PRO- Gabby Haddad
Formula 1 has stood alone as the pinnacle of motorsport for almost a quarter of a century, garnering a fanbase in the hundreds of millions. Over the years, Formula 1 has made many changes, a handful of which will be implemented in the upcoming 2025 season.
One of the huge changes is the grid change. It gives current Formula 1 drivers who are changing teams the chance to experience new things and improve the team or themselves in new environments. For example, Lewis Hamilton who had an illustrious career winning 7 world championships with Mercedes, is moving to Ferrari because he has yet to perform as well as he has in previous seasons where he dominated the grid, so this could be a new and great experience for him.
There are also the new drivers coming in from Formula Two but the only seats we know are confirmed so far are: Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, Oliver Bearman for Haas, Jack Doohan for Alpine, Isack Hadjar for VCARB and Gabriel Bortoleto for Kick Sauber. Red Bull also recently announced they would be parting ways with their driver of four years Sergio Perez with current Visa CashApp Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson taking that open spot. This brings in former Formula 2 driver Isack Hadjar to fill Lawson’s vacant seat. Additionally, Previous Kick Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas is returning to Mercedes as a reserve driver, Bottas raced for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021 alongside Lewis Hamilton. Overall, these new drivers can bring in new fresh talent and starting at a younger age can help them to be even more experienced in the future.
Formula 1 also has recently announced that Chrysler will be a new team on the grid in 2026 along with the other ten. Plenty more announcements will be made in the next season but I believe a new team could be a good thing because not only will it allow past or new drivers the chance to be on a team, but it’ll include more competition which could make it more engaging and bring in new fans.
CON- Molly Lau
Though Formula 1 has built a devoted fan base over the years, the fans haven’t withheld their criticism toward changes within the sport. The 2025 grid changes have sparked controversy amongst fans who want the best for their favorite drivers. For example, fans of drivers like Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton are upset over their drivers moving teams, fearing it may not be in their best interest.
Similarly, fans of drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and Logan Sargent are quite upset about their favorite drivers being dropped from their teams in the middle of the 2024 season and therefore, not having a seat for the upcoming 2025 season. These controversies have caused a divide between fans, sparking many issues and arguments on social media.
Along with the grid shuffling, many new drivers have been added to the grid for next year’s season. Many of these drivers are rookies who are either very inexperienced in Formula 1 or have only driven in lower classes of motorsport such as Formula 2. This brings up many issues, these young drivers with less experience than others on the grid are far more prone to crashes, loss of control and other issues while racing. Despite extensive Formula 1 car safety measures, it isn’t a great idea for young drivers to learn how protective they are the hard way. These crashes are even more expected to happen with the recent announcement of the addition of an 11th team for the 2026 season, which will increase the driver count from 20 to 22 drivers. This will crowd the grid even more and likely cause more collisions due to more cars trying to fit through the narrow tracks, especially during tough turns and hairpins.
Overall, though some changes within Formula 1 have proven beneficial, it is evident that some of these benefits will soon be outweighed by issues arising from the recent changes made.
