Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari one of F1's 10 driver changes for 2025 as testing begins

We're only just recovering from an extremely active Formula 1 driver market last year, and yet the new season is just weeks away.

All the teams are in Bahrain this week for another round of pre-season testing. They will be putting their new cars through their paces and hoping that everything works as planned, ahead of the 2025 curtain-raiser, the Australian Grand Prix, in mid-March.

And, as we saw at the F1 75 Live season launch event earlier this month, we also have plenty of new driver pairings to get used to. That O2 Arena show helped us to get a proper look at Lewis Hamilton wearing red racing overalls following his blockbuster move to Ferrari.

He will team up with Charles Leclerc this year to form one of eight new driver pairings - only McLaren and Aston Martin are unchanged from 2024. As pre-season testing gets under way, Mirror Sport gives you the lowdown on all the drivers set to start the season:

McLaren - Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

As mentioned, defending constructors' champions McLaren head into the 2025 campaign as one of just two teams with entirely unchanged driver line-up. And why would you want to mix things up when you already have two of the brightest talents on the grid at your disposal?

Lando Norris enters the season as the bookies' favourite for the drivers' title, while team-mate Oscar Piastri is out to prove he can match the Brit in his third F1 campaign.

Ferrari - Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc

The first - and biggest - move of the 2024 F1 market happened before the season even began, when Hamilton declared he was quitting Mercedes for Ferrari. That meant Carlos Sainz had to find a new home, with the Spaniard chased for months by several interested parties.

With the seven-time champion now partnered by one of the most talented drivers on the grid and possibly the quickest over one lap in Leclerc, Ferrari will be confident that their line-up is unrivalled and gives them an edge in their quest to end their long title drought.

Red Bull - Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson

Sergio Perez held on for longer than many thought he might but, after the end of the 2024 campaign, the axe finally dropped. Yuki Tsunoda, with four years of experience at sister squad Racing Bulls, was overlooked and Liam Lawson, with just 11 F1 starts under his belt, was chosen as the next man to partner Max Verstappen.

It's been called the toughest seat in F1 and Lawson will be out to prove that he won't be the latest to crumble under the pressure. All Verstappen will be interested in is winning the drivers' title for the fifth season in a row.

Mercedes - George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes didn't want to have to change their driver line-up, but Hamilton's decision to leave forced their hand. How do you replace a seven-time F1 champion? Team principal Toto Wolff thinks the answer to that question is to promote the young man they believe can become the sport's next dominant star.

George Russell is undoubtedly the team leader now, and is tasked with helping to guide young Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian, aged just 18, has 24 chances this year to join Hamilton as one of just 11 men in F1 history to win a race in their rookie season.

Aston Martin - Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll

The other team with the unchanged driver pairing. Despite being the oldest driver on the grid, Fernando Alonso has a multi-year contract with Aston Martin that guarantees his place until at least the end of 2026.

The double champion continues to be partnered by Lance Stroll, son of the team's billionaire owner Lawrence. With Aston bidding to win races and championships in the coming years, the Canadian in particular is under pressure to prove he can mix it with the best in F1.

Alpine - Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan

Though they got along mostly well during their time together at Alpine, one incident in particular last season seemed to spell the end for their all-French driver pairing. Not long after Esteban Ocon ploughed into team-mate Pierre Gasly in Monaco, it was announced that the 2024 campaign would be his last with the team.

Gasly is now the undisputed team leader with Jack Doohan starting the year as his team-mate, having made his debut in Abu Dhabi last December. But the latter is already under intense pressure to hit the ground running after Alpine signed Franco Colapinto as a reserve ready to take over if the Australian struggles.

Haas - Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman

One of two teams who have changed both their drivers for 2025. Haas wanted to keep hold of Nico Hulkenberg but lost him to the Audi project, and decided against offering an extension to Kevin Magnussen.

So Ocon was signed after Alpine announced they would let him go at the end of 2024, while British teenager Oliver Bearman gets a platform to prove himself, with one eye on a long-term future with parent team Ferrari.

Racing Bulls - Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar

Lawson's promotion to the top Red Bull team necessitated a new face at their sister squad. As the next in line in the driver academy, Formula 2 runner-up Isack Hadjar was the obvious choice, though he will have a lot to prove in a short space of time.

Tsunoda enters his fifth season with what is supposed to be a training ground for junior drivers and, unless he can finally convinced bosses that he is worth of promotion to the top team, it seems likely this will be his last in F1 under the Red Bull umbrella. The Japanese has been linked with Aston Martin as he is affiliated with Honda, who will begin supplying engines to the Silverstone squad from 2026.

Williams - Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz

Williams eventually won the race for Sainz's signature and are very pleased with their new driver line-up. After years of pay drivers and struggling youngsters, team principal James Vowles believes he is onto a winner with the pairing of the Spanish former Ferrari and McLaren star alongside British-Thai racer Alex Albon.

Logan Sargeant never did nearly enough to earn any more time in F1 and the American's mid-season replacement last year, Colapinto, was promoted after Sainz had already signed his Williams contract, meaning there was no room at the inn for the Argentine in 2025.

Sauber - Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto

The other team with changes across the board, after Audi decided to start afresh and move on from Sauber's settled previous pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. They signed Hulkenberg early on to lead their efforts on track and eventually decided to pair him with F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, after missing out on Sainz.

Meanwhile, Bottas and Zhou will have to be content with sitting on the sidelines for now and have both signed reserve deals for 2025. The former is back on the books at Mercedes as a development driver, while China's first ever F1 racer Zhou has also returned to familiar surroundings by retaking his place as a Ferrari academy racer.