F1 2025 preview: How to watch, schedule, teams, drivers, title favorites
After a thrilling finish to the 2024 world championship season, Formula 1 is back in action starting this weekend in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix.
Last season, Red Bull's Max Verstappen built a big lead to open the year and held on to win his fourth consecutive world championship. But steady improvement from McLaren earned the team its first constructors' championship since 1999.
Six different drivers won the final eight races of 2024. Another year of similar regulations should mean close competition for race wins once again. Teams will be balancing trying to win this year and preparing for sweeping changes next year, adding another layer of intrigue.
The 2025 Formula 1 grid will feature many familiar faces in new places as well as new talents entering the sport. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's made his much-anticipated move to Ferrari and Mercedes has signed rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli to take his place in 2025. Fellow rookies include Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) while Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Jack Doohan (Alpine) will be in full-time roles for the first time.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 Formula 1 season:
Formula 1 2025 title favorites
It was a close battle between drivers at Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren for wins at the end of last season. It often came down to track-specific characteristics to tip the balance of power to one team or another.
After three days of testing ahead of the first race this season, it looks like McLaren is the car to beat at the top. Mercedes and Ferrari were very close in the battle for second-fastest in testing followed by Red Bull.
Lando Norris is the title favorite considering McLaren's status as reigning constructors champions and pre-season testing performance. But Verstappen, Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Hamilton and Mercedes' George Russell could all be in the fight at the front. Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri will likely be in contention for wins as well.
There's also a mid-season wrinkle that could change up the order. Formula 1 will be cracking down on flexible wings starting at the eighth race of the season in Spain. McLaren made the most of their flexible wings in 2024 and that change may bring them closer to the rest of the frontrunners.
It's shaping up to be a thrilling season as multiple drivers have realistic shots at winning a world championship.
Formula 1 2025 odds
Here's how the odds shape up for the 2025 driver's championship, per BetMGM:
- Lando Norris (+160)
- Max Verstappen (+333)
- Charles Leclerc (+450)
- Lewis Hamilton (+550)
- Oscar Piastri (+700)
- George Russell (+1400)
- Kimi Antonelli (+6600)
- Liam Lawson (+6600)
- Fernando Alonso (+10000)
- Carlos Sainz (+10000)
- Pierre Gasly (+15000)
- Alex Albon (+15000)
- Yuki Tsunoda (+50000)
- Esteban Ocon (+50000)
- Oliver Bearman (+100000)
- Isack Hadjar (+150000)
- Jack Doohan (+200000)
- Nico Hulkenberg (+200000)
- Lance Stroll (+200000)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (+200000)
Formula 1 2025 teams and drivers
Eight of 10 teams start 2025 with a different lineup than they did in 2024. Only McLaren and Aston Martin have retained their starting duo. Here's the full grid, in constructors' championship order from last year:
McLaren
- Lando Norris, Great Britain, No. 4
- Oscar Piastri, Australia, No. 81
Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, No. 44
- Charles Leclerc, Monaco, No. 16
Red Bull
- Liam Lawson, New Zealand, No. 30
- Max Verstappen, Netherlands, No. 1
Mercedes
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Italy, No. 12*
- George Russell, Great Britain, No. 63
Aston Martin
- Fernando Alonso, Spain, No. 14
- Lance Stroll, Canada, No. 18
Alpine
- Jack Doohan, Australia, No. 7
- Pierre Gasly, France, No. 10
Haas
- Oliver Bearman, Great Britain, No. 87
- Esteban Ocon, France, No. 31
Racing Bulls
- Isack Hadjar, France, No. 6*
- Yuki Tsunoda, Japan, No. 22
Williams
- Alexander Albon, Thailand, No. 23
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Spain, No. 55
Sauber
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Brazil, No. 5*
- Nico Hulkenberg, Germany, No. 27
*=denotes drivers with zero career Formula 1 races entering 2025.
Formula 1 2025 schedule, how to watch
ESPN will be the home of Formula 1 in the U.S. in 2025 and race weekends will be broadcast across the Disney family of channels, including ESPN, ABC and ESPN2. You can also stream the action from the 2025 world championship season on Fubo, F1TV and ESPN+ in the U.S.
Here's the season schedule:
- Australian Grand Prix: March 14-16
- Chinese Grand Prix: March 21-23
- Japanese Grand Prix: April 4-6
- Bahrain Grand Prix: April 11-13
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: April 18-20
- Miami Grand Prix: May 2-4
- Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: May 16-18
- Monaco Grand Prix: May 23-25
- Spanish Grand Prix: May 30-June 1
- Canadian Grand Prix: June 13-15
- Austrian Grand Prix: June 27-29
- British Grand Prix: July 4-6
- Belgian Grand Prix: July 25-27
- Hungarian Grand Prix: Aug. 1-3
- Dutch Grand Prix: Aug. 29-31
- Italian Grand Prix: Sept. 5-7
- Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Sept. 19-21
- Singapore Grand Prix: Oct. 3-5
- United States Grand Prix: Oct. 17-19
- Mexico City Grand Prix: Oct. 24-26
- Sao Paolo Grand Prix: Nov. 7-9
- Las Vegas Grand Prix: Nov. 20-22
- Qatar Grand Prix: Nov. 28-30
- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Dec. 5-7
Stream the 2025 Formula 1 season on Fubo
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