The Dakar Rally has claimed its first high-profile victims, and the chequered flag has fallen on the Dubai 24 Hours with victory claimed by the Al Manar Racing by WRT BMW. After a brief lull while gravy-soaked turkey and pigs-in-blankets were consumed, motorsport is well and truly back.
The year ahead promises numerous talking points across the spectrum of categories. From Formula 1’s most successful driver partnering up with its most storied team, to the return of a giant to the top class of the Le Mans 24 Hours and another shake-up to the World Rally Championship’s points system in the offing, here are our correspondents’ nominations for what to look out for in 2025.
Entries by Haydn Cobb, Stuart Codling, Ewan Gale, Tom Howard, Oleg Karpov, James Newbold and Ben Vinel
Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari
Hamilton takes over from Sainz as Leclerc’s team-mate this year, following the end of his long Mercedes tenure
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
More significant even than the anomalous (in this era) presence of six rookies on the grid, Lewis Hamilton’s high-profile move to Ferrari is F1’s prime new storyline of 2025. Few other sportspeople get to open such significant new chapters in their careers at the age of 40.
You might think that after seven world championships and 105 grand prix wins, Hamilton has nothing left to prove – and that the risks of joining Ferrari outweigh the potential benefits. However, following that premise means misunderstanding what makes Hamilton what he is. Ask him about previous races, even his greatest victories, and he’ll admit to a rather fuzzy recall of them; this is a man always looking forwards, not back.
Hamilton has also spent a great many of his 40 years on this earth proving doubters wrong. Like any great sportsperson, he has immense self-belief but this is underpinned not just by genuine talent but by a forceful work ethic. And he expects those around him to imbue their efforts with the same energy as him.
So, even though Hamilton now lists ‘racing driver’ as the third of his professional occupations on his LinkedIn profile, this isn’t a cynical attempt at squeezing a few more salary-paying years. Neither is his aim of winning more races and titles at Ferrari some quixotic fantasy.
Sure, there are obstacles – he’s struggled with the characteristics of this generation of cars, and Ferrari’s development trajectory remains open to question – but what’s…
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