their foot off the accelerator. This is known as the Energy Recovery System.

F1 Saudi Arabia Qualifying Review Part 1

Verstappen back on top in Qualifying After struggling throughout last weekend’s race in Bahrain, Bed Bull’s Max Verstappen demonstrated that he is a genuine contender here in Saudi. After finishing sixth in Bahrain Verstappen will start tomorrow’s race in pole position. Verstappen finished fastest in each part of qualifying.

During his press conference after qualifying Verstappen spoke about his result.

“I definitely didn’t expect to be on pole her after FP3 as well and looking at whole weekend was. But yeah, the car came alive in the night. We made some changes and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive. “

“I think tomorrow in the race it will be tough to keep them behind, but where going to give it a good go.”

All four races this season have been won by the driver on pole position.

Piastri the biggest threat? McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is one of the in formed driver in Formula 1. He has won two of the last three races in China and Bahrain and finished third in Japan. Throughout the race in Japan he was quicker than his teammate Lando Norris who finished in second. He continued that fine form in qualifying putting the car on the front row.

In an interview after qualifying Piastri spoke about his chances in the race.

“I’m feeling confident in what we’ve got. There’s a lot of DRS zones around here which is a nice difference to Suzuka. So yeah, let’s see if we can make some progress.”

Piastri sits in second position in the championship three points behind Norris.

Norris has it all to to do in the race tomorrow. McLaren’s Lando Norris leads the world championship but it hasn’t all gone to plan for the Englishman. In the last race in Bahrain Norris only qualified his car in sixth and had difficulties throughout the race but finished on the podium after passing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the final laps.

Here in Saudi Arabia Norris was impressive in the three free practice sessions, finishing quickest in two of the three. It all came undone for Norris in Q3 (third part of qualifying) when he hit the kerb on the exit to turn 4, crashing into the barrier on the opposite side of the track. Norris hadn’t recorded a time in Q3 before his crash and will start the race in tenth.

Speaking with F1.com after qualifying Norris said he was disappointed but determined for the race tomorrow.

“It’s been such a smooth, positive weekend so far, so we’re disappointed to have such a big setback but I’ve got to take it on the chin. I apoligised to the team, to my mechanics and the engineers and try and go again tomorrow.”

Russel continues his impressive form. Mercedes’s George Russell has been underrated in the F1 garage in 2025. Norris, Piastri and Verstappen have been getting the plaudits this season but the British driver has been consistent in the first four races. He has finished on the podium in three of the races and sits in fourth in the championship, only 14 points behind Norris who leads the championship. He qualified for tomorrow’s race in third position.

F1 Japanese Grand Prix Review Part 1

A very dull race Some of the greatest moments in Formula 1 history has happened at the Suzuka race track in Japan including the Prost vs Senna battles of the late 80s and early 90s. The 2025 race will not be added to this list. Apart from almost collision with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris as they came out of the pit lane, there was nothing of real excitement on the track. 11 drivers finished in the same position as they started the race. There was only 15 overtakes during the race and most of these happened at the back of the grid.

Impressive weekend for the world champion The first two races of the season in Australia and China were all about the two McLarens but Verstappen displayed at Suzuka he is well and truly in this World Championship fight. On Saturday in qualified the car at the front of the grid, 0.012 seconds ahead of Norris and on Sunday he wasn’t challenged by either Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri. Verstappen is the first driver to win four consecutive Japanese Grand Prix.

After the race, Principal of Red Bull Racing Christian Horner spoke with F1 Sky Sports about Verstappen’s performance.

“Max, without any doubt, is the best driver in the world currently.”

Verstappen is second in the world championship, only one point behind Norris.

Still big issues at Red Bull The excitement of Verstappen’s weekend couldn’t hide the continued disappointment with the second drivers seat at Red Bull. The second seat at Red Bull has been the biggest talking point in F1 season. Liam Lawson was to partner Verstappen for the 2025 season but after only two races Red Bull announced that Racing Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda would replace Lawson at Red Bull and Lawson would drive for Racing Bull.

Lawson’s struggled to make an impression at both Australia and China scoring no points. In China Lawson qualified for both the sprint race and race in last position and finished the race in 15.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner spoke about the reasons behind the swap.

“We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience.”

In qualifying, both drivers were knocked out in Q2 with Lawson finishing one position above Tsunoda in 14. They both moved up one position on the starting grid with William’s Carlos Sainz given a three grid penalty. During the race Tsunoda was able to climb up two positions which should be seen as a good result when over half the drivers finished in the same position as they started but for Red Bull it was still two positions out of the points. In the constructors championship Red Bull sit in third in the constructors championship with 61 points, Verstappen has all of them.

Lawson had a race to forget, finishing in 17. Lawson spoke with the F1.com after the race.

“It’s been a pretty crazy few weeks and months, I just want to get back into the groove and get racing. We get to go again next week with a new style of track, so we’ll keep chipping away.”

F1 China Qualifying Review

Questions are already being asked about Lawson’s position at Red Bull We are only at the second weekend of the 2025 Formula 1 season and the pressure is squarely on Red Bull driver Liam Lawson. Lawson was chosen to partner Max Verstappen over Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull. Yet he has struggled in the role so far, crashing out in the rain in Melbourne and this weekend he qualified last in the sprint and last for the race today. In the sprint he finished in 14, six places outside the points. Verstappen on the other hand has finished on the podium at Melbourne and the sprint race in China. He qualified fourth for the race today.

After qualifying Lawson spoke with Sky Sports F1 on his performance on the track.

“Unfortunately, I don’t really have time but it’s just one of those things. To drive a Formula 1 car, it takes 100% confidence in what you’re doing. It’s not that I don’t feel confident, the window is just so small.”

What will see from Oliver Beaman in Shanghai? There were high expectations for Haas’s Oliver Beaman in 2025 after scoring points in his first two races of his career last season but his race in Melbourne was nothing short of a disaster. Before the race he only drove 12 laps of Albert Park, crashing out twice and missing qualifying completely. He finished the race in 14, last of the drivers to complete the race.

In the sprint he qualified in 12 but would lose three positions throughout the race and finish in 15. There was one positive he did finish one spot ahead of his teammate Esteban Ocon in 16. He qualified in 17 for the race and will be hoping to climb up the grid throughout the race.

After the disappointment of Melbourne Hadjar shines in qualifying. Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar was about to start his first race of his Formula 1 in Melbourne when he crashed out on the warm up lap. Even with his helmet on, Hadjar’s heartbreak was there for all to see. He was comforted by Anthony Hamilton, father of Lewis as he was walked back to the pitlane. the most heartwarming moment of the weekend. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko didn’t see it this way and said the whole incident “was a bit embarrassing”.

One weekend is a long time in Formula 1 and Hadjar displayed his resilience on Saturday in China qualifying in seven for the race, two positions ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Hadjar spoke with the F1 website about his qualifying result.

“I made a mistake and today I didn’t, so I finished the job, it’s a satisfying one.”

F1 Live 2025 Review

To celebrate the 75 years of Formula 1 a two hour extravaganza was held at London’s O2 Arena. Each team was introduced to the crowd with the new liveries of the cars. There was also live performances from American rockstar mgk and British pop band Take That. Here are the biggest talking points.

What does Livery mean? Livery has been the most frequently said word in F1 in the last week. Lets discuss what it means before we go any further. The livery is the design and colour scheme of each of the cars. For example Ferrari’s livery has always been red.

No in-depth conversations from the drivers or teams. If you wanted detailed discussions from the drivers about the season ahead you had come to the wrong place. Most drivers and team principals were given just one questions and those answers weren’t too expansive or long.

Alpine Team Principal Oliver Oakes was asked what they need to do to improve on position six in the constructors championship. He simply replied “I guess we just need to rise higher”.

The night belonged to one man in red. There are four British men on the F1 grid in 2025 but it was clear in the London stadium that Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was the favourite. A massive roar echoed out when the seven time world champions name was mentioned or face appeared on the big screen.

The same cannot be said for the Red Bull Racing team. When the Red Bull Racing team head to Silverstone later in the season they won’t be expecting a positive reaction. Each time driver Max Verstappen or Team Principal Christian Horner appeared on the big screen a loud boo was heard. Later in the evening when Horner tried to introduce his drivers Verstappen and Liam Lawson to the crowd he was booed throughout his speech. Red Bull drivers were the only drivers not interviewed after there introduction.

Best Introductions of the night. Before the drivers and car came out each team conducted their own introduction through videos on the big screen, props and musicians. The best of the night was Aston Martin whose theme was James Bond. It began with a James Bond style video which could have been out of the Bond movie “the world is not enough”.

Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll walked down the arena stairs in suits with their helmets on with Bond theme playing overhead. A video appeared on the screen about the history of the Aston Matin before Nigerian singer song writer Tems performed her single “higher” with violinists. Aston Martin’s Team Principal and CEO Andy Cowell and drivers came out onto the stage.

Honorary mention to the Kick Sauber team who had drummers lining both sides of the stage as the car and team came out.

Best Liveries for 2025 Alpine and Racing Bulls were the two teams that liveries that stood out the most. Racing Bulls who was formally known as RB last season replaced the majority of blue on their car last season to white and it looks fantastic with the white standing out. The pink and blue of the Alpine team works well together and will look great out on the race track.

The Attention now turns Bahrain. After the excitement of the live event in London the 20 drivers head to Bahrain for three days of testing starting on Wednesday. The first race of the season will be held in Melbourne Australian on 16 March.

Biggest talking points ahead of the 2025 season Part 2

Will the real Alpine please stand up? The start of the 2024 season was nothing short of a disaster. In the first four races of the season they didn’t record a single point. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly highest position was 13 and Esteban Ocon’s highest was 15. Technical director Matt Harman and head aerodynamics Dirk De Beer resigned after the Bahrain Grand Prix, the second race of the season.

At the Monaco Grand Prix in May Gasly and Ocon collided with Ocon clearly being an fault. Ocon had to retire but Gasly was able to recover from the collision and finish the car in tenth. In July it was announced that Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin would leave his role and be involved in a different position in the Renault Group. Oliver Oakes was announced as the new Team Principal. Oakes is the third team principal at Alpine in 18 months.

There were positives to come out of the year. The biggest being the Sao Paolo Grand Prix with both drivers getting on the podium in the wet at Brazil. Gasly finished in the top four of the fives including top 5 on the streets of Las Vegas. He would finish in the top 10 in the drivers championship.

Gasly’s teammate Ocon had an indifferent year. Apart from his podium finish at Sao Paolo, Ocon only finished in the points in four races and was beaten by 19 points by Gasly in the drivers championship. In July, Haas announced that Ocon had signed a multi year contract with the team. Ocon was replaced by Australian Jack Doohan for the final race of the season.

Alpine announced that Doohan would partner Gasly at Alpine for the 2025 season and Argentinian Franco Colapinto would be the reserve driver. Colapinto replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams for the last nine races of the season. At First Colapinto impressed at Williams finishing in the top 10 in two of the first four races and just outside the points in the other two. There was speculation he could be the second driver at Red Bull.

Colapinto was unable to continue his fine form and wouldn’t finish in the points again. He crashed in multiple race weekends and didn’t finish three of the last five races.