The first race of the year is rapidly approaching, and we have no shortage of on-track stories to follow. Will this be the year McLaren is back on top in the WDC? Will Red Bull suffer from the loss of Adrian Newey? Will Hamilton be the boost Ferrari is hoping for?
But some of the off-track stories are worth keeping an eye on too. Here are my takes on what you should be looking out for in 2025:
Alpine – In, or Out?
Not too long ago it was announced that Alpine would switch to Mercedes engines in 2026, and that the team had laid of a few hundred people in Enstone, immediately prompting speculation that Renault leadership was trimming the organisation and cutting expenses in preparation for a sale.
While we haven’t had any official announcements yet, I’m convinced it’s only a matter of time. Renault is already halfway out the door, and are simply waiting for the right bid to come their way – and there is no lack of interested parties on the market.
Formula 1 team valuations have been increasing steadily over the last few years, and more teams than ever are profitable enterprises, attracting the attention of investors. Alpine’s current Team Principal, Oliver Oakes, even headed a bid by racing team Hitech to join the Formula 1 grid for 2026. It’s not outside the realm of possibility, that those plans are still in motion, with an Alpine acquisition and rebranding the goal.
The New Concorde
2025 is also the year where we get a new Concorde agreement.
The Concorde is essentially the contract between the FIA, FOM and the teams, on how the sport is run: Prize money, broadcast revenues, number of races, number of teams, organising fees, the anti-dilution fee, etc.
So basically the entire commercial operation of Formula 1 is governed by the Concorde agreement.
The content of the Concorde agreement is a closely guarded secret, save from a few bits and pieces that slip out from time to time. The only time we’ve seen the full Concorde agreement, was when it the 1997 edition was leaked in 2005. If you want to read the entire 100-page document, you can find it right here.
We already know that the teams are pushing to increase the anti-dilution fee that new teams have to pay from $200 million to somewhere in the $450-600 million range. But other important topics on the table include the maximum number of races per season, and the maximum number of teams allowed on the grid.
The current Concorde expires on December 31st, so expect news that teams have signed the new agreement around the summer break.
The FIA Presidential Elections
The FIA is rarely a popular organisation, and even less so at the moment, after President Mohammed Ben Sulayem clashed with Formula 1 and fans on multiple occasions – most recently by introducing a strict set of regulations on driver expression, also known as the “swearing ban”.
Drivers now face harsh penalties for breaching said regulations. Anything from fines to loss of championship points and race bans.
And while he’s publicly clashing with drivers, not only in Formula 1, internally there are power struggles appearing as well. Ben Sulayem recently had two members of the World Motor Sport Council barred from attending meetings, and successfully campaigned to have FIA governance changed to centralise more power in the President’s office.
FIA insiders are now saying, that the President is planning more changes, that are aimed at ensuring his reelection at the December general assembly will be nothing more than a formality.
As of now he is running unopposed, but there are increasing calls for an opposition candidate to step forward, but so far no one has thrown their hat in the ring.
Tariffs, Tariffs, Tariffs
The new United States administration is keeping the tariff threat looming. First tariffs are coming, then they’re postponed, then they’re coming again, then they’re postponed, and now it finally seems they’re actually coming.
All the Formula 1 teams are based in Europe, and while the tariff plans in the US will only affect imports, European nations are widely expected to introduce reciprocal tariffs on US goods and services.
For the teams, this means an increase in expenses that will affect their cost cap allowances. All of the teams use US goods and services to varying degrees, including those that are supplied as part of partnerships with US companies.
It’s unclear at the moment what impact it’s going to have, or if F1 is going to allow for an adjustment in the cap should tariffs affect it, but it’s definitely something the teams’ financial departments are very busy trying to figure out.
The 2026 Engines
Okay, this one has a slight overlap with the on-track stories, but stay with me.
Throughout the season we’re going to be getting manufacturers’ updates on how their 2026 engines are coming along – and all of them will no doubt say everything is on track, and that their engines will be the best on the grid.
But keep an eye on the stories and leaks about the actual state of the development. With every new engine formula, some get it very, very right (Mercedes, 2014-2021) and some get it very, very wrong (Honda, 2015-2017).
And the same circle is bound to repeat itself here – although perhaps not to the same extremes as the examples above.
Additionally we have two brand new constructors coming in: Audi and Cadillac, who are starting from scratch. Will they sink, or swim?
