The 2025 Formula 1 season has begun at a blistering pace, with five races packed into the first six weeks. This intense schedule has been a whirlwind for everyone involved.
Following the initial two races and a subsequent tripleheader across continents like Australia, China, Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, the F1 circus now shifts westward. A week`s break is scheduled before and after the Miami Grand Prix, marking the first standalone race of the season.
While drivers like Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and Alex Albon have excelled in this early sprint, others are eagerly anticipating a pause in the calendar to regroup.
Lando Norris | McLaren
Lando Norris is a prime example of a driver needing a reset. His season needs a turnaround, and quickly.
Norris began strongly, seemingly validating his preseason hype with a pole position and victory in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix. However, since then, his campaign has seemed to lose momentum. He has appeared more error-prone and critical of both himself and the car.
He and Piastri now have the same number of career wins. Norris needs to regain his form to prevent his teammate from establishing a dominant lead. Miami, the venue of Norris`s first F1 win a year ago, presents an ideal opportunity to reverse his fortunes.
McLaren`s shift to title contender status has brought a change in mindset. Norris mentioned he would skip his pre-Miami Amsterdam trip from last year, where videos of him DJing went viral before his win. He emphasized his focus on championship contention, prioritizing training and abstaining from alcohol.
This week off is crucial for Norris to escape the pressures of being a title contender during a dip in form. While not yet in crisis, being only 10 points behind Piastri with many races remaining, a change is necessary to ensure this season doesn`t become a missed opportunity.
Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari
The initial excitement surrounding Lewis Hamilton`s Ferrari move has faded. Despite a sprint race win in China, reality has tempered expectations. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix highlighted a lack of pace compared to teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured Ferrari`s first podium of the season.
Hamilton expressed discomfort with the car throughout the Saudi race, acknowledging its potential while lamenting his own struggles to connect with it. This mirrors past periods at Mercedes where Hamilton has been self-critical when performance dips.
Ferrari isn`t panicking. They point to Hamilton`s strong stint in Bahrain as evidence of his potential with the car. Team boss Frédéric Vasseur remains confident that when Hamilton and the Ferrari click, positive results will follow.
While Miami isn`t Hamilton`s favorite track, the subsequent race in Imola, Ferrari`s home ground, offers a timely chance for him to synchronize with his new car.
Jack Doohan | Alpine
The situation surrounding Jack Doohan at Alpine is unclear. Rumors of reserve driver Franco Colapinto replacing Doohan before the Miami Grand Prix circulated, but recent reports suggest Doohan has until the summer break to prove himself.
Alpine has expressed frustration with the ongoing speculation, yet team boss Oliver Oakes hasn`t definitively confirmed Doohan`s season-long tenure, contributing to the distraction. Doohan is caught in the middle, potentially impacting his early-season performance. Williams` loan of Colapinto implies an expectation of race experience for him in 2025.
Speculation about Colapinto`s future extends beyond Alpine. Following a driver swap at Red Bull, Colapinto`s name resurfaced in connection with a Red Bull junior team seat, though sources denied these reports. This makes some reports from Colapinto`s camp less credible, and his potential replacement of Doohan is less certain, despite paddock assumptions of a future deal.
This uncertainty could benefit Doohan, who deserves more time to demonstrate his F1 capabilities. Alpine has praised his potential, but his start has been challenging. Factors include Alpine`s car underperforming expectations, teammate Pierre Gasly`s strong performance setting a high benchmark, and impressive showings from other rookies like Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman.
If Doohan races in Miami, it`s a greater opportunity than recently anticipated. He needs to use it to reshape the narrative around his F1 future.
Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls and Red Bull
Red Bull`s decision to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda has been validated by Tsunoda`s performance in the subsequent races.
Tsunoda`s pace has been promising. An incident in Saudi Arabia was unfortunate but didn`t overshadow his encouraging starting position. Lawson, back at Racing Bulls, has adapted well to his car and has shown improvement, although rookie Isack Hadjar has outperformed him so far, understandably given Lawson`s lack of pre-season testing.
Hadjar noted Lawson`s rapid progress, highlighting his strong qualifying performance. Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies also acknowledged Lawson`s quicker-than-expected readjustment. Despite a penalty in Jeddah, Lawson appeared to be in better form.
Tsunoda has demonstrably handled the Red Bull car and the teammate role to Verstappen more effectively than Lawson did initially. Both drivers now have an opportunity to reflect and regroup after a period of change.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin is included in this list as a team needing a reset. The team`s current performance is significantly below expectations.
While the team`s focus is partly on the 2026 season and Adrian Newey`s involvement, the drop in performance of the Aston Martin cars has been noticeable. Three pointless races in the tripleheader are disappointing, especially after Lance Stroll`s points in the first two rounds. Fernando Alonso`s zero points in the championship standings is particularly surprising.
While other teams are also focusing on 2026, F1 is a results-driven sport, and appearing to give up is never positive. Despite talk of becoming championship contenders, Aston Martin`s current operation seems to be underperforming.
