This Year in Racing - Your Top Racing Moments of 2025

2025 Seasoned Superstar - Alex Palou

Driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, Alex Palou absolutely dominated the IndyCar season this year. He amassed 13 podiums across 17 races, and claimed eight total wins, including the 2025 Indy 500. This is all the more impressive when considering the mix of road circuits, street tracks and ovals on the Indy calendar, showcasing the breadth of Palou’s skills as a driver. 2025 marks Palou’s third consecutive IndyCar title, and fourth across five years, making him one of the most successful IndyCar drivers in the history of the series. 

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2025 Breakout Racer - Isack Hadjar

F1 has had a rather exciting season with a myriad of new faces on the grid, but amongst them one stood out head and shoulders above the rest: Isack Hadjar. Despite being part of an organization known to be rough on its rookies, Hadjar shone this year brightly enough to earn him a promotion from junior team VCARB to senior team Red Bull. His standout performance of the year came during the Dutch Grand Prix, where he drove a brilliant race to secure the first of what will surely be many more podiums to come.

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That Just Happened - Helmut Marko Leaves Red Bull

From mid-season driver swaps to the firing of Christian Horner as team principal, it feels like Red Bull went through every time of staff change possible this year. But the moment that topped the list as most shocking was the recent announcement that Helmut Marko was departing from the team. In his 20 years with the Red Bull organization, Marko has certainly left his mark, spearheading the junior program that has shaped the likes of Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel while also being known to not hold back his words. 

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Pop Culture Overtake of the Year - F1: The Movie

2025 brought Formula 1 from the race track to the big screen with F1: The Movie, a cinematic phenomenon that had millions of people flocking to the theatre to see it. Produced by Lewis Hamilton himself and starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, the movie was shot throughout the 2023 and 2024 F1 seasons, capturing an extremely authentic feel to the racing scenes. It grossed over $600 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful sporting films of all time. 

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2025 Peak F1 Drama - Papaya Rules

This year’s F1 season certainly had its fair share of drama, but if there is one thing that will stick in the minds of fans, it is papaya rules. This is the now-infamous nickname given to McLaren’s code of conduct towards their drivers, which has led to everything from a stern warning for their drivers to not hit each other on track, all the way to asking Oscar Piastri to move over and let Lando Norris by when he had a slow pit stop at the Italian Grand Prix. Needless to say, these calls have led to many debates amongst F1 fans, and will surely continue to be a major talking point into the next season.