107 Pursuit

While there is not much action occurring on the track, F1 teams make sure to keep the racing spirit alive during the off-season.

Let’s take a look at everything that occurred in the months leading up to the 2024 season that has left viewers with lots of thoughts.

The largest event of the off-season, Lewis Hamilton will drive for Ferrari in 2025 alongside Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton had been set to drive for Mercedes until 2025, still without any suspicions of him leaving the team. The Brit had decided to activate a standing clause in his contract allowing him to leave prematurely. Speculations surrounding his departure include that he was not satisfied with the team’s performance and environment. With no race wins since 2021 and empty podiums with no team members in sight, it had been time for a change.

Where does this leave Carlos Sainz? With Lewis Hamilton hopping on the team, Sainz is currently left without a seat for the 2025 season. Despite being the only non-Red Bull member to win a race, Ferrari and Sainz called it quits, as who could say no to Lewis Hamilton?

Sainz is widely rumored to join Audi in 2026. What he will do in 2025 is still uncertain.

Let’s take a look at Red Bull, the star of the game. Adrian Newey has done it again! Every team on the grid honed their car to be able to combat the Red Bull. With the launch of the RB20, the team had incited waves of surprise within every team. Their new aerodynamic design, specifically the sidepods has created anticipation combined with concern in their competitors.

The concept, previously seen with Mercedes’ 2022 car, the W13, had not been a success for the team. Will this new adoption make Max Verstappen champion of the world once more? Or will it do the very opposite?

With the emergence of a new season, we are seeing very slight changes to the identities of various teams.

Alfa Romeo Ferrari is now Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber! The team has thoroughly rebranded from a red, white, and black theme to neon green and black. The team will remain Stake F1 until 2026 where Audi will be joining Formula 1.

However, just before the start of the season, legal controversies surrounding the team’s sponsor, Stake, became a challenge. Team Principal Allesandro Alunni Bravi has stated he will “work with Stake or Kick, a different sponsor” depending on the country they are in.

Another team that has rebranded is AlphaTauri. While the team’s theme is relatively the same, large new sponsors, Visa and Cashapp, have brought their own changes. The team is now referred to as Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team.

The driver lineup for the team has also changed, unsurprisingly, with Daniel Ricciardo joining Yuki Tsunoda for the full season.

Speaking of Red Bull, Christian Horner, team principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, has been accused of inappropriate behavior by a female coworker. Horner’s perspective on women in motorsports is not unknown and his future remains to be determined. Investigations have opened up into this allegation which has yet to come out with an ultimatum.

Off-seasons usually end up being even more thrilling than the actual season with the announcements and changes made. Silly season this year was not as silly compared to previous ones but the silly season before 2025 will sure be more exciting than this year’s.