Gary Anderson names which F1 team has taken ‘bigger steps’ with their 2025 cars between McLaren and Ferrari.
Unless Red Bull or Mercedes take impressive steps forward, or another team on the grid stuns the rest of the paddock, Ferrari and McLaren will be the favourites at the start of 2025.
20 Feb 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Gary Anderson thinks McLaren have taken ‘bigger steps’ with their 2025 F1 car than Ferrari. Anderson was asked which out of the 2025 McLaren and Ferrari he ‘particularly liked the look of’ ahead of the other and said: “Well, the one thing I would say is that McLaren have, I suppose you could say, taken risks in my opinion with how far they’ve exploited the longitudinal suspension geometry. Using braking and accelerating to try to control the aero platform of the car.”

“And my biggest worry with that is that from my experience, it’s one of these that is so difficult to simulate. It’s about driver feel, it’s about how the driver is affected by it all. So, I think on the track, if McLaren don’t have problems, then I think McLaren have taken bigger steps than Ferrari. I think they’ll still be together battling quite closely and that’s what I want to see. And I want to see Red Bull join the club, Mercedes join the club, [and] perhaps even Alpine join the club.”

“We want a competitive season. It’s the end of these rules, there’s going to be a separation of this grid in 2026 for sure because of the rule change for them because it’s quite big. So, this year’s the fourth year of ground effect rules as we know them and I would love to see a season where we have no idea who’s going to win the championship until the last couple of races.”

Bigger steps’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/gar...n-and-ferrari/


F1 icon Nigel Mansell in no doubt over ‘monumental’ Lewis Hamilton prediction that fulfils eight-year Ferrari prophecy
20 Feb 2025
Joe Brophy
talkSPORT

Asked what he makes of the latter's move to Ferrari, 'Il Leone' said: “Well, having been there and done it, I think it’s absolutely fantastic! I mean, Ferrari’s a dream come true and Lewis is doing everything right.”

“Lewis is a complete class act, he’s going to surprise a lot of people this year. [He’s] not surprised me, but I think he’s going to get the job done and Ferrari between him and Charles Leclerc, Ferrari is overdue for winning a championship or both championships. So, the timing I think of coming together with Ferrari is monumental. I think it’s so exciting!”

‘Monumental’;

https://talksport.com/motorsport/294...ferrari-title/


Fernando Alonso thinks Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari boss is wrong about how the season will pan out
21 Feb 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Fernando Alonso explains why Frederic Vasseur is wrong about how 2025 F1 season will pan out. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has previously told The Race that the competitive landscape is likely to be decided in the first races of 2025, however, Alonso does not think this is the case.

“I feel that the Bahrain tests and the first races will be less relevant than usual. In the last two years, I have seen that during the season,” said Alonso. “Before, it seemed that starting the year well guaranteed you continuity and in these last two years we have seen radical changes in McLaren in 2023, in Mercedes last year, [now] Haas….”

“If the team hits the key in race nine, the season is so long that until race 24 there is a lot to solve. So, I take it a little more calmly how to face the preseason and a good year for us means, at least, equalizing what we did last year. We were fifth in Constructors, I think we were not the fastest fifth at the end of the year and we have to return, at least, to those benefits throughout the year.”

‘The first races will be less relevant than usual’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...-will-pan-out/


Nigel Mansell Backs Lewis Hamilton For Magical Ferrari Debut Win, Predicts ‘Momentous’ F1 Season
Feb 21, 2025
F1 Chronicle

Speaking with ESPN, the 1992 world champion shared his enthusiasm for Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari, stating, “I think it’s absolutely brilliant. Lewis has done something absolutely amazing. If not the greatest … I think he is the greatest ever. I hope he wins first time out like I did, because that’s a magical moment to win your first race with a new team. Ferrari is right at the top of their game.”

“The timing is perfect. Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and [Mclaren] as well. It could be the most momentous year in Formula 1,” Mansell added. The former champion also emphasized the unique and special nature of driving for Ferrari, drawing comparisons to the reverence shown to the Pope.

“Driving for Ferrari … a lot of people go and visit the Pope. The Pope goes to visit Ferrari! All the church bells ring when Ferrari wins. It doesn’t happen in any other country like that,” Mansell explained, highlighting the unparalleled passion and dedication of the Tifosi.

‘Momentous’;

https://f1chronicle.com/nigel-mansel.../?nowprocket=1


Nigel Mansell and Jackie Stewart invited just one current F1 driver to special legends dinner
20 Feb 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Fernando Alonso joined F1 legends dinner in London. In the days before the F1 75 launch, a dinner was hosted by F1 legends including Nigel Mansell, Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Emmerson Fittipaldi and Mika Hakkinen at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Mayfair. Fernando Alonso was present at the legends dinner and was seemingly the only current driver from the grid to be invited.

Posting about the dinner on social media, Andretti said it was the “best time” and that it was “so fun” to meet up with fellow big personalities of F1. Several of them would go on to attend the F1 launch at the O2, where their cars were displayed on stage including Fittipaldi’s McLaren and Hakkinen’s from his title-winning season.

Fernando Alonso and F1 legends write messages to open in next 25 years. Alonso said that his former team boss, Giancarlo Minardi, who gave him his first drive in F1 in 2000 was also present at the event. He revealed that each of the drivers did something special by hand-writing messages and putting them into a locked box for the future. I guess we will have to wait until F1’s 100th anniversary until we see exactly what these legends of the championship have written.

‘Special legends dinner’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/nig...egends-dinner/


George Russell confident Mercedes won't 'fall into trap' again with W16 car during 2025 F1 season
George Russell is optimistic that Mercedes will make a stronger start to the season than they have managed in recent campaigns; watch F1 pre-season testing live on Sky Sports F1 from February 26-28
21 Feb 2025
Sky Sports

George Russell says he is confident Mercedes are "not going to fall into a trap" with their 2025 car in the same way they have done in recent seasons. Speaking as Mercedes' W16 was revealed at F1's all-team launch in London, Russell said: "I think it's going to be a significant change this year, to be honest. Every year we've uncovered a problem, we've solved it, and it's created a new one.

"We've probably been a lot more disciplined with every change that we've made and been more thorough than ever in terms of the simulator running - just to ensure we're not going to fall into a new trap. And so far, it's a reasonable step, obviously you have no idea what everyone else is doing and it's going to be, I feel like, quite an interesting season with how people deploy the resource between 2025 and 2026."

‘Optimistic that Mercedes will make a stronger start to the season’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...2025-f1-season


Toto Wolff clarifies Mercedes’ Ineos future after reported sponsorship cutbacks
20 Feb 2025
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Ineos has long been a major player in the sporting world, owning or sponsoring ventures in the likes of football, sailing and rugby, but there are reports that the British company is scaling back on some of its outgoings. This comes following the news that New Zealand Rugby is suing Ineos for alleged breach of contract, claiming they walked away from a six-year deal three years early.

Sailor Ben Ainslie is also reportedly mulling over taking Ineos to court following his departure from the America’s Cup team. These potentially costly outgoings, along with a $1.6 billion purchase for a portion of Manchester United, has Ratcliffe looking to cut costs, notably with the football club but also by ending its sponsorship of Tottenham Hotspur.

However, any penny-saving measures will not be applied to Mercedes it seems with co-owner Toto Wolff saying his business partner was there to stay.

‘Clarification’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...rship-cutbacks