Complete calendar with 24 races
The 2025 Formula 1 season delivered one of the most thrilling championship battles in recent history, culminating in Lando Norris claiming his maiden Drivers' Championship by just two points over Max Verstappen in a dramatic Abu Dhabi finale. McLaren achieved their first title double since 1998, adding the Drivers' crown to the Constructors' Championship they had secured with six races remaining, marking a triumphant return to the sport's pinnacle after years of rebuilding.
The season began with major driver changes reshaping the grid's dynamics. Lewis Hamilton's blockbuster move from Mercedes to Ferrari partnering Charles Leclerc dominated the pre-season headlines, while Mercedes promoted their junior prodigy Kimi Antonelli alongside George Russell. Red Bull made an early-season change after just two races, replacing the struggling Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda, while Williams secured their first podium since 2021 at Baku with new signing Carlos Sainz Jr., who had departed Ferrari to join Alex Albon.
McLaren's dominance was evident from the outset, with Oscar Piastri controlling the Chinese Grand Prix from start to finish ahead of teammate Norris for a commanding 1-2 finish. The Australian emerged as an early championship force, taking the points lead after Saudi Arabia and building a commanding 34-point advantage by the halfway point of the season at Round 15 in the Netherlands. However, Norris's championship credentials appeared in serious doubt during this period, with his lowest moment coming at Zandvoort where he sat alone on the grassy banks following a retirement from second place due to an oil leak while Piastri dominated to victory.
The season's most dramatic arc belonged to Norris's remarkable championship comeback. From 34 points behind Piastri in August, the Briton embarked on a six-race winning streak that saw him retake the championship lead in October. His resurgence coincided with McLaren introducing crucial upgrades and benefiting from the FIA's technical directive on flexible front wings in Spain, which Norris confirmed "changed nothing" for McLaren while appearing to impact their rivals. The title fight intensified when McLaren suffered a double disqualification for technical infringements in Las Vegas, followed by a costly strategy error at the Qatar Grand Prix, setting up the sport's first three-way championship decider since 2010.
Red Bull's season was marked by a significant decline from their previous dominance. While Verstappen remained competitive with eight victories - one more than both Norris and Piastri individually - the team's sliding car competitiveness saw them drop to third in the Constructors' standings behind McLaren and Ferrari. The mid-season driver change from Lawson to Tsunoda failed to provide the expected boost, with the team struggling to replicate the form that had delivered four consecutive championships from 2021-2024.
Ferrari's campaign was defined by inconsistency despite the arrival of seven-time world champion Hamilton. While the Scuderia managed to secure second in the Constructors' Championship, Hamilton's transition proved challenging as he struggled to match teammate Leclerc's pace. The Briton managed just one victory - in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race - and was still seeking his first Sunday podium with Ferrari by season's end, a disappointing return for the sport's most decorated driver. Leclerc carried the team's hopes with consistent point-scoring performances, but Ferrari lacked the ultimate pace to challenge McLaren's supremacy.
Mercedes endured a difficult transitional year with their drastically revised driver lineup. Russell shouldered the team's expectations admirably, but rookie Antonelli faced a steep learning curve in his debut season, regularly being outperformed by his more experienced teammate. The Silver Arrows slipped further from the front of the field, unable to recapture the dominance that had defined their hybrid era success. Williams showed glimpses of progress with Sainz's podium in Baku providing hope for the former champions, though consistent point-scoring remained elusive.
The Abu Dhabi finale provided a fitting climax to an extraordinary season. Norris entered the race with a 12-point cushion over Verstappen, knowing third place would secure the title regardless of his rivals' results. Verstappen's pole position and dominant victory - his third consecutive win - wasn't enough to overhaul Norris, who drove with calculated caution to secure the podium finish that delivered his championship dream. The 26-year-old became Britain's 11th Formula 1 World Champion and ended Verstappen's four-year title reign, with his two-point winning margin the narrowest since 2021.
Statistically, the season showcased the depth of McLaren's superiority. Norris and Piastri combined for 14 victories and 34 podiums from 24 races, with Norris standing on the podium in 18 grands prix. The Constructors' Championship victory, sealed with six races remaining, represented McLaren's first back-to-back titles since 1991 and their first Drivers' Championship since Lewis Hamilton's triumph in 2008. For McLaren, it marked the culmination of a multi-year rebuilding project and a return to the form that had made them one of the sport's most successful teams.
The 2025 season will be remembered as a changing of the guard - Norris's emergence as world champion, McLaren's return to dominance, and the end of Red Bull's era of supremacy. It delivered on the promise of closer competition, dramatic championship swings, and a title fight that remained unresolved until the final lap of the final race, providing Formula 1 fans with one of the most memorable campaigns in the sport's modern era.