This past year, I found myself down the rabbit hole that is Formula One racing, one that I would have never expected to go down. It all started after my family attended the International Motor Sports Association race that is held in Indianapolis every year. Later that day, my dad and I were having a conversation about Formula One. He was telling me about Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion. “Well, Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes and going to Ferrari for the next season. This is absolutely crazy, Olivia, like you do not even understand the change that this will make in his life!” and my response was, “Who is Lewis Hamilton and why should I care about him switching teams?” My dad looked at me with utter shock. “Olivia, you need to watch Drive to Survive, it will get you invested in F1!” “Sure, yup, will do, Dad.” So I went home and binged the show in two days, and I walked out of my room becoming a Formula One addict. I found myself waking up at 2:00 A.M. just to watch a race, and that is when I knew that I was all in.
The 2025 Formula One season has come to an end, and we F1 fans are back to yearning for the races and to hear the infamous phrase said by David Croft at the start of every race, “Lights out and away we go!” The season ended on December 7, and as a Ferrari and Max Verstappen fan, I was not happy. This past season was one of the worst seasons for Ferrari, yeah, the same team that my dad was so excited for his favorite driver to go to. The team ended the season with 398 points, while that sounds like a lot; it is not enough. My heart was shattered as a first-time fan, and my team was failing. My favorite driver, Charles Leclerc, carried the team and earned most of the 398 points. This driver went from being on top of the world, with his Monaco win the previous year, to being fifth in the championship. But, I really do believe that Charles Leclerc has at least one championship in him. According to F1 Correspondent & Presenter, Lawrence Barretto, “Despite the difficult car at his disposal, Charles Leclerc was still at his brilliant best in 2025, scoring seven podiums while his highly-talented and decorated team mate Lewis Hamilton didn’t manage one, and thus I think he can win his first title if Ferrari delivers the right car.” There has been some joking that Ferrari’s car is a tractor, but to be honest, the jokes are not too far off. My predictions for the constructors’ championship podium this year are in third, Mercedes, in second, Ferrari, and in first Redbull. My prediction for the drivers’ championship is in third, George Russel, in Second, Lando Norris, and in first, Max Verstappen.
Becoming a Formula One fan is so fun because you make some new friends. Through Formula One, I met my F1 bestie, Peru High School graduate, Sydney Azbell. Sydney is a Formula One fanatic who is working her way up to working for one of the teams. I decided to get her opinion on a few things from last season and her predictions for this upcoming season. It is important to note that she is a McLaren fan. When asked which race she thought defined last season, Azbell replied, “For me, that race would be Mexico. Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver, had been in the lead of the championship for so long, and then Lando Norris, McLaren driver, had turned a massive point deficit into a lead to eventually take the title.” Yup, you read that right, Lando Norris is the World Champion for 2025,, while all of my Formula One friends are so happy about this win, I am extremely upset with it. I know that sounds rude, but how does a mid-grid team end up on top? It leaves audiences to think that they might have been doing something under the rug. Enough of that, let us see who Azbell thinks will have the most pressure going into next season. Azbell replied with “Lando and Oscar. Oscar had a major letdown in the last quarter of the races, from being in the lead of the championship to ending in losing not one but two places. He’s got a lot of pressure to prove he deserves that top spot after all.” While I, personally, do not like the team, I have to agree with her on this one. It seems like whoever gets the title, their teammate is under a lot of pressure. Now, at this point, it is obvious that I love Ferrari, and might be thinking that I have made my friends Ferrari fans as well. See, that is where some may be wrong.
At the beginning of my obsession with Formula One, I tried to get several of my friends to enjoy the sport, but only one stuck, junior Kelsey Bullick. Kelsey was on the Ferrari “train” but soon got off when she saw Lando Norris. While Kelsey does not really like the sport of racing or the cars, she does really like the drivers. But I mean, do we not all love the drivers? All jokes if anyone has questions like who is the best driver, Kelsey is the one to ask. When asked if she could move one driver to a different team, who and where? Bulick responded with, “If I could move one driver to a different team, it would be Carlos Sainz back to Ferrari. I loved the dynamic he had with Charles Leclerc in previous seasons, and I think he thrived there. Ferrari felt like a place where he had a stronger chance at competing for the world title.” Now this is one thing I can agree with Kelsey on. I loved the relationship Carlos had with Charles and was devastated to hear that Carlos was moving to Williams. After that response from Kelsey, I wanted to see who her driver of the season was and why. Her response was, “ My driver of the season was definitely Lando Norris. To be honest, it was not for his performance or the points. Some say that you do not pick your favorite driver; they pick you.” Kelsey does have a good point.
This past season was definitely not my favorite, but I am looking forward to this upcoming season. The first race will be on March 7, 2026, so make sure to have your predictions and your heart set on a team. Even if your team slogan is “This year will be our year!” I wish all fans the best of luck, and just some advice: do not go for Ferrari. Here is to two months until we hear David Croft say “Lights out and away we go!”.
