Formula 1

With four races completed in F1, McLaren positions itself to win it all, putting Red Bull and Max Verstappen—who had dominated in recent years—on the ropes With the first rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 (F1) season underway, a team has emerged that just two years ago was not even considered a contender for the Constructors’ Championship, let alone the Drivers’ Championship. Now, the power of McLaren is undeniable; with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix just around the corner, the papaya team dominates the highest tier of motorsport. The decline of the energy drink giant’s hegemony After securing the Constructors’ Championships in 2022 and 2023, along with Max Verstappen’s four consecutive titles since 2021, it seemed the third decade of the 2000s would belong completely to the energy drink team, echoing Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s domination in the 2010s. However, internal issues within the Austrian team, frequent mistakes from the pit crew, and Red Bull’s inability to establish a solid two-driver lineup—struggling to find a teammate for Max who could drive a car designed for Verstappen, win like Verstappen, but not be Verstappen—have led to Red Bull losing the Constructors’ Championship to McLaren last year. Now, they find themselves chasing the British squad. McLaren’s resurgence after 26 years Until the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, McLaren had gone 26 years without winning a title of this kind. And since 2008, when Sir Lewis Hamilton won the Drivers’ Championship with the team, the British outfit had not seen a championship-winning driver among its ranks. However, McLaren now appears to have a clear goal: to crown one of its drivers in 2025. Thanks to significant upgrades to their car in 2024—which propelled their drivers into top positions and earned them the Constructors’ title—Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are now sitting first and second in the Drivers’ Standings, with the Briton leading at 77 points, the Australian close behind with 74, and the reigning four-time world champion, Max Verstappen, in third with 69 points. OP 🤝 LN Three double podium finishes this season for our papaya duo 🧡#McLaren | #BahrainGP 🇧🇭 pic.twitter.com/kC0eDsaayL — McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 14, 2025 An intense battle lies ahead this season Although there is still a long way to go in 2025, the battle between these two teams promises to be intense. Red Bull will need to step up, especially considering that in the Constructors’ Standings, McLaren holds a commanding lead with 151 points, while Red Bull is not even their closest rival—Mercedes sits second with 93 points, leaving Red Bull in third with 71 points. Cover photo: X (@McLarenF1)

Oscar Piastri cruises to victory at the Bahrain GP, giving McLaren the outright lead in the Constructors’ Championship and placing Piastri second in the Drivers’ Standings It was a perfect weekend for Oscar Piastri at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as the Australian driver secured his second win of the 2025 Formula 1 (F1) season, converting his pole position into yet another triumph for McLaren, who also solidified their spot as leaders in the Constructors’ Championship. Piastri dominates in Bahrain From the moment the lights went out at the Bahrain International Circuit, the McLaren driver capitalized on his pole position to cling to the lead, never relinquishing it until he crossed the finish line. He finished more than 15 seconds ahead of his closest rival, George Russell, who claimed second place, while Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris, rounded out the podium in third. With this victory, the Australian overtook Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship, placing himself just three points behind Norris, who remains on top. Meanwhile, in the Constructors’ standings, McLaren has started to pull away, reaching 151 points, with Mercedes in second at 93, and Red Bull third with 71. The rest of the field Behind the Top 3, the Ferrari duo featured Charles Leclerc in fourth and Lewis Hamilton—still driving under the red banner—in fifth. Max Verstappen ended a frustrating race in sixth, on a day where both the Dutchman and his pit crew seemed out of sync. Completing the Top 10, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, and Ollie Bearman secured points. Kimi Antonelli finished 11th, Alex Albon was 12th, Isack Hadjar 13th, Jack Doohan 14th, and Fernando Alonso crossed the line in 15th. In the final positions, Liam Lawson ended 16th, Lance Stroll 17th, and Gabriel Bortoleto 18th. Carlos Sainz did not finish the race, and Nico Hülkenberg, who originally ended in 13th, was disqualified after post-race inspection revealed an irregularity in his car. Cover photo: X (@F1)

In FP1 of Bahrain, six rookies got behind the wheel of F1 cars, in a session where Lando Norris set the fastest lap time. The excitement of Round 4 of the 2025 Formula 1 (F1) season kicked off with Free Practice 1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix (GP). This session was notable for a special reason, as six rookies had the opportunity to drive the top-tier single-seaters at the Bahrain International Circuit. In compliance with the F1 regulation requiring each team to field a rookie driver in at least four practice sessions throughout the season, FP1 in Bahrain saw Williams, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Haas, Mercedes-Benz, and Red Bull each selecting one of their young prospects. From Williams, Luke Browning was the driver chosen for this FP1 session, finishing in 13th place; Dino Beganovic, representing Ferrari, finished just behind the Williams. For Aston Martin, Felipe Drugovich concluded the session in 16th. Ryo Hirakawa, who had previously participated in a practice session in Japan driving an Alpine, ended this outing in 17th, this time at the wheel of a Haas. Rounding out the rookie field, Frederik Vesti drove for Mercedes and placed 18th, while Ayumu Iwasa replaced Max Verstappen in the Red Bull but finished in the penultimate spot during this first Free Practice. Lando Norris clocks the fastest lap Crowning this unique FP1 session was Lando Norris in his McLaren, who set the benchmark with a lap time of 1:33.204. Pierre Gasly took second place, although still far off Norris’ time, trailing by 0.238 seconds. Lewis Hamilton completed the Top 3, though the seven-time F1 world champion never seemed fully comfortable with his car, voicing multiple complaints to his team throughout the session. Our top three in first practice 🥇 Norris 🥈 Gasly 🥉 Hamilton#F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/rEaTMlKTR9 — Formula 1 (@F1) April 11, 2025 Cover photo: formula1.com

With an ambitious project in Cape Town, South Africa is looking to host Formula 1 again on a circuit designed around the DHL Stadium, which was inaugurated for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. South Africa is making history with an innovative proposal to bring Formula 1 (F1) back to the African continent. Cape Town has presented a plan to transform the area surrounding the DHL Stadium—built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup—into an urban circuit. This ambitious project aims to return the pinnacle of motorsport to the world’s largest continent, the only region currently absent from the F1 calendar. South Africa last hosted a Grand Prix (GP) in 1993 at the Kyalami circuit, which had been the home of the South African GP from 1967 until its final race in 1993. Now, after an initial bid in Kyalami was rejected, the South African government is backing the Cape Town circuit, designed by German engineer and F1 track specialist Hermann Tilke. The proposed layout spans 5.7 kilometers along the Green Point waterfront. Additionally, Igshaan Almay, CEO of the project, emphasized in an interview with Motorsports the logistical advantages of the venue, including its proximity to the city’s airport and an extensive selection of hotels for F1 fans attending the event. The South African GP could attract an estimated 250,000 spectators over the race weekend. Tough Competition for 2028 This project faces strong competition, as several emerging locations are vying to host an F1 race in the 2028 season. Among them are Thailand, South Korea, and Rwanda—the latter also aiming to bring Formula 1 back to Africa.

In a head-to-head battle on the track between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, the Red Bull driver secured his first victory of the 2025 season, beating both McLaren cars, which finished second and third. Absolute intensity unfolded at the Japanese Grand Prix (GP), where the four-time world champion, Max Verstappen, delivered a flawless race over 53 laps to clinch his first win of the season. He outpaced Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who crossed the line in second and third place, respectively. Verstappen enters the title fight After a dominant start by the two McLaren drivers in the first two races of the 2025 Formula 1 (F1) season, the Dutchman from Red Bull has officially joined the fight for the Drivers’ Championship. With this win, Verstappen now has 61 points, just one behind Lando Norris, and has overtaken Oscar Piastri, who sits at 49 points. Just ONE POINT separates Lando and Max at the top of the championship 🤏 1️⃣ Norris: 62 points 2️⃣ Verstappen: 61 points 3️⃣ Piastri: 49 points#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/eFj3UszKKC — Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025 This fierce showdown between Verstappen and Norris lit up the Suzuka Circuit, especially during a pivotal pit stop when both drivers exited the pit lane simultaneously. In a dramatic wheel-to-wheel clash, Norris was pushed onto the grass by a strong defensive move from the Red Bull—an incident that ultimately determined the top two positions of the race. The rest of the grid at Suzuka Following the podium finishers, Charles Leclerc came in fourth, with the Mercedes drivers securing fifth and sixth, as George Russell finished ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton claimed seventh place, while Isack Hadjar had an impressive race to take eighth. Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman rounded out the Top 10 at Suzuka. Fernando Alonso just missed out on points, finishing 11th. Yuki Tsunoda took 12th, showing better form than Liam Lawson, but still falling short of Red Bull’s expectations. Pierre Gasly ended in 13th, Carlos Sainz came 14th, and Jack Doohan finished 15th. In the final positions of the race, Nico Hülkenberg came 16th, Lawson finished 17th, and Esteban Ocon took 18th. Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll occupied the last two spots, with Stroll’s Aston Martin delivering the worst performance of the weekend in Japan. Cover photo: X (@F1)

After two pole positions dominated by McLaren, Max Verstappen showcased undeniable quality on the Suzuka track, setting the fastest lap in the circuit’s history and snatching first place from Lando Norris. Absolute intensity defined the Qualifying session that determined the starting grid for the Japanese Grand Prix (GP). Every lap was a fierce battle for pole position, with the spotlight on the showdown between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, where the reigning four-time world champion proved exactly why he holds that title. First pole of the season for Verstappen With an impressive flying lap, Max Verstappen managed to snatch pole position from Norris, clocking in at 1:26.983. Not only was it the fastest lap of Q3, but it also set a new all-time record at Suzuka, beating the McLaren driver by just 0.012 seconds. Taking the lap record at Suzuka 👏 What a lap it was from Max Verstappen in Q3!#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/COOPSc52vO — Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2025 This result marks Red Bull’s first pole of the season, finally overcoming the orange team, whose cars will start from second and third with Norris and Oscar Piastri respectively. Without a doubt, this will be a fierce battle between Red Bull and the two McLarens, as the Austrian team seeks its first victory of the year, while the British team aims to continue its winning streak—with Norris winning in Australia and Piastri triumphing in China. The rest of the grid Charles Leclerc joins Piastri on the second row in fourth. The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will start fifth and sixth. Isack Hadjar impressed with P7, followed by Lewis Hamilton in eighth, hoping to climb his way up. Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman complete the Top 10. Continuing with the grid, Pierre Gasly will start 11th, followed by Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda. These last three drivers moved up one spot due to a penalty for Carlos Sainz, who had originally qualified 12th but was demoted to 15th for impeding Hamilton during Q2. Finally, Nico Hülkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Jack Doohan, and Lance Stroll round out the starting positions for what promises to be an exciting showdown at the Japanese GP. Cover photo: X (@F1)

Lando Norris set the fastest time in the first Free Practice, while Oscar Piastri topped FP2, a session marked by four red flags. Action at the Suzuka Circuit is underway, with all 20 drivers hitting the track to prepare for the Japanese Grand Prix (GP) during Free Practice sessions. McLaren stood out, securing the best times in both opening sessions on Japanese soil. Norris, the Fastest in FP1 In the first Free Practice, McLaren’s Australian GP winner, Lando Norris, shined with a time of 1:28.549 over 24 laps. Behind him, George Russell and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three fastest in the opening session at Suzuka. Lando Norris sets the fastest time in FP1 👏 The full classification from first practice 👇#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/RH1ud0qNxP — Formula 1 (@F1) April 4, 2025 A key highlight of FP1 was Yuki Tsunoda’s performance in the RB21, setting the sixth-fastest time, just behind his teammate Max Verstappen. The local driver looked confident as he kicked off his first GP at the helm of Red Bull, showing better results than Liam Lawson. Piastri Dominates a Red Flag-Filled FP2 FP2 was disrupted four times by red flags, leading to a total session duration of approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, with cars spending a significant time in the garages. The first red flag waved following a heavy crash involving Jack Doohan, who lost control at Turn 1 and hit the barrier. His Alpine suffered severe damage, with debris scattered across the track. Fortunately, the Australian driver escaped without serious injuries. Shortly after, Fernando Alonso encountered issues, leaving his Aston Martin stranded in the Turn 8 gravel trap, triggering another red flag. Finally, two separate fire incidents forced the marshals to display the third and fourth red flags, as grass fires disrupted the session at different moments. Despite all these interruptions, Oscar Piastri managed to clock a 1:28.114 in just 13 laps. Norris secured a McLaren 1-2 in FP2, while Isack Hadjar surprised with the third-fastest time. Cover photo: X (@F1)

For the free practice sessions of the Japanese GP, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Jack Doohan from Alpine will step aside in FP1 to make way for two rookie drivers. Everything is set for the Japanese Grand Prix, where teams and drivers are ready for Round 3 of the Formula 1 season. The action will begin on Thursday, April 3, at 8:30 PM (CDMX time) with the first free practice session, but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will not be on track for the opening session. Leclerc steps aside for a rookie This is due to an FIA regulation requiring teams to field rookie drivers in at least four free practice sessions throughout the season. The rule aims to help young drivers gain experience and exposure in the premier category of motorsport. For this reason, Ferrari has decided to begin fulfilling this requirement in Suzuka, with Dino Beganovic taking over Leclerc’s seat for FP1 this weekend. Beganovic, a 21-year-old Swedish driver, was the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship winner and debuted in Formula 2 in 2025. Jack Doohan will also miss FP1 Another driver who will miss the first practice session will be Jack Doohan. Alpine has also chosen to comply with the rookie mandate, even if it means sidelining one of their regular drivers. Taking Ocon’s place in Suzuka will be local driver Ryo Hirakawa, who joined Alpine as a reserve driver. Hirakawa already has FP1 experience, as he drove for McLaren in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice session in 2024. Cover photo: X (@ScuderiaFerrari)