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The 2025 F1 season is inching closer with the winter break ending, and the grid is kicking things into the next gear. This is precisely the time when the drivers and teams start putting together the pieces for the upcoming relentless slog of 24 races, forcing everyone to be on their toes at all times.
As the mental and physical preparations begin, every driver tends to set a goal for the upcoming season, they visualize and review the goal throughout the year to ensure they've not fallen off the wagon.
As we get closer to the start of the 2025 F1 season, what could be the pre-season target set by every driver for himself? Let's take a look.
McLaren
Lando Norris
In 2025, Lando Norris has to win the title. There's no two ways about it this time around. There are no excuses, no claims of this being the first time he'll be in a title battle.
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Norris had a dry run in 2024, and he fell short. For 2025, he would have a capable car under him, and now it's on him to get the job done.
Oscar Piastri
Just like Lando Norris, a driver of Oscar Piastri's calibre cannot be happy with being the second-best driver in the best team on the grid. Just like his teammate, the young Australian has to go for the title, and with this being his third year with the team, all the excuses are now in the bin, as he has enough experience under the bag.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc
Just like the McLaren duo, Charles Leclerc has the same goal. This has to be the year when he takes that final step. He was second in the championship in 2022 and third last season.
The Monegasque showed remarkable improvement last season and has been putting up promising results. With Lewis Hamilton in the cockpit and a car potentially capable of fighting for the title, this has to be Charles Leclerc's year.
Lewis Hamilton
For Lewis Hamilton, the first year at Ferrari will be all about regaining confidence and getting to the level Charles Leclerc is performing at. If the F1 title is at stake, the driver would want to go for it, but 2025 is ideally the year of learning and settling into the team.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen
It's not hard to guess what the reigning 4-time world champion is targeting for 2025. A fifth world title that would put the Dutch level with Juan Manuel Fangio and just behind Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher in terms of F1 championship triumphs.
Liam Lawson
It might sound a bit conservative, but for Liam Lawson, the first season at Red Bull is all about surviving. There's a job he's expected to do where he has to be close enough to Max Verstappen. All that the Kiwi has to do is operate at that level for the 24 races of the year.
Mercedes
George Russell
For George, he would be hoping against hope that Mercedes builds a car that could fight for the title, but again, that might be a step too far. 2025 has to be the year when Russell takes over the lead role and leaves no stone unturned in making the German team his own.
For George, he needs to cut down on errors, improve race pace, and command as much authority as he can within the F1 team.
Kimi Antonelli
For young Kimi Antonelli, the first aim has to be to keep the car in one piece and not crash it too often. Knowing the mentality that makes a driver jump to F1 as quickly as he's done, expect the young Italian to target wins at the very least in his first season with the team.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso
It's hard to identify what exactly Alonso would be targeting as a driver in 2025, as Aston Martin might be more than a step behind rivals. The Spaniard, on his part, would be trying to work as much as he can with the team to help build a platform for 2026.
Lance Stroll
For Lance, it's all about trying to be as close as possible to his F1 teammate Fernando Alonso.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly
For Pierre, the 2025 F1 season is the one where he tries to build his reputation. With Alpine already sharing that Jack Doohan is not someone who has a guaranteed seat, it allows the French driver to have the entire team back him up as he tries to place himself as the driver who gets strong results in cars that not many would rate highly.
Jack Doohan
As we mentioned earlier, for Jack Doohan, the 2025 F1 season is all about survival. If we try to read between the lines of Flavio Briatore's interview, then one thing is clear, the Aussie's seat is not completely safe. A possible way to secure the seat is by trying to match Gasly in terms of pace from the get-go.
Haas F1
Esteban Ocon
For the French driver, the first season at Haas is all about trying to build a foundation. This season has to be all about how Esteban Ocon becomes the lead at the time and builds the team around himself.
Ollie Bearman
For the young Ferrari prospect, the one thing has to be the ability to be fast and then use his racecraft to build on his results.
RB
Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda would not be at RB next season, something which has already been hinted at by Red Bull as well. The 2025 F1 season is all about performing in a way that Yuki becomes an attractive option and is picked up by one of the other teams.
Isack Hadjar
For Isack Hadjar his rookie F1 season will be all about how close he can get to Yuki Tsunoda. The French-Algerian would be well aware that the Red Bull seat could open up if Liam Lawson is unable to rise to the challenge, and in that case, the French driver could get a shot with the team.
Williams F1
Alex Albon
The target for the 2025 F1 season for Alex Albon has to be to establish himself as the leader at Williams. With Carlos Sainz coming in, there are always questions on which driver the team could lean towards, and James Vowles' known affection towards the Spaniard is surely a concern for the Thai driver.
As Williams improves and climbs the F1 pecking order, Albon would be trying to reassert himself within the team, especially with Franco Colapinto looming in the background.
Carlos Sainz
For Sainz, the 2025 F1 season is about establishing himself within the team as the leader and growing with Williams. The Spaniard knows he has a tough task in front of him and the best thing he can do is try and help the team improve through his experience of working with Ferrari and McLaren.
Sauber
Nico Hülkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg is moving into a new team that has seen its leadership change from the time he signed for them. With Audi's entry looming, the 2025 season has to be all about helping the squad grow and improve. There are major strides that the team and Hulkenberg need to take, and this season has to be the one where it all starts.
Gabriel Bortoleto
The other highly rated young talent Gabriel Bortoleto is making his way to F1 with Sauber. The young Brazilian has had two splendid seasons where he's won titles. For his rookie year, it's all about learning from someone like Nico Hulkenberg and by the end of the year, starting to stamp his authority on him with the natural pace he possesses.
