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IGNITION Will Leclerc and Hamilton form a dream team and deliver Ferrari its first F1 title since 2008? IMAGES /MOTORSPORT BLOXHAM S Lewis at Ferrari and Autospor t ’s 75th Welcome to the new-look Autosport monthly magazine, following our merger with sister title GP Racing. Autosport will celebrate its 75th birthday in many ways in 2025, and we hope that the magazine’s increased focus on in-depth and premium articles – including interviews, track tests, historic features, analysis and opinion – will be a fitting way of marking the milestone. The who, how and why of Formula 1 will be a key focus but, as this relaunch issue shows, we will continue to cover the vibrant wider world of motorsport, including sportscars, touring car competition, rallying, single-seaters around the globe, and the UK club scene. Whether you’re an F1 fan or a general motorsport enthusiast, Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is likely to be one of the biggest points of interest in 2025. Can the famous Italian team provide a championship-winning car? How will he compare to the rapid Charles Leclerc? And has the now 40-year-old got one more, record-breaking, F1 title in him? We’ll find out many answers in the months to come but, in the meantime, Rebecca Clancy looks at how Hamilton reached this point, what hurdles he will face and where things stand so far (page 22). Columnist Ben Hunt points out that 2026 might actually be the season Hamilton most has his eye on (p16), while Alex Kalinauckas recalls the previous success that the 105-time grand prix winner enjoyed with current Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur (p38). Pat Symonds also outlines the key technical challenges the teams will face in 2025 (p20) and veteran journalist Maurice Hamilton brings his alternative take on current F1 on p72. Be sure to get your technical questions in for Symonds to answer throughout the year. Elsewhere in this issue, Hunt speaks to Lando Norris about the lessons learned from the 2024 campaign and why he feels he is ready 4 AUTOSPORT.COM FEBRUARY 2025 to be world champion (p42), Jake Boxall-Legge takes a look at 2025’s newcomers (p48), and Oleg Karpov conducts our long interview with Alpine principal Oliver Oakes (p56). The Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year, which can trace its origins back to 1989, continues our search for up-andcoming British talent. The winner will be announced at the refreshed Autosport Awards at London’s Roundhouse on 29 January and you can learn more about the process and four finalists in our singleseater section, which starts on p78. We also get 2023 winner Joseph Loake’s take on his Aston Martin F1 prize test at Silverstone (p88). In the sportscar world, Gary Watkins hears from Wayne Taylor about his squad’s move back to Cadillac ahead of the upcoming Daytona 24 Hours (p100), and talks to key players about the return of the Porsche LMP2000 (p106). It’s hard not to think that the V10 machine could have been a Le Mans winner given the chance… Kalle Rovanpera returns to the World Rally Championship for the 2025 campaign, which kicks off with the Monte Carlo classic. Tom Howard speaks to the double champion about what the Finn learned from his eclectic 2024 outings and what he thinks of his leading rivals. Our tribute to tin-top legend Dave Brodie, who died in December at the age of 81, and a chat with British Touring Car star Dan Cammish form our touring car section (p124), while we reveal (and speak to) the winner of the 2024 Ryan Motorsport Insurance Autosport National Rankings in our 17-page National coverage. We’re already planning our future issues, but we’d welcome some constructive feedback as we start our new era. Please let us know what you like, what you don’t like and any suggestions by emailing autosport@autosport.com. The next (March) issue should hit the shelves on 13 February. Kevin Turner Chief Editor kevin.turner@autosport.com
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IGNITION

Will Leclerc and Hamilton form a dream team and deliver Ferrari its first F1 title since 2008?

IMAGES

/MOTORSPORT

BLOXHAM

S

Lewis at Ferrari and Autospor t ’s 75th

Welcome to the new-look Autosport monthly magazine, following our merger with sister title GP Racing. Autosport will celebrate its 75th birthday in many ways in 2025, and we hope that the magazine’s increased focus on in-depth and premium articles – including interviews, track tests, historic features, analysis and opinion – will be a fitting way of marking the milestone.

The who, how and why of Formula 1 will be a key focus but, as this relaunch issue shows, we will continue to cover the vibrant wider world of motorsport, including sportscars, touring car competition, rallying, single-seaters around the globe, and the UK club scene.

Whether you’re an F1 fan or a general motorsport enthusiast, Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is likely to be one of the biggest points of interest in 2025. Can the famous Italian team provide a championship-winning car? How will he compare to the rapid Charles Leclerc? And has the now 40-year-old got one more, record-breaking, F1 title in him?

We’ll find out many answers in the months to come but, in the meantime, Rebecca Clancy looks at how Hamilton reached this point, what hurdles he will face and where things stand so far (page 22). Columnist Ben Hunt points out that 2026 might actually be the season Hamilton most has his eye on (p16), while Alex Kalinauckas recalls the previous success that the 105-time grand prix winner enjoyed with current Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur (p38).

Pat Symonds also outlines the key technical challenges the teams will face in 2025 (p20) and veteran journalist Maurice Hamilton brings his alternative take on current F1 on p72. Be sure to get your technical questions in for Symonds to answer throughout the year.

Elsewhere in this issue, Hunt speaks to Lando Norris about the lessons learned from the 2024 campaign and why he feels he is ready

4 AUTOSPORT.COM FEBRUARY 2025

to be world champion (p42), Jake Boxall-Legge takes a look at 2025’s newcomers (p48), and Oleg Karpov conducts our long interview with Alpine principal Oliver Oakes (p56).

The Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year, which can trace its origins back to 1989, continues our search for up-andcoming British talent. The winner will be announced at the refreshed Autosport Awards at London’s Roundhouse on 29 January and you can learn more about the process and four finalists in our singleseater section, which starts on p78. We also get 2023 winner Joseph Loake’s take on his Aston Martin F1 prize test at Silverstone (p88).

In the sportscar world, Gary Watkins hears from Wayne Taylor about his squad’s move back to Cadillac ahead of the upcoming Daytona 24 Hours (p100), and talks to key players about the return of the Porsche LMP2000 (p106). It’s hard not to think that the V10 machine could have been a Le Mans winner given the chance…

Kalle Rovanpera returns to the World Rally Championship for the 2025 campaign, which kicks off with the Monte Carlo classic. Tom Howard speaks to the double champion about what the Finn learned from his eclectic 2024 outings and what he thinks of his leading rivals.

Our tribute to tin-top legend Dave Brodie, who died in December at the age of 81, and a chat with British Touring Car star Dan Cammish form our touring car section (p124), while we reveal (and speak to) the winner of the 2024 Ryan Motorsport Insurance Autosport National Rankings in our 17-page National coverage.

We’re already planning our future issues, but we’d welcome some constructive feedback as we start our new era. Please let us know what you like, what you don’t like and any suggestions by emailing autosport@autosport.com. The next (March) issue should hit the shelves on 13 February.

Kevin Turner Chief Editor kevin.turner@autosport.com

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