We have reached the halfway point of the season Formula 1: let's go and see 5 radio teams that reflect some of the stories 2025 has told us so farFrom the difficulty of communicating with the Ferrari drivers, to Verstappen's disconsolate irony, Radio teams allow you to capture what goes through the pilots' heads when tension is highest.
"Must be the water": the radio team that went viral
As we all know, Ferrari has disappointed expectations in 2025. Despite finishing second in the constructors' championship, the Maranello team has only achieved four podiums, all with Leclerc. Hamilton's sprint race victory doesn't change the fact that McLaren has more than double the points total. The frustration of the drivers was also felt in the team radio, especially at the beginning of the season. If we then add the fact that the 7-time world champion had to adapt to a new track engineer after 10 years, the team radios were not the most peaceful.
Bryan Bozzi's comment went viral, Leclerc's engineer, who in the first GP of the season caused Leclerc's ironic response. The Monegasque driver asked about a possible fluid leak inside the cockpit, later saying that his seat was full of water. Bozzi's response?It must be the water”, then provoking an ironic response from Leclerc, which can be summed up with a "but don't tell me"There is a lot going wrong at Ferrari, and if there is also a lack of communication between the pits and the drivers, the road becomes even more uphill.
Piastri vs. Alpine from 2022 to 2025 in Formula 1: the team radio in Austria
The next radio team is the absolute protagonist so far in the 2025 season. Oscar Piastri is proving to be the number 1 candidate for the world championship, with Norris chasing closely. But do you remember what happened in 2022? Alpine released a statement confirming the Australian's arrival with the team in 2023, though the driver himself later denied the news. After growing up in the French Academy, the young driver decided to switch sides at the last minute, joining McLaren.
Right choice? Well, after 2 years he's in first place and has the best car, While Alpine is in last place and full of doubts about its cars and drivers. Only one choice, which wasn't obvious at the time, changed his futureIn the Austrian GP, however, Piastri became furious with the French team after Colapinto, who had been lapped, threatened to ruin his race by pushing him into the grass and close to the wall. Piastri loses a lot of time against Norris and he vents on the radio like this: “Alpine still managed to screw me over after all these years.”
The Australian later commented on the incident, highlighting the irony of the comment, but perhaps there are still some disagreements over what happened years ago. The driver, however, definitely came out of it better than the team.
Verstappen and the gearbox reminiscent of 1 Formula 1972
One of the many ironic radio teams of super Max in this 2025A version of Verstappen we've perhaps never seen before. Well before the midway point of the season, he withdrew from the fight for the championship, and he didn't even seem overly unnerved by certain events. including the accident caused by Antonelli which forced him to retire.
In a Red Bull that is slowly crumbling, However, Max can always count on a very important reference figure: Giampiero Lambiase. The excellent communication between the two has often helped the Dutchman in important decisions, while, as in Monaco for example, it also helps to defuse the situation.
“My gearbox is like in the 1972 Monaco GP” Verstappen commented mid-race, alluding to the fact that the situation is terrible and certainly not up to the competition in 2025.
While waiting to find out what the 4-time world champion will do in his future, for now he can only accept the situation and to drive a machine that is untamable to others except himself, but which is unlikely to satisfy him.
Speaking of the past: Radio teams between yesterday and today
Once they were almost secret, today they are an integral part of the show. Radio teams have undergone an evolution that closely mirrors that of Formula 1. itself, from pure racing to an international show followed by millions of spectators. If in the past the public could not listen to them, Today they are an integral part of the showIn fact, they are reproduced live with a delay of a few seconds, and this also leads to a different attitude among the pilots and engineers, aware of the fact that they can never speak privately.
Another difference is obviously the quality of communication. Only in the last decade or so has it been possible to easily discuss any problem with engineers. Previously, radio was used only for essential and technical information. If once the radio teams were a direct line between the driver and the engineers, Today I am also a bridge between the pilot and the publicThey show us real emotions, but they are filtered by the media context, how many times have we heard the phrase: "We'll discuss it after the race.“? Team radio is now accessible to opposing teams and the public, a major deficit compared to the past.
Fernando Alonso: the unluckiest driver in the world?
Alonso's first eight races were a nightmare: 8 points and last place in the standings, even overtaken by his teammate Stroll. Retirements, bad strategies and bad luck have characterised the Asturian's start to the season, who expressed all his discontent with a team radio in Imola"I'm the unluckiest pilot in the world”. A phrase that perhaps refers not only to 2025 but to the 43-year-old's career.
In the last four races, however, Alonso has scored 4 points, allowing him to distance himself from the lower positions and giving meaning to this season. If this year will be a transitional period, 2026 will be a turning point in the Spanish driver's careerWith Newey's arrival, Aston Martin becomes an interesting team to race for, but if they were to encounter difficulties next year too, it could really be the end for Fernando Alonso.
Formula 1's explosive couple: from inside the car to team radio
One of the most beautiful fairy tales of the last few years of Formula 1Nico Hülkenberg achieved his first career podium at Silverstone thanks to a perfect strategy. While the Stake is far from being among the best cars, the one that stands out is the progress made by the Swiss team. After a very difficult start, the German driver scored four consecutive top 4 finishes in the last four races, including a fifth-place finish and the aforementioned podium. Bortoleto also had a chance to celebrate, scoring his first Formula 10 points in Austria with an eighth-place finish.
In short, Sauber is a real surprise in this 2025, and maybe the secret is the harmony that exists in the team. The two drivers are in fact in tune with each other to give their best for the team, without disturbing each other: the pair expert-rookie seems to work best.
The team radio at the end of the Silverstone GP was indicative: the already retired Brazilian rookie opened up on the radio with Hülkenberg: “Nico, you have no idea how happy I am for you. You're a legend, what you did today is incredible!" The German's answer is ready: "Thanks, buddy. I really appreciate it.”
The pair seems really a perfect matchHulkenberg is proving his true worth, Bortoleto is improving and learning as much as possible, and Sauber is in an exceptional position: P6 in the constructors' championship. And all with a healthy competition between the two, but without any internal disagreements.
