McLaren signed a multi-year contract with Oscar Piastri ahead of the 2025 season opener in Australia. Although Piastri’s contract did not expire until the end of 2026, McLaren was eager to secure its driver lineup for the long term. Although the exact details of the agreement are not public, it’s believed that Piastri’s new deal will keep him on the team until at least 2028. Having renewed Lando Norris’ contract early last year, this move will see McLaren keep, arguably, the strongest driver lineup on the grid for the foreseeable future.
Stefano Domenicali will retain his position as president and CEO of Formula One Management for another five years after signing a contract extension. This silences rumours that the ex-Ferrari boss would leave Formula One to help Liberty Media with their MotoGP takeover. Domenicali, who previously ran the Ferrari F1 team before joining Lamborghini as CEO and chairman, took over the reins from predecessor Chase Carey in 2021. Under his leadership, the sport has seen significant growth financially and in popularity. A 2024 study by Nielsen Sports lists Formula One as the most popular yearly sporting series with an audience of 750 million, which is 50 million more fans than in 2021.
Alpine expanded its reserve driver lineup, signing Kush Maini to the role. He joins Ryo Hirakawa, Franco Colapinto, and Paul Aron, all of which are slated to participate in Testing of Previous Cars programmes with the team. Maini has been a member of the Alpine Academy since mid-2023 when he was competing in his first Formula 2 campaign. He returned to the F2 grid last year, where he scored his first win in the series. He will again participate in Formula 2 this season with the DAMS team, alongside his simulator and testing duties at Alpine. Such an extensive reserve driver lineup increases the stakes for the team’s full-time drivers Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan, who will need to perform at their best this season.
Long-time Racing Bulls technical director Jody Egginton has left the F1 team after more than ten years with the squad. The British engineer started his motorsport career with Tyrell in 1996, eventually moving to Midland and staying with the team through its Spyker and then Force India transitions. In 2010, he moved to Team Lotus where he would eventually be promoted to Operations Director. Toro Rosso became his final F1 home in 2014 as he moved through the ranks. He will take a new role outside of Formula One with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, with his current F1 responsibilities being split between existing team members.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali will meet with officials in Thailand to discuss a potential race in Bangkok. Thailand joins the growing list of countries interested in hosting a Formula One race, as the sport sees increased global interest. But with 24 races already on the calendar, there’s no room to expand additional races. However, the idea of rotating the calendar yearly has been proposed, with the Belgian Grand Prix agreeing to do that soon. A race in Thailand would help Domenicali achieve his goal of continuing to expand Formula One into new markets.
Pirelli will use special edition podium caps at 14 races in 2025, teaming up with world-renowned designer Denis Dekovic. The first of these races was Australia, which featured a green podium cap. Traditionally, Pirelli has provided black branded caps to the top three drivers in the race to wear on the podium. There have been some exceptions, such as a Pirelli cowboy hat at the United States Grand Prix in Texas. The Chinese and Japanese Grand Prix will also have limited edition red and blue caps, respectively.
The 2025 Formula One season officially began in Australia. Lando Norris started strong by topping the first free practice session of the season. Charles Leclerc set the early pace before a red flag for debris on the circuit. Max Verstappen shot to the lead when the session resumed, although Carlos Sainz would beat his time as soft running began. Oliver Bearman crashed heavily in turn ten, bringing out the red flag. The session resumed with just over 10 minutes remaining, enough time for Norris to get to the top of the timing sheets.
McLaren showed strong pace in the second free practice session on Friday, but could not beat Charles Leclerc. Yuki Tsunoda, Lando Norris, and Carlos Sainz all spent brief stints at the top of the charts until the mid-session qualifying simulations began. Oscar Piastri managed a P2 time ahead of his teammate, Tsunoda, and Lewis Hamilton.
Oscar Piastri topped the final free practice session in front of his home crowd on Saturday morning. The session began with early drama. Oliver Bearman was quick to get out on track, looking to make up for missing FP2 while his Haas was repaired. The rookie spun into the gravel in the first corner and became beached, bringing out the red flag. Liam Lawson was another driver to make an early exit from FP3, suffering from a mechanical issue on his first flying lap. Max Verstappen set the early benchmark but was overtaken by George Russell and then Piastri. Verstappen was forced to abandon a quick lap that seemed to be on pace with Piastri, having to settle for P3. It was a close competition, with just 0.081s separating the top three drivers.
Qualifying ended with McLaren earning their first front-row lockout of 2025, with Lando Norris leading the way. Oliver Bearman’s disappointing weekend continued, suffering from a gearbox issue on his Haas in Q1. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli was also knocked out in Q1, with Mercedes claiming damage hindered his performance. Q2 was busy, with many drivers skirting with the gravel, trying to push the limits to make it into the top ten that would advance into Q3. This would eliminate the remaining rookies. Pole position was hotly contested in Q3 and the session would see Norris, who had his earlier lap time deleted for track limits, beat his teammate by just 0.084s. Max Verstappen and George Russell would start the race on the second row of the grid ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon.
Lando Norris won the first race of the season in Australia from pole, but there was so much more to the story. Rain drenched the circuit, impacting the running of Formula 2 and making the track damp for the start of the race. Many people were caught out by the conditions. Isack Hadjar was gutted when he crashed during the formation lap, causing a 15-minute delay. He was not alone, with Jack Doohan and Carlos Sainz also crashing on the first lap. Norris maintained his lead in the early stages of the race, as Oscar Piastri forced a rare mistake from Max Verstappen to regain P2, which he had lost on the opening lap. The two McLaren cars quickly pulled ahead, with team orders keeping the duo in check. A safety car for Fernando Alonso allowed drivers to switch to slick tyres, but late-race rain spiced things up. Both McLarens were caught out by the conditions, spinning in the final sector. Both drivers were able to continue, but Piastri lost out the most when he struggled for traction in the grass. Max Verstappen gambled on staying with the slicks but jumped to the intermediate tyres when Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto crashed simultaneously in two separate incidents. Now behind Norris, Verstappen tried his best to take the lead in the closing laps of the race but was unable to do so. Click here to read our full summary of this chaotic and unpredictable race.
Next on the calendar is the Chinese Grand Prix, which is the first sprint weekend of the season. This will be held next weekend on March 23.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
