Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dominated the 2024 FIA Formula One season, claiming his fourth consecutive Drivers’ Title with nine wins and 437 points, while McLaren earned the Constructors’ Championship.

McLaren’s Lando Norris finished second in the standings with 374 points, surpassing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who followed in third with 356 points. McLaren emerged as Red Bull’s strongest challenger, with Norris and Oscar Piastri delivering podium finishes.

Despite flashes of competitiveness, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc struggled to consistently match Red Bull’s pace.

As the 2025 season approaches, dramatic lineup changes are shaking up the grid. Seven-time world champion Hamilton is set to join Ferrari, while Aston Martin, Williams Racing and other teams are adjusting their rosters.

As the sport prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, excitement is building—not just on the track, but among Community’s F1 fans. With driver lineups shifting and new rivalries forming, students are bracing for what they expect to be one of the most chaotic, exciting seasons in years.

F1 is a weekly ritual in Flint Reesce’s household. But that wasn’t always the case.  

“At first I didn’t like it,” Reece said. “I thought it was just cars going in circles.” 

But that skepticism quickly turned into passion. After sitting down to watch a couple of races with his dad, Reece was hooked. 

Every Sunday, Reece, his dad and now even his mom gather around the TV to catch the latest race. 

And as the 2025 season looms, Reece finds himself in unfamiliar territory: for the first time, he isn’t rooting for Verstappen.

“I liked Max before he became a world champion,” Reece said. “But after four titles, I feel like someone else should win.”

While Verstappen remains a dominant force, Reece has shifted his support away from the reigning champion. This season, Reece is backing McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Junior AJ Ince too believes Norris and McLaren could challenge for the championship this season. 

“They had the best car last year, so I think they can carry that into this season and hopefully come out on top,” Ince said.

For Reece, Norris’s appeal isn’t just his skill behind—it’s his personality.

Norris “doesn’t start arguments,” like Verstappen, a polarizing figure in F1, does, Reece said.

And if Norris happens to cause conflict on or off the track, Reece said, “he cools down pretty easily. Max, when he gets into an argument, he just keeps it going.”

Sophomore Grace Powell shares Reece’s enthusiasm for Norris. 

Norris, Powell said, is “confident, he doesn’t let anyone push him around, and he still shows emotion.” 

While Reece is eager to see Norris take the next step, he’s just as intrigued by the rookies entering the sport this year.

“It’s definitely going to be an interesting season,” Reece said. “Maybe even chaotic.”

Senior Nasir Khanfar, whose loyalties lie with Carlos Sainz, also believes 2025 could be a season of surprise.

Sainz’s move from Ferrari to Williams was one of the offseason’s most shocking shake-ups—one Khanfar still hasn’t fully processed.

“Sainz moving from Ferrari to Williams and Lewis Hamilton replacing him after being with Mercedes for 10 years,” Khanfar said, “never fails to amaze me. It wasn’t necessarily a good or bad change, just a shocking one—especially after Sainz’s impressive performances against Red Bull’s domination.”

Sainz’s departure from Ferrari left junior Ashley Walls equally stunned.

“Since Ferrari is probably my favorite team,” Walls said. “I was surprised by Sainz going to Williams Racing, I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

Khanfar doesn’t think Sainz should be counted out this season as he is still a competitive driver despite the seat change. 

“I don’t care what anyone says,” Khanfar said. Sainz “has shown such consistent talent and intelligence on the most difficult tracks. He stands out so much to me” as a driver to watch in 2025. 

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is a major talking point among Community’s F1 fans. While some are skeptical about how he will adjust, sophomore Finley Warner-Ritter is optimistic.

“I think it’s going to be interesting to see Hamilton and Leclerc working together,” Warner-Ritter said. “They both want to be the number one driver. Ferrari is going to have a tough time prioritizing one over the other.”

Warner-Ritter believes Ferrari faces a difficult balancing act. 

“They’ll want to prioritize loyalty, but also, Hamilton is a seven-time champion,” she said. “Ferrari brought him in to win, and Leclerc has been waiting for his shot. It’s going to be a tough decision.”

Reece echoed the sentiment, predicting that Ferrari will initially give both drivers equal opportunities before shifting focus based on points.

“At the start,” Reece said, “I think they’ll say, ‘Okay, we’ll let Hamilton win this race, Leclerc you can win the next one.’ But later in the season, they’re going to have to decide who has a better chance at the championship.”

Hamilton’s switch isn’t the only major storyline Community’s F1 fans are following. This season will see five rookies enter the grid—one of the biggest influxes of new talent in years.

“I can’t wait,” Khanfar said, for the “new and younger talent in the sport,” a “much needed” infusion of youth. “Maybe the young talents will tremble nations with their new skills.”

While some see the incoming rookies as a sign of a fresh start, Warner-Ritter is a little more apprehensive.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of crashes,” she said. “Especially at the start of the season.”

Ince agrees, pointing to the sheer number of new drivers.

“In 2024, the grid didn’t change at all,” Ince said. “But now, with five rookies, there could be a lot of chaos.”

Looking at the title race, predictions among Community’s F1 fans are divided. While Reece and Powell are hoping for a Norris breakthrough, Khanfar and Walls are sticking by Sainz.

“Verstappen has had his run,” Walls said. “I’d love to see Sainz win this year.”

And while Khanfar shares that hope, he acknowledges that a title run with Williams is unlikely.

“I hope Carlos wins, but that’s definitely not happening,” Khanfar said. “Not with Williams—unless they magically get 20 million dollars and steal a bunch of Red Bull engineers.”

Instead Khanfar expects Verstappen to continue his reign.

“I don’t have a reason,” he said. “I just feel it in my blood. He’s probably on his sim racing setup right now, plotting his world domination. You literally can’t get rid of him—every time you’re running, he’s always running faster.”

Ince hopes this season mirrors the unpredictability of late in the 2024 season, rather than just another year of Verstappen dominance. 

F1, Ince said, “is just more fun to watch when there’s real competition. It’s better than Max winning every race over and over again.”

As the 2025 season nears its start, one thing is clear: fans at Community expect an unpredictable year ahead.

“I think 2025 is going to be a wild ride for F1 now that there’s some major driver changes and major changes to the cars,” Khanfar said. “I’m going to bet 2025 will be a much more exciting and unique season” than years past.

In just a few weeks, the engines will roar to life in Melbourne, kicking off a season that promises fresh rivalries, bold predictions, and, if Community’s F1 fans are right, plenty of surprises.