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Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we’re wondering if you realized next week is kind of the halfway point of the Formula One offseason. Time flies!
I’m Patrick, and Luke Smith will be along shortly. Let’s dive into today’s edition, where we’re talking about past and future(?) champions and your favorite 2024 storylines.
Looking Ahead
What’s next for Lewis Hamilton?
Hamilton is a Ferrari driver. Officially. No, really — check out his LinkedIn page.
The move that shocked us all 11 months ago has finally happened. Hamilton will wear red — but when? When will we get to see the sport’s most popular driver in the sport’s most iconic colors? February 18th is likely, according to Luke.
From there, what will Hamilton’s first weeks at Ferrari look like? Luke has the full rundown.
‘It’s gonna be my year’
Lando Norris made that proclamation about 2025 after he crossed the line in Abu Dhabi last month, clinching McLaren’s first team title in two decades.
The pressing question is whether Norris can deliver on his promise in the upcoming season. His championship battle with Max Verstappen last fall was exciting, but it’s easy to forget that it was unexpected. Before last season, Norris’s best championship finish was sixth, and he ended 2024 with the title just out of reach.
That’s wild! So what changed? Luke wrote about that this week. Here’s a relevant quote:
“The one thing I’ve learned this year is probably to believe in myself a bit more,” Norris said shortly after the race in Abu Dhabi. “I’ve certainly not come out on top as often as I would have liked in certain moments as a driver, especially in my fights against Max.
“As much as it hurts sometimes, I’m probably happy about it now that I’m going to go into next season knowing that I can fight.”
For more on Norris’ 2025 title ambitions, read the story here.
Let’s now toss it to Luke to discuss today’s F1 headline.
It will be hard (but necessary) to say goodbye to Spa. (Peter Fox/Getty Images)
Inside the Paddock with Luke Smith
Expect to see more rotating F1 races
News that Spa, one of the best-loved tracks on the F1 calendar, will be rotating on the calendar after 2027 was met with disappointment by some fans.
It’s part of the new Belgian Grand Prix contract, which includes ‘off’ years in 2028 and 2030 for Spa, making it the first race on the calendar to have rotation as part of its deal.
I don’t expect it to be the last. The current F1 calendar is capped at 25 races, and demand far exceeds that. By rotating races, F1 believes it can reach more markets and fans and add a little freshness to each year’s calendar.
It can also suit the promoters. Zandvoort’s decision to stop hosting F1 after 2026 points to the pressures — and costs — involved in staging a race. Spa looked in serious doubt just a few years ago, and while the interest from the local stakeholders has certainly taken an uplift since then, a couple of off years may actually suit the track.
The track(s) that rotate with Spa are still to be confirmed — look to something in Europe; Barcelona is still looking to stay on the calendar once the Spanish GP moves to Madrid in 2026 — but this kind of deal may become more and more common for the calendar moving forward.
Romantically? Of course, we’ll miss Spa when it’s not on the calendar. It’s a challenge like nothing else and always a great racing spectacle. At least it’s not a scenario we have to consider for another three years.
Readers Review
Your favorite 2024 storylines
Last week, I asked you fine folks what your favorite F1 storylines were from last season. We got a ton of responses – here are a few of them:
“Finding out (McLaren CEO) Zak Brown was on ‘Wheel of Fortune.’”
“Why it’s so hard to be Max Verstappen’s rival. That story was literally a thought plucked out of every Formula 1 fan’s head. Confirmed what everyone was thinking for years.” Pat Note: I couldn’t tell if they referred to this story or this story. I obviously recommend both!
Readers enjoyed George Russell and Max Verstappen’s war of words late in the 2024 season. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
“The George Russell/Max Verstappen late-season feud because it unraveled as almost unnoticeable in front of us. It can be traced back to Canada in that memorable Q3, with both of them setting the exact same lap time but with George ahead. All sportsmanship by then and suddenly by the late season, there’s this heated conflict among them, again, triggered by a very contested quali.”
“My favorite story from this season was probably that we’re going to get an 11th F1 team in 2026! It’s so exciting to (finally) have new players on the grid and more drivers, especially if we’re going to see some familiar faces back in F1 or some more rookies. I and probably a lot of other fans hope that Cadillac will stir up the championship and become an upper-midfield or even a championship contender, or even just a team to shake things up a little bit.”
“The Montreal groundhog story, being from Montreal, it made me laugh and appreciate the differences in each location that we take for granted.”
48 days until preseason testing
Just a casual update.
Outside the Points
The Athletic just launched our latest newsletter, MoneyCall, which is all about sports business. The debut edition is out now, and you can subscribe here! Today’s first send includes a 2025 F1 prediction. 👀
Finally, is there anything you’re dying to know or understand about F1? Let us know here, and we’ll see about adding your topics to our ‘Between the Racing Lines’ series in 2025.
See you next Wednesday, folks. 🫡
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(Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
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