While we wait for the 2025 F1 season

In today’s email:

• This week in history

• 2025 F1 Grid

• What to do during F1 off season?

January 1, 1965: The Prince George Circuit hosted the 1965 South African Grand Prix on New Year’s Day. Originally scheduled to be held as the last race of the 1964 season, the race was eventually moved to January 1st. Being this early in the year meant that none of the teams had a new car ready, so the entire field used the 1964 car. The race was won by Jim Clark from pole.

January 1, 1968: The 1968 South African Grand Prix, held at the Kyalami Circuit, was the second Grand Prix ever held on January 1st. Like the previous race, this one was also won by Jim Clark from pole. This race holds special significance because it was the last race in which he ever competed, due to his fatal crash in a European Formula 2 race at Hockenheim three months later.

January 3, 1969: This day marks the birth of one of the legends of the sport, Michael Schumacher. Born in the small town of Hürth in what was then West Germany, Schumacher went on to become one of the legends of the sport.

155 Podiums, 91 Wins, 7 World Championships.

Keep Fighting, Michael!

These are the 20 superlicence holders who will battle it out over the course of 25 race weekends to be crowned the World Drivers’ Champion.

The 2025 season is slated to have as many as six rookies on the grid. Yes, we know Oliver Bearman and Liam Lawson have already driven in a handful of races. But still, it’s going to be the first full season for the duo as well as for Gabriel Bortoleto, Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, and Isaack Hadjar.

READ MORE: All the drivers and teams lineup confirmed.

Dakar Rally

The world’s toughest off-road rally is underway. Started in 1979 and originally known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, the event was a brainchild of French motorcycle racer Thierry Sabine, who got lost in the Libyan desert during the 1977 Abidjan-Nice Rally and envisioned a race that would push drivers to their limits.

The rally, which began as a predominantly African event, moved continents and ran in South America between 2009 and 2019. Since 2020, the world’s toughest race has found a home in the arid landscapes of Saudi Arabia.

Follow daily coverage on your local broadcaster or watch daily highlights on Dakar Rally’s YouTube Channel here. While you do that, remember, Carlos Sainz’s father, Carlos Sainz Sr., is the reigning champion and one of the main contenders in the Car category.

Senna on Neflix

While we await the latest instalment of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Netflix has created another banger for Formula One fans in the form of Senna. Not to be confused with the 2010 docufilm by the same name, this six-part mini-series premiered in 2024 and is lauded for its masterful storytelling and brilliant characterization of the legend that was Ayrton Senna.

Mexico City e-Prix

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez will play host to the second round of the 2024-25 Formula E season on January 11. If the first race of the season is anything to go by, the Mexico crowd is in for a treat.

To recap, at last month’s Sao Paulo e-Prix, Jaguar’s Mitch Evans defied all-odds and showcased one of the greatest drives in Formula E history by winning the race after starting from the last position.

READ MORE: Six things we learned from the Sao Paulo e-Prix.

Speaking of odds, last month Formula E donated $250,000 to charity after losing a bet on Max Verstappen. During an interview in early 2024, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds made a ‘bet’ pledging $250,000 to charity if any driver other than Max Verstappen won the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

After winning his fourth title, Max Verstappen and Jeff Dodds decided to go 50/50 on distributing the funds to charities of their choice. The world champion pledged $125,000 to Red Bull’s Wings For Life, while the Formula E CEO committed the remaining $125,000 to establish a new fund supporting initiatives dedicated to providing greater opportunities for women in motorsport.