🏁 Launch SZN

Max Verstappen: When asked about the new naughty language guidelines at the F1 75 event, he replied: “Yeah, I prefer not to speak about that. It might get me in trouble.” Over/Under $100K in fines for Max this year?

Lando Norris: “No excuses” in the quest for both championships this season. “We proved last year that we’ve got everything…it takes to fight at the top and be the best. If we’re not…then we’re just not good enough, but that’s certainly not how we’re thinking of things.” Pressure is all on Lando’s shoulders this year. Let’s see how he responds...

Charles Leclerc: Completed first laps in the SF-25 this week along with Hamilton at Ferrari’s private circuit in Fiorano. “The feeling was good… I would be disappointed if we don’t win one of the two World Championships.”

Oscar Piastri: “If I wasn’t racing in F1, seing Lewis Hamilton win a world championship with Ferrari would be pretty cool.” He was sure to reinforce that he said “IF” he wasn’t racing in F1. Always good for a quote, that Oscar.

Carlos Sainz: Sums up how the drivers feel about the cursing crackdown: “I think you can not be too tough on these kinds of things. Because you cannot understand the pressure and adrenaline and the way we feel in the car when we open the radio.” Precisely. I mean how many F-bombs have we all dropped while going 65mph on the Parkway? Imagine 3x that speed into a corner with someone tailgating you even worse than a Jersey driver.

George Russell: Optimistic on team changes so far in 2025: “We’ve been more thorough than ever in terms of the simulator, just to ensure that we’re not going to fall into a new trap, and so far it’s a reasonable step.”

Lewis Hamilton: For the launch event, he picked “invigorated” as the word of the day: “I feel so full of life, and so much energy, because everything’s new. I’m just focused on what’s up ahead. I’m so proud to be a part of the team, something new and exciting for me.”

Fernando Alonso: Says the 2025 car is “90% different” in terms of aero and aesthetics compared to last year’s version.

Pierre Gasly: Sets ambitious goal of the team finishing inside the top five in the Constructors’ battle. "I'd like more than that, but I've got to be objective and know that it's going to be a tight field, a competitive field, and I don't expect massive change compared to last year.”

Nico Hulkenberg: Acknowledges 2025 is a “building year” ahead of the Audi transition. He says the team’s Vegas upgrade as a big step and that “having done the Abu Dhabi test,…I think the car performance wasn’t that far off from what I was previously used to.”

Yuki Tsunoda: Says he “wasn’t super angry” at Lawson getting the Red Bull seat: “Maybe I was prepared inside my head at some point. In the end, whether I’m at Racing Bulls, VCARB or Red Bull, the things I have to do are the same.” Poor Yuki. Maybe he still gets a shot if Liam really struggles.. but I actually think the Aussie will be solid.

Lance Stroll: I swear if Lance mentions the hockey game last night at some point this season then he’s on my s*** list.

Esteban Ocon: Appeared in a French comedy film released on Netflix last week, seemingly playing “the guy she told you not to worry about.” Dang Este. I wasn’t familiar with your game.

Alex Albon: His goal for this year: “I'd like to be fighting up at the top half of that midfield fight. We'll see how big of a midfield fight there is this year. I think it's going to be closer even to the top teams.”

Ollie Bearman: Check out his lid for the new season. I’ll give you one guess which animal was on it..

Liam Lawson: The Aussie wouldn’t be outdone by the bear man: check out his cap here. Oh man this is pretty.. white with pink highlights? HOTW candidate right here.

Jack Doohan: Looking to “embrace” the pressure of reserve driver Franco Colapinto waiting in the wings. Now I’m picturing Franco stalk Jack around the paddock, hiding behind a skinny tree every time Jack looks over his shoulder.

Kimi Antonelli: Not interested in the “replacing Hamilton” narrative: “I don’t find it right to say that I’m his replacement. He has done so much in the sport. I just feel like the next Mercedes driver, and I really want to make my own story.”

Gabriel Bartoleto: Focusing on adapting from F2 to F1 this season: “Every kilometer will be crucial to learning and being ready.”

Isaac Hadjar: Apparently the Racing Bulls drivers may give Max a run for his fine money when it comes to swearing - Helmet Marko has warned the rookie to contain himself on the radio.

McLaren: Word is the team has found a half a second per lap improvement on the 2025 MCL39 vs last years car. Scary if true.

Ferrari: The SF-25 has officially switched to pull-rod suspension which is lighter and has a lower center of gravity, but also has a complex effect on aero. It also looks to have changes to the front/rear wing, mirror mounts, engine cover, sidepods, and floor. Expect continued updates to all teams’ cars before Bahrain testing.

Red Bull: Have former favorites improved on their issues with the RB20 last season? TP Horner says: "We managed to improve them during the course of the latter third of last year, and we'll see if we've managed to go a step further over these early races."

Mercedes: Toto Wolff has denied claims that Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS was close to ending it’s ties to the team.

Aston Martin: Adrian Newey on his favorite rules loophole he’s ever exploited while designing a car: “I think if I had to name a single one it would probably be finding a way to use exhaust effect properly again…I think it was somewhere around 1985 when Lotus started blowing the diffuser on their car, and that’s a very powerful effect where you introduce very high energy air into the underside of the car.”

Alpine: Flavio Briatore says Franco Colapinto is “one of the most important assets” for the team. Poor Jack. Hope he silences the haters ON HIS OWN TEAM!

Haas: A change that’s been highlighted for the 2025 car includes a larger cutout in the rear wing to mainplane transition. This area is the most inefficeint area of the whole wing - so the team is signaling they’ll be trading some increased aero efficiency here for a sacrifice in downforce.

Racing Bulls: Setting expectations: Finishing higher than 8th on the Contructors’ this year would be a realistic and respectable goal.

Williams: TP Vowles is bringing the hype for 2025: “I think it’ll be the closest Championship you’ve seen. Basically impossible for it to get any closer than 2021. But I like where your heads at, James.

Kick Sauber: The team is looking to show progress from a two point campaign last year as Binotto leads a huge team transformation, saying “a lot needs to be done” to develop a “winning mindset.”

• Gearbox Req: The FIA is lifting the gearbox allocation limits for 2025, saying the “reliability of current designs renders this restriction obsolete.”

• Williams Updates: The FW47 is a “straightforward evolution” of the 2024 car with the biggest change being the less abrupt sidepod ramp towards the rear. They’ve switched to pushrod for rear suspension, which have aero benefits of clearing more air around the diffuser wall.

• McLaren Updates: The MCL39 is using a wider wishbone position to put a great emphasis on anti-drive, aiming to keep a consistent distance between the car floor and the ground. Mercedes tried this technique last year with limited success 🔽 

• Familiar Faces: Former teammates Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are back on the grid - albeit as reserve drivers for different teams. Bottas will join Mercedes in the back up role, and Zhou will be Ferrari’s reserve driver for 2025. This is great news - we’re now clear to provide updates on Zhou’s cat throughout the season because it’s obviously very relevant to know about team’s reserve driver’s pets.

• Monaco Mixing It Up: The F1 Commission is looking to increase the number of required pit stops for the Monaco GP. Good! Nearly everyone got their required stop in during the red flag last year. This is a needed change that should introduce more strategy into what is a glorified parade these days.

• Otmar’s Gambit: Former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer is looking to bring a 12th team to the grid.

• Hungaroready? 900 people are working everyday to ensure the updated Hungaroring is ready to host it’s 40th GP by August 🔽 

Quick Question (My answer)

I didn’t catch it live - but have been catching up by reading about the event and watching some highlights - Like Hamilton and Leclerc playing chess at their table.