We're a week into 2025, and with preseason testing still seven weeks away, ESPN unpacks the storylines that will define Formula 1 this year.

Italy could come to a standstill on March 16th, Emerson Fittipaldi predicting the “whole” of the country will stop to watch Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut. Hamilton will spend his 19th season in Formula 1 as a Ferrari driver having signed a multi-year deal with the Scuderia even before the first race of 2024.

Qualifying was the weakest aspect of Hamilton’s driving in 2024, losing the head-to-head 19–5 to George Russell. Hamilton is expected to get a chance to drive the 2025 Ferrari F1 car on 19 February following the team’s launch.

The first time Hamilton dons the famous red Ferrari colors and gets behind the wheel of one of its F1 cars will be the moment he has longed for throughout his career. It is also set to be a relatively low-key event.

The Lewis Hamilton era begins at Ferrari but can it be a Formula 1 title-winning year for the Maranello outfit?

Lewis Hamilton will make his competitive Ferrari debut at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March, but the Italians have an extensive testing plan in place for before then

It can also suit the promoters. Zandvoort’s decision to stop hosting F1 after 2026 points to the pressures — and costs — involved in staging a race. Spa looked in serious doubt just a few years ago, and while the interest from the local stakeholders has certainly taken an uplift since then, a couple of off years may actually suit the track.

With the turn of the year, Hamilton can now officially call himself a Ferrari driver, having made the announcement before F1 2024 began that he was to leave Mercedes at the end of

Ferrari plan to give Lewis Hamilton the maximum amount of time they can behind the wheel of their machinery to help him hit the ground running when the new F1 season begins

Hamilton's shock move to Ferrari, where he will officially make his race debut at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, was announced nearly a year ago and he will go into the new year with a realistic hope that he can finally challenge for a record eighth world championship.