The Formula 1 2025 season gets underway this month (Image: Getty)
The season is set to kick off this week, with big names like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen ready to burn rubber at the Australian Grand Prix. The season’s inaugural race will take place at Melbourne’s Albert Park, marking the first time since 2019 that Australia has had the honour of hosting the opening event. Defending champion Verstappen, racing for Red Bull, could etch his name in history if he secures his fifth consecutive title this year, a record currently only held by Michael Schumacher. Meanwhile, it’s a pivotal year for Hamilton, who will be donning Ferrari colours for the first time following his sensational switch from Mercedes last year. The new season also sees some fresh faces, with Liam Lawson stepping up as Verstappen’s teammate in place of Sergio Perez, and 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli filling Hamilton’s shoes at Mercedes. British driver Oliver Bearman is set to make his full-season F1 debut for Haas, partnering with Esteban Ocon, reports .
Following the opener, the drivers will head to various global locations including Bahrain, Miami, Monaco, Silverstone and Las Vegas, before wrapping up the season with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. A number of venues will also host the alternative Sprint format, featuring a shortened 100km race on Saturdays, with China, Miami, Belgium, Austin, Brazil and Qatar all on the roster. With a long journey ahead and 24 races yet to unfold, here’s everything you need to know about the Formula 1 2025 season including the full race calendar and how to catch all the action in the UK.
Lewis Hamilton now drives for Ferrari since defecting from Mercedes last year (Image: Getty)
Formula 1 2025 season start date
The season gets underway on Friday, March 14, with the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix at 1.30am UK time. This is followed by qualifying at 5am on Saturday, March 15, and the first race at 4am on Sunday, March 16.
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Watch the F1 season with a discounted Sky Sports package
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky’s new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
Where Formula 1 is on TV in the UK
Sky Sports is the go-to source for all things Formula 1 here in the UK. The broadcaster has recently rolled out an enticing offer as the has dropped to £35 per month from its previous £43.
This provides live coverage of every practice, qualifier and race from the upcoming season on , which is one of the nine dedicated channels included in the package. It also includes more than 100 regular channels such as Sky Atlantic alongside free Netflix and Discovery+ subscriptions.
Bagging this bundle saves £192 over the 24-month contract compared to the usual price. Virgin Media has just dropped a rival deal with its that now comes with a (2021, 9th Gen).
Although this package costs £88.99 per month, it comes with a bundle of features including more than 230 TV channels, access to both Sky Sports and Sky Cinema, an impressive 1,130Mbps fibre broadband speed, Netflix Standard with ads, and a generous 250GB O2 SIM card. Customer satisfaction speaks volumes, with sports fans singing praises for Virgin Media’s offerings on Trustpilot.
One happy customer said: “Good feature set and being able to have BT Sport and Sky on the same platform is a strength”
Despite the appeal, some users have raised concerns regarding the reliability of the broadband service offered, as this customer pointed out: “Broadband can be frustrating, the reliability has improved but for such an important utility it remains a concern.”
Formula 1 2025 full season calendar
- March 14-16: Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne
- March 21-23: Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai (Sprint weekend)
- April 4-6: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
- April 11-13: Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir
- April 18-20: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Jeddah
- May 2-4: Miami Grand Prix, Miami (Sprint weekend)
- May 16-18: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Imola
- May 23-25: Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco
- May 30-June 1: Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona
- June 13-15: Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal
- June 27-29: Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg
- July 4-6: British Grand Prix, Silverstone
- July 25-27: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps (Sprint weekend)
- August 1-3: Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest
- August 29-31: Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort
- September 5-7: Italian Grand Prix, Monza
- September 19-21: Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku
- October 3-5: Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore
- October 17-19: United States Grand Prix, Austin (Sprint weekend)
- October 24-26: Mexico City Grand Prix, Mexico City
- November 7-9: Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Sao Paulo (Sprint weekend)
- November 21-23: Las Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas
- November 28-30: Qatar Grand Prix, Lusail (Sprint weekend)
- December 5-7: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina
Melbourne is hosting the opening race of the 2025 Formula 1 season (Image: Getty)
Formula 1 2025 driver line-up
- Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan
- Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
- Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
- Haas: Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman
- McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
- Mercedes: George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli
- Racing Bulls: Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar
- Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson
- Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
- Williams: Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon