Rev up your engines, Formula 1 season has begun and the formidable cars have just finished their first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The Red Bull Racing-Honda driver Max Verstappen came 1st in both races with an astonishing 13 second lead in Jeddah; Saudi Arabia. The icon of this generation Max Verstappen is not likely to be beat.
Another amazing performance came from Scuderia Ferrari’s replacement driver, Oliver Bearman. Scuderia Ferrari driver- Carlos Sainz had unfortunately come down with appendicitis, preventing him from performing in Jeddah. Fans were heavily concerned whether Ferrari would be able to score points with a rookie against the other contending teams but in the end; Oliver Bearman placed within the points and at 7th place, an astounding achievement on his F1 debut. Leclerc also retained the podium and earned 16 points for the proud Ferrari team.
Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton also praised Bearman for his talented driving skills. Lewis Hamilton called Bearman “phenomenal” and a “future star” prompting fans to recommend Ferrari give the rookie a seat instead of the long-time Mercedes driver. This is a reaction from the recent announcement that Lewis Hamilton would be moving to Scuderia Ferrari for the 2025 season came as a major shock to fans considering the loyalty he has had to the team since 2013. Fans wonder what was the pivoting point of this decision and hope to understand why he made it.
The next race is set to be in Melbourne; Australia on March 23rd, the home country of certified ‘Aussie’ boy Daniel Ricciardo. He has had an eventful career jumping from multiple teams and ending up in McLaren for the 2024 season but he has yet to show a compelling performance. He currently sits at 16th place which is not great for this previous Grand Prix race winner. Fans hope to see his passion coming through especially in his home base and maybe a win from this former champion.
This season is expected to be filled with external issues especially due to Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner’s rumored dismissal at the end of the season, as well as investigations into Red Bull Team Principal Helmut Marko. Both Horner and Marko were confirmed over allegations of inappropriate behavior – the case has now been dismissed by Red Bull Gmbh. There is no doubt that this season will bring much surprises to the F1 fans.