Drivers, teams who need a reset after F1’s first five races

The Formula 1 season has started with a relentless intensity, featuring five races crammed into just six weeks, creating a truly frenetic pace.

A single weekend separated the initial doubleheader from the recently concluded tripleheader. Five flyaway events have already taken place across the Pacific and Middle East – Australia, China, Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Now, the championship shifts its focus across time zones, with a break both before and after the Miami Grand Prix, which stands as the first solitary race weekend of the 2025 calendar.

While drivers like the new championship leader Oscar Piastri, reigning champion Max Verstappen, and the Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon have flourished during this intense early phase, several others will undoubtedly welcome the upcoming short break in the schedule.

Lando Norris | McLaren

This one is perhaps the most evident. Norris urgently needs to transform the narrative around his season and needs to do so quickly.

He began the season living up to the preseason hype, securing pole position and a dramatic victory in Australia after navigating a chaotic, rain-affected race. It felt like a definitive statement. However, since then, his championship challenge appears to have lost momentum. He`s been prone to errors, seems self-critical, and has even expressed some dissatisfaction with the car.

After the tripleheader, he now shares the same number of career wins as his teammate Piastri – five each – and Norris risks seeing the Australian pull away in the standings. What better opportunity to turn things around than at the circuit where Norris claimed his first F1 victory a year prior?

The shift in mindset at McLaren, now operating as a title favorite, has been noticeable. Norris recently mentioned on Dutch television that he would not be repeating his pre-Miami trip to Amsterdam from last year, where videos of him DJing with Martin Garrix went viral just a week before his maiden F1 win at the Hard Rock Stadium circuit.

“I`m fighting for a championship, I can`t afford to do these things,” Norris told ViaPlay on Sunday. “I`ve gotta go back home and train. As much as I would like a little drink, I`ve not drunk all year and I`m proud of that.”

While seemingly minor, the value of a week away from the pressures associated with being an F1 title contender experiencing a difficult patch cannot be overstated. Norris must utilize this break effectively. It`s too early to label his situation a crisis; despite appearing significantly off Piastri`s pace recently, he`s still only 10 points adrift with 19 races remaining. Nevertheless, a change in trajectory is essential soon, or Norris`s struggle to capitalize on the biggest opportunity of his career could become a defining characteristic.

Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari

It took six weeks, but the intense buzz surrounding Hamilton`s move to Ferrari has definitely subsided. The preseason anticipation was immense, but even a sprint race victory in China hasn`t been enough to sustain that excitement as reality has set in. Saudi Arabia represented another lackluster weekend; Hamilton lacked pace significantly, while teammate Charles Leclerc secured the team`s first grand prix podium of the season.

When questioned by Sky Sports about his comfort level with the car during the race, Hamilton responded: “There wasn`t one second.” He added: “Well clearly the car is capable of being P3, so … Charles did a great job today, so I can`t blame the car.”

This mindset isn`t new for Hamilton. He was notably self-critical at times during his final three seasons with Mercedes and, like many top athletes, has consistently found it challenging to cope when things aren`t clicking. His current difficulty in connecting with the Ferrari, something he still couldn`t fully explain on Sunday night, remains the dominant storyline from his side of the garage.

Ferrari isn`t panicking yet. Aside from the Shanghai sprint, there was the middle phase in Bahrain, which Hamilton described as the first time he truly felt in harmony with his red car. Without the safety car that reset everyone`s strategies, Ferrari might have seen one or both cars competing for a podium. Team boss Frédéric Vasseur referenced both these instances when explaining his lack of concern regarding Hamilton`s slow start. It`s clear that when Hamilton and the car connect, positive results are possible.

Hamilton isn`t particularly fond of the Miami circuit, but with the next race being Imola, Ferrari`s spiritual home, it would be an ideal moment for him to finally get on the same page with his new car.

Jack Doohan | Alpine

The situation surrounding Doohan is somewhat perplexing. For weeks leading up to the season start, speculation suggested Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto would replace Doohan as early as the Miami Grand Prix. That rumor has since cooled slightly, with reports indicating the Australian now has until the summer break.

Alpine has expressed frustration with the persistent media speculation, but team boss Oliver Oakes has never offered a definitive answer on whether Doohan will complete the season, making this distraction largely self-inflicted. Doohan finds himself caught in the middle, and it`s fair to consider how much this has impacted his early season performance. His name is naturally in the spotlight, irrespective of whether a mid-season driver change materializes. Williams evidently loaned Colapinto to Alpine with an understanding or expectation that he would gain some race experience at some point in 2025.

The discussion around Colapinto has also been intriguing. When Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson swapped seats after the China race, the Argentinian`s name reappeared. Reports from his home country claimed Red Bull was set to drop Lawson entirely and sign Colapinto to the junior team – a scenario that multiple sources indicated was never even considered by Red Bull. The inclusion of Colapinto`s name in these reports makes some of the chatter originating from his camp harder to trust, and his status as Doohan`s eventual replacement seems less certain now than it did a month ago, despite many in the paddock assuming some form of agreement exists for later in the year.

All of this constitutes positive news for Doohan, who deserves more time to demonstrate his capabilities in F1. Alpine has been quick at times to emphasize how impressed they`ve been with him, but it hasn`t been a particularly stellar start overall. Several factors have worked against him, beyond the initial series of incidents. Firstly, Alpine`s car has not performed up to preseason expectations so far. Secondly, the high benchmark set by teammate Pierre Gasly, whose seven points represent the difference between the team being ninth and last in the championship standings. Thirdly, the strong early performances from other rookies – particularly Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, and Oliver Bearman.

Assuming Doohan gets the chance to race in Miami, it`s more opportunity than many expected just a few weeks ago. He needs to seize this as a platform to alter the perception regarding the perceived limited lifespan of his F1 career.

Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls and Red Bull

Three consecutive race weekends have passed since Lawson was replaced by Tsunoda at Red Bull, and Red Bull has valid reasons to feel positive about that decision.

Tsunoda`s pace has been promising. His clash with Gasly in Saudi Arabia was unfortunate, a typical opening-lap incident, which ruined what had been a strong starting position. Meanwhile, further down the pit lane, Lawson appears to be getting a better grasp of his Racing Bulls car, although he`s been outperformed by Hadjar so far – which is understandable given his return to the team without any testing.

Hadjar has observed Lawson making rapid progress over the past three weeks. Speaking after Sunday`s race, the French rookie commented: “This weekend [Lawson] was really, really fast. In qualifying, he made the most of the car. He`s definitely getting stronger now, definitely pushing me just like Yuki was pushing me as well.”

Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies also stated that Lawson readjusted to the driver swap faster than the team anticipated. The New Zealander was unlucky to receive a 10-second penalty in Jeddah but seemed to be in his best form since returning to the junior team.

As for Tsunoda, he is clearly handling the car and the role as Verstappen`s teammate better than Lawson did in the opening two races. It has been a whirlwind period for both Tsunoda and Lawson, and they both now have an opportunity to step back and evaluate their current positions.

Aston Martin

A team to round off this list. Lawrence Stroll`s team is currently significantly off the pace.

Naturally, a large focus is on the 2026 regulations, which new managing technical partner Adrian Newey is primarily concentrating on. However, it has still been striking to witness how uncompetitive the British Racing Green cars have been. Three pointless races during the recent tripleheader have been particularly painful, especially considering Lance Stroll scored points in the initial two rounds. Perhaps most surprising is that Fernando Alonso is one of only four drivers yet to score points in the championship – the other three being rookies.

Regarding the 2026 focus, it`s worth noting that every other team on the grid is also directing attention there. While Aston Martin is preparing for an exclusive Honda partnership, Red Bull is simultaneously managing its 2025 car development alongside an entirely new engine project for 2026. Perhaps more reassuringly for Lawrence Stroll, the other two teams undergoing significant changes for next season – Sauber, which will become Audi, and Alpine, which will switch to Mercedes power – have also had relatively anonymous starts to the year. However, Formula 1 is ultimately driven by results, and appearing to give up early is never a good look.

Seeing is believing. Aston Martin has spoken extensively about transforming into a championship contender in the near future, but at this moment, the entire operation appears to be performing slightly below its actual capabilities.