Much was expected from Oliver Bearman after his stellar debut substituting for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in Saudi Arabia the previous season, a drive so confident and assured that it masked the two rather less auspicious ones for Haas later in the season.His full-time rookie year also provided highs andContinue Reading
Much hype accompanied Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari this season, but any hopes that Maranello could carry forward its strong late-2024 form into the new season were quickly scuppered.That meant a fourth successive season of angst and self-doubt as Hamilton’s year dissolved after the high point of the sprint winContinue Reading
Across his previous three years at Williams, Alex Albon had found points hard to come by, so his fifth-place finish at Melbourne demonstrated how far the team had come over the winter.His early-season performances were strong, with points in seven of the opening eight rounds, before mid-term reliability issues ratherContinue Reading
Very much a season of two halves for the ex-Ferrari driver. As a four-time grand prix winner, he was always going to have to manage his expectations on arrival at a team that hasn’t tasted victory since 2012.But expectations cut both ways; to an extent he was to act asContinue Reading
Rookie struggles were expected from the Italian teen, although his explosive start with fourth in Melbourne began an impressive series of early results – headlined by his Miami sprint pole.When Mercedes switched to a different rear suspension package, he struggled and his form across the European rounds began to wane,Continue Reading
When Isack Hadjar was given the nod to move up from F2 to F1 with Racing Bulls there was a slightly sniffy air around Red Bull’s management, as if he were not Mr Right but Mr You’ll Do, since there was a space to be filled.Hadjar seemed to confirm thatContinue Reading
It was another patience-testing year for Pierre Gasly and Alpine, since the new A525 hadn’t been enough of a step from 2024’s problematic machinery.Yet the Frenchman came out of the year smelling of roses, having dragged the pink-and-blue lump to Q3 on 10 occasions and scoring all of its 22Continue Reading
Until this season, Nico Hulkenberg was the owner of one of F1’s least-coveted records: the most grand prix starts without finishing on the podium. Now a veteran aged 38, the German has always deserved better than this but is one of those drivers whose moves have taken him to theContinue Reading
After taking victory in the Dutch Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri was sitting pretty at the top of the championship. Norris’ retirement from second had put the Briton 34 points behind his team-mate, with Verstappen 104 points behind. A series of stellar victories in the early phases of the season hadContinue Reading
It’s been a nail-biting year for Lando Norris fans, but what else to expect of a driver cut from a very different cloth to stoic ‘alpha males’ such as his friend Max Verstappen? Norris has never been shy about discussing his demons in public, something that has contributed to theContinue Reading