The 2025 F1 season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in the sport’s history as it enters the final year of the current regulations.
The 10 F1 teams have proven to have differing focuses and objectives for the next couple of years. Some are going all out on their car in 2025 while others are preparing for the new regulations in 2026.
McLaren emerged as the favourites for this year after pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Woking-based outfit have gone with several aggressive changes to the MCL39 as they look to defend their constructors’ crown and win the drivers’ title.
Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes will prove strong competition for McLaren at the front. The top four teams from 2024 were miles away from the rest of the field – and that does not seem likely to change in 2025.
Alpine and Williams are confident they have made a step forward, while the likes of Aston Martin and Haas leave question marks after testing. There is particular concern about the former’s performance given the large amount of investment Lawrence Stroll has made.
Ahead of the season opener in Melbourne, Jaime Alguersuari does not anticipate it being a successful season for the Silverstone-based outfit.
Jaime Alguersuari says Fernando Alonso will have a ‘year of suffering’ in 2025
Aston Martin is an exciting project with the new facilities at Silverstone, the arrival of Adrian Newey and two-time champion Fernando Alonso being on board. But it is clear their focus is on 2026.
Gary Anderson is not ‘excited’ by the AMR25 after watching it in testing in Bahrain. Many seem to think the team have regressed again after scoring 186 fewer points than the year prior in 2024.
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Alguersuari feels the same as he stressed Alonso will not have a ‘winning car’ like many may think given the large investment put into Aston Martin. Speaking on The After Lap Podcast, the former F1 driver thinks the Spaniard and Carlos Sainz at Williams will have a ‘year of suffering’ in 2025.
“The tests that we see in qualifying are not as significant as people expect or wish because they have had so many illusions that Carlos [at] Williams is going [to be] wonderful,” he said.
“It is that he is not going badly and he has improved compared to last year, we believe so.
“But even so, we have to be cautious, not with the subject of Fernando, [it’s] the same story. People already think that he is going to have a winning car, he is going to be in the front.
“It is not like that, it is not like that at all. It is not going to be a complicated year for the two Spanish drivers, it is going to be a year of suffering.
“But we have to be realistic about what there is. Nobody wants that but we know that Formula 1 rules, the technology and you depend on and that is what has to be explained.”
Is Fernando Alonso discontent at Aston Martin heading into 2025?
Alonso signed a new two-year contract with Aston Martin last year. At 43 years old, it is likely to be his last in F1.
The Spaniard would not have signed the deal if he did not believe he could win with the Silverstone-based team. While Alonso is excited to work with Newey and get stuck in with the project, he is set for a difficult 2025 season.
READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2
Ted Kravitz has Aston Martin as the ‘ninth-quickest’ after Bahrain testing. The team had arguably the slowest car on the grid come the end of 2024 and – while there are some caveats to take into account with pre-season – it does not look like things have improved.
Alonso says Aston Martin are in a ‘complicated situation’ with the AMR25 in terms of adding more downforce to the car without making it difficult to drive.
Some people in the F1 paddock suggest Alonso is ‘not pleased’ with his machine heading into he new season. Aston Martin are set to fight in the midfield this year and the Spaniard will be desperately hoping Newey can build a competitive car in 2026.
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