F1 2025: What is each team naming their car?

The 2025 F1 season is right around the corner, and we are tracking what each team is naming their challenger

The 2025 Formula 1 season is right around the corner. Later this month all ten teams will participate in the first-ever season launch event, held at The O2 Arena in London on February 18. That event will commemorate the 75th anniversary F1 season, and give each team a chance to unveil their livery for the upcoming campaign.

In addition, some teams are scheduling separate events to unveil their actual challengers for the upcoming season, leading to some questions.

Specifically, what are these cars going to be named?

Here is a look at each team’s naming convention, as well as either speculation on what their 2025 challenger will be named following that convention, or confirmation from the teams regarding that name.

Alpine

Since joining the F1 grid in 2021 following a rebrand that saw Renault become Alpine, the French-based team has followed a standard naming convention: A5XX, with the XX indicating the calendar year.

For example their first challenger back in the 2021 F1 season was the A521. Last season’s challenger was the A524, and there is every expectation that this year’s challenger will follow the same naming convention as the A525.

As for why the team uses the A5XX convention, between the A for Alpine the team designated their F1 operation as project 500, and their first prototype was the A500. Building off this point the team’s challenger for the 2024 World Endurance Championship was the A424, with their WEC project given the 400 project indicator.

Aston Martin

Since joining the grid for the 2021 season after a lengthy absence, Aston Martin has used a standard naming convention each year for their challenger. Their challenger for the 2021 F1 campaign was the AMR21: Aston Martin Racing and the calendar year.

This season’s challenger will follow that naming convention as the AMR25. Aston Martin announced that in addition to releasing the livery at the live event at The O2 on February 18, they will unveil the AMR25 on February 23:

Ferrari

Over their time in F1 Ferrari has used a variety of naming conventions. For their first season in F1 their challenger was the Ferrari 125 F1, as that car used the same engine used in the company’s 125 S Sports Racer.

While the naming conventions have evolved over the years, in recent seasons Ferrari has used SFXX for the name of their challenger, with SF standing for Scuderia Ferrari. That began in 2021 with the SF21, and was continued in both 2023 and 2024 with the SF-23 and SF-24, respectively.

The team deviated from that naming structure in 2022, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of their first production car. That season Ferrari’s challenger was the F1-75.

Ferrari announced that the day after the collective launch, they will have another event at their factory on February 19 to unveil their 2025 challenger:

The team has also confirmed that the 2025 challenger will follow the recent naming conventions, and be called the SF-25:

This means that the first challenger Lewis Hamilton will drive as a member of Ferrari will be the SF-25.

Haas

Haas joined Formula 1 for the 2016 season, and at the moment remains the only American team on the grid, although that number will grow by one when. the Cadillac F1 team arrives for the 2026 season.

Owned by Gene Haas of NASCAR fame, Haas debuted in the 2016 season with the VF-16 and has utilized that naming convention each season. Last year’s challenger was the VF-24, and while the team has not confirmed that the 2025 challenger will be the VF-25, every year they have followed the VF-XX format.

As for where the VF comes from, according to Haas:

“The origin of naming the car “VF-16” goes back to the first CNC machine manufactured by Haas Automation, the VF-1, launched in 1988. The “V” stands for vertical, which is an industry standard designation for a vertical mill. Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, added “F1” to the name to unofficially designate it as the company’s “Very First One”.

McLaren

Over the years McLaren has used a few different naming structures for their challengers. Originally the team used the letter M followed by a number, often with another letter indicating the model. For example, during the 1967 F1 season alone the team used M4A for their F2 challenger, M4B for their initial F1 challenger, and then M5A later in the F1 season.

That changed in 1981 when Project Four, a British team competing in F2 and F3, merged with McLaren. Subsequent to that merger the team’s cars began with the MP4 name, such as the MP4.

When Ron Dennis left the team in 2017, the naming convention shifted again to MCLXX, with MCL reflecting the name of the team’s founder, and the numbers indicating the version of the challenger. Thus in 2017 the team’s challenger was the MCL32, followed by the MCL33 in 2018. On occasions when the team used an updated version of a previous model a letter was added, as was the case in 2021 when the team ran the MCL35M, having run the MCL35 during the 2020 F1 season.

This has been their structure each year since 2017, except for the 2023 season. That year McLaren ran the MCL60, named to commemorate the team’s 60th anniversary. McLaren won the 2024 Constructors’ Championship with the MCL38.

While McLaren has not confirmed that this year’s challenger will be the MCL39, the team hinted at that naming convention this week.

Mercedes

When Mercedes returned to F1 in 2010 following an extensive absence — Mercedes competed in F1 for two seasons during the 1950s — they did so with the MGP W01.

Since then, while there have been different naming conventions the underlying challenger has been given the WXX name. For example, their challenger in 2010 was the MGP W01 and their 2011 challenger was the MGP W02.

The team then switched to the F1 WXX X convention in 2012. Their challenger that season was the F1 W03, which changed to the F1 W05 Hybrid in 2014. Other installments have included the F1 W08 EQ Power+ (2017), F1 W11 EQ Performance (2020) and the F1 W12 E Performance starting in 2021, with subsequent versions such as the F1 W13 E Performance in 2022.

Last season’s challenger was the F1 W15 E Performance, and the team has confirmed that this season’s challenger will be the F1 W16. Mercedes will unveil the W16 on February 24, ahead of a shakedown session at Bahrain International Circuit that is scheduled for the next day:

Mercedes will unveil their livery for the upcoming season at the event at the O2 Arena on February 18.

Red Bull

Red Bull have kept a very simple naming construction, dating back to the 2005 F1 season. RB for Red Bull, followed by a number. Their first challenger back in 2005 was the RB01, followed by the RB02 and so on.

The only deviation from this naming structure came during the 2020, 2021, and 2022 F1 seasons. The team’s challenger for 2020 was the RB16, followed the next year by the RB16B.

Then in 2022 the team debuted the RB18.

The reason for skipping RB17? That designation was given to a special hypercar project, brought about during the COVID-19 pandemic, as former engineer Adrian Newey explained back in 2024. “What caused it [the missed F1 RB17 name] was Covid, effectively. The RB16 was the car we raced in 2020. That was then going to be replaced by RB17 for the 2021 season, but with Covid getting in the way, the regulations changed,” said Newey.

“We had to race the 2020 car in modified form for 2021, so RB17 as an F1 car was never ever built, because then when we did the ’22 car that was christened RB18, so 17 was always a missing number.”

When the hypercar project began, RB17 was the natural name for it.

“Also, in terms of when I did the first sketch or drawing [for the RB17] and then when the guys in Advanced Technologies took that and started doing their work, chronologically it fitted perfectly, so it just seemed logical – it felt right to fill in that gap.”

This year’s challenger will be the RB21. Red Bull announced in December that they will unveil the RB21 at the event at The O2 Arena on February 18:

Sauber

Sauber is set to become the Audi works operation in 2026, so this will be their last season in the sport.

For decades the team has followed the CXX naming convention, with two numbers indicating the version of car. For example their very first sports car back in 1970 was the C1.

As for the C, that is a reference to Christine Sauber, wife of founder Peter Sauber.

Last season’s car was the C44, and there is every expectation that this year’s challenger will be the C45.

Visa Cash App Racing Bulls

With the rebrand in 2024 to Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, a new naming convention arrived for the team once known as AlphaTauri. Last year’s challenger was named the VCARB01, and while the team has not confirmed that this year’s challenger will be the VCARB02, there is every expectation they will follow this convention.

Williams

Over their years in F1 Williams has named each of their challengers after founder Frank Williams, starting the name with his initials FW at the start, followed by a number. For their first season as Williams in F1 back in 1978 the team ran the FW06, and last year’s challenger was the FW46.

Some seasons the team has run a modified version of a previous challenger, as they did in 2021 when they ran the FW43B. The FW43 was their challenger for the 2020 season.

The team has already confirmed that this season’s challenger will be the FW47. Williams will unveil the FW47 at a special Valentine’s Day event at historic Silverstone Circuit. The team will also introduce a special livery that will be used at this season’s British Grand Prix.

Williams will unveil their 2025 race livery at the F1 season launch at The O2 Arena.