Are you a part time F1 enthusiast? Someone who enjoys their sleep and tunes in just enough but doesn’t want to get too much more involved than Netflix and the occasional daytime Grand Prix and Kayo Mini? Well The Gurgler will cover every race in detail in 2025 so you don’t have to, but in advance we offer up our thoughts on the best things to look out for this year with our 2025 F1 Season Things to Look Out For.
We’ve already offered up our 2025 F1 Team Preview and 2025 F1 Driver Preview, plus more F1 context, so we’re combining all of that for the perfect 2025 F1 Cheat Sheet in advance.
2025 F1 Season Things to Look Out For
AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX Q3
The first Grand Prix of the season is an obvious one of course, and what a welcome return to have the first race of the year in Melbourne. Not only selfishly for living in the time zone or thereabouts, but also Albert Park has so much more life about that Bahrain. And the park nature of the track does allow for a lot of early season ambition that doesn’t always pay off. But as for our Big Things to Look Out for, it is Q3 where we finally see the sandbags lifted off the 2025 cars, and the potentially stark reality of an underperforming car becomes evident and dangerously early. Not that you can’t catch up like McLaren, but nail that first few GPs goes a long way to a driver’s title at least.
LANCE STROLL
One of the moments of the 2024 F1 season was Lance Stroll sliding off on the lap from pit to grid in Brazil, which having decided wasn’t nearly incompetent enough, he appeared to simply drove to beach himself into the gravel. Pure genius. As he is looking increasingly disinterested in Formula 1, we are hoping the rich son of the owner takes his petu-lance to the next level in 2025. If so, will definitely be worth watching.
FIA RULES
The FIA have become seemingly more interested in rules that normal F1 fans don’t care about. Like jewelry, swearing and accusing Susie Wolff of stuff. Harking back to the good old days of the unpredictable Jean-Marie Balestre, the current FIA President is appearing to be just as unpredictable, and so we look forward to more unreasonable and un-required rule changes. But then again it could be fun to see what kind of bullsh!t they come up with.
RACING BULLS RADIO COMMS
Racing Bulls are rarely interesting outside of whatever they are calling themselves this season, but 2025 is going to be different. They have two of the feistiest drivers on the grid. One hasn’t even been on the F1 grid before – Isack Hadjar. Although the Frenchman has been on the F2 grid, where he is noted as a man of short temper and fiery radio communications. Yuki Tsunoda has proven to be not much better, if at all, and himself is prone to a little radio abuse. Or trying to sideswipe his team mate after a race fighting over 12th-15th or whatever it was. His anger probably cost him the Red Bull drive. Which will probably make him more angry in a nice cycle. But get ready for some real action over the radio from the midfield.
ROOKIES
After 2024 saw zero driver movement, F1 has gone berserk in 2025 which is refreshing and is a bit of a tribute to another time on the grid like in 1989 where 39 drivers were competing for 26 places on the grid and there were new drivers every week. Some like Kimi Antonelli have been gifted a great seat with one of the lowest amounts of experience in recent history. Others like Oliver Bearman proved their worth in a few guest drives. And the rest have proved themselves one way or another in the junior formula. Hopefully they go well, to embolden teams to take more risks on rookies going forward. There’s a few gooduns in F2 this season we’d like to see in F1.
PAPAYA RULES
McLaren are highly likely to have the fastest car in 2024, if not outright fastest, it will be towards the front. Given McLaren’s handling of team orders aka Papaya Rules in 2024, it will be fascinating to see it in action in 2025 with a better car, a more resuilient number two driver, and a potential Championship up for grabs.
FERRARI
Ferrari are a team to watch always, given their heritage to the sport of F1. But rarely do they have such a premium line up. Yes they’ve had greats before, but rarely two of the very best on the grid in the team at the same time. There’s the hype and profile of new boy Lewis Hamilton, compared to the smooth operator in Charles Leclerc. It should be fun viewing whichever way it goes.
CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
Stuff usually happens at the Canadian Grand Prix, so it is one of the few races we plonk on our must see list. It has the close walls like Monaco, but then plenty of speed, and the park setting in addition to be in the middle of the river gives Albert Park vibes whilst being twice the track of the Melbourne circuit. The timeslot isn’t perfect for some, but should be prime time for others, and it should viewing befitting of the premium TV timeslot. A race that does often throw up different grids and podiums, and must be enjoyed.
MARTIN BRUNDLE’S GRIDWALK
Essential, cringe worthy viewing. Where you get to know who the cool drivers are, the great F1 fans, and the turd celebrities who sh!t doesn’t stink so why are you on the F1 grid. Martin Brundle covers it all, and does so well given he never particularly seems to enjoy it.
MARTIN BRUNDLE’S P1 and P2 SIDELINE VIEWS
Martin Brundle’s gridwalk are pretty well known, and some of it goes quite viral. But his best work goes mostly unappreciated. But not by us. The Friday practice sessions are usually a little dull, but an excellent way to get into the Formula weekend at a relaxed pace. Part of these one hour sessions is a live cross to Martin Brundle who is hiding somewhere out on the circuit. He gives some commentary on how the cars are looking and behaving through the area he can see, and it gives great insight into the more technical side of the sport. When Brundle is having a rest, if Karun Chandhok or Anthony Davidson are filling in it is almost as good.
TEAM OWNERSHIP CHANGES
Given how hard the F1 community made it for Andretti F1 to make it to the grid, it looks impossible that any other new teams will be admitted anytime soon. Which is a shame, as more drivers and more teams means more interest. So with no new teams we might have to enjoy some new names coming in to take over other teams. Like Haas looking potentially like it could turn out to be a Toyota team. Same for Aston Martin and Honda. Audi is replacing Sauber soon enough. Alpine will be sold off soon enough given they sold out their engine department, and Flavio Briatore is involved. Ford’s interest with Red Bull could always see Racing Bulls actually become a proper team under the blue logo. Honda’s supply to Aston Martin could see Honda try once again to be a team. And Williams never seem too far away from being sold. Then who knows which super celebrities are lining up to link into F1.
BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
A classic, majestic track which is just beautiful to watch regardless of the result or weather conditions. Talking of weather conditions, it is more likely to rain here than other circuits so worth noting the date. There’s also the magnificent first half of the lap which sees F1 cars tested like they should be. Then the second half of the lap is almost as good, and fast. It’s a track that rewards good cars and great drivers, and fans who make the effort to wacth live.
BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX
Quite often hosts the race of the season, as it quite often rains. It’s also a track which sees different drivers maxxing out the conditions and taking pole. Both Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg have Brazilian GP poles.
FORMULA 2
Given the amount of F1 drivers coming from F2 in 2025, we highly recommend you keep an eye on, or simply watch every F2 race. There’s the extra determination in F2 as careers are more on the line, and the talent is slightly more amateur, meaning there’s usually very good racing and occasionally some very bad race craft choices. All of which is great for the neutral fans.
Our drivers to watch this season are:
Dino Beganovic
Gabriele Mini
Víctor Martins
Arvid Lindblad
Christian Mansell (unrelated)
2025 F1 Season Things to Avoid
And a quick list of things to avoid.
Anything about Christian Horner and Gerri Halliwell in the Netflix series.
Gridwalks and pre-race hype at any US based race. Especially Miami which seems to be held for celebrity reasons only.
Monaco Grand Prix if it’s dry after five laps.
Watching too much of the pre race hype on Sky F1. Especially the British Grand Prix.
Danica Patrick.
