Lasting Legacy of 2025 F1 Season?

[Jericoke]

2025 has been a fairly eventual year, I think there are several that might influence the history of F1 as we know it.

The end of the 20 car grid.  We'll have 22 cars next year, and rumours about 2 more cars joining in the near future swirl.  Personally, I think more cars/teams/drivers makes things more interesting, so I hope the 20 car era is done for good.

The end of Sauber.  I'm not sure this will stick.  The Hinwil team has been 'not Sauber' before, and switched back.  I do wish Audi well though.

The end of the 'privateer' era.  While Sauber and Williams have been owned by megacorporations for a while now, with Sauber being officially Audi, Red Bull tying up with Ford, Cadillac entering the sport, Toyota getting involved with Haas, we're back to the sport being a competition amongst automotive giants.  It seems to happen in cycles, we've seen that the sport can survive the car companies jumping ship, so I don't know if this is a fundamental change in the sport, or just a pendulum swing.

The end of the Max Verstappen era.  RBR and Max Verstappen have dominated the last few years.  RBR as a team has been decimated through some scandal, and isn't the team that brought championships to Vettel and Verstappen.  If the team struggles, there's plenty of young and talented drivers ready to fill that gap if their team is ready.  Or even other champions ready to return to glory if their team succeeds.

The end of the European era.  F1 has been a European sport in it's heart since its inception.  There's always been participation from the Americas, a few star drivers, a few executives signing cheques, but the teams are based in Europe, the tracks were all in Europe, the fans were all in Europe.  Now there are competitive racers from countries that never had competitive racers.  There are plenty of Middle Eastern influences in terms of tracks, ownership and sponsorship.  American influence, both in terms of the American hemisphere AND United States of America being heavily involved in three teams.  Certainly the sport has been 'de centralising' for a while, but 2025 might be the year we delineate the sport going from 'European' to 'World Wide'. (Even though a European won the WDC, the second runner up wasn't European)

[lkjohnson1950]

Quite a number of non Europeans have won the WDC starting with Fangio. Then you have Brabham, Hulme, Fittipaldi, Senna, Villenueve, Andretti. It's only recently that Euro drivers have really dominated.

[Jericoke]

Quite a number of non Europeans have won the WDC starting with Fangio. Then you have Brabham, Hulme, Fittipaldi, Senna, Villenueve, Andretti. It's only recently that Euro drivers have really dominated.

I had meant to imply that drivers were exempt from the 'euro centrism' of the sport.  As you point out, many of the star drivers are not from Europe.  However, even when the WDC is from the Americas or the Southern Hemisphere the majority of the drivers are from Europe.

[cosworth151]

Quite a number of non Europeans have won the WDC starting with Fangio. Then you have Brabham, Hulme, Fittipaldi, Senna, Villenueve, Andretti. It's only recently that Euro drivers have really dominated.

Don't forget Phil Hill at Ferrari in 1961.

I did an F1 Fan Voice survey yesterday. One question was "What first got you interested in F1?" I checked Other & in the Please Specify" box I put "Phil Hill winning the WDC" 

[lkjohnson1950]

 

Oh boy! Shoulda remembered Phil

[Dare]

Quite a number of non Europeans have won the WDC starting with Fangio. Then you have Brabham, Hulme, Fittipaldi, Senna, Villenueve, Andretti. It's only recently that Euro drivers have really dominated.

Don't forget Phil Hill at Ferrari in 1961.

I did an F1 Fan Voice survey yesterday. One question was "What first got you interested in F1?" I checked Other & in the Please Specify" box I put "Phil Hill winning the WDC" 

I'd have to say Clark when he drove at Indy. Back in the days the only
way to follow the race was by radio

[John S]

Quite a number of non Europeans have won the WDC starting with Fangio. Then you have Brabham, Hulme, Fittipaldi, Senna, Villenueve, Andretti. It's only recently that Euro drivers have really dominated.

Don't forget Phil Hill at Ferrari in 1961.

I did an F1 Fan Voice survey yesterday. One question was "What first got you interested in F1?" I checked Other & in the Please Specify" box I put "Phil Hill winning the WDC" 

Don't forget Jody Sheckter, Alan Jones & Nelson Piquet as well. 

[lkjohnson1950]

Hey! I'm OLD, it's hard to remember all the Champions from 60+ years of following F1.