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Our F1 content creators favourite photographs from 2025

Blurs, black and whites, silhouettes, and smiles: The stories behind their special shots

Read time: 7.2 minutes

Over the course of a long Formula 1 season, our content creators capture hundreds of thousands of images, maybe more, but there are always a special one or two that stand out.

It might be an image that unlocks a memory, tugs at the heartstrings, or triggers a laugh. It could mark the success of a new technique, or even be a happy accident - a moment where things didn’t quite go to plan, but the result was unexpectedly special. Or, quite simply, it may be the best image they captured all year.

As we prepare to enter a new era of Formula 1, we asked our creators to dive back into their 2025 archives, select their two favourite photographs, and share the stories behind how they were taken.

Alex
Shot on a Canon R5, with a F2.8 70-200mm lens

“The image isn’t actually quite in focus, but in this instance, I kind of like that – and I promise, I did take some sharp ones! But this one stood out to me. I think it conveys the speed and intensity of the cars.

“I captured this from the balcony of an apartment that the team was using to host some of our partners across the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, which gave us a unique aerial viewpoint we wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to shoot from. In terms of the technical side of capturing this image, the general rule for shooting a car on track to get a blurry background is to match your shutter speed to the speed of the car. If a car is doing 60mph, you want to be at 1/60, and then pan with your camera to keep the car in the same spot of your viewfinder. When capturing F1 cars going 180mph, this is naturally a bit trickier… once you have that nailed, you can drop your shutter speed lower to enhance the blur – this makes the car harder to keep in focus, which is likely what happened to me here, but sometimes that makes the image.”

F1 2025 McLaren
Bruce
Shot on a Canon R5ii with a 28-70 f2 lens

“I got this shot during the aftermath of the team photo in Abu Dhabi. It was an incredibly emotional time for the team, and I feel like this shot captures a piece of it. I love the composition, the arms and bottles entering the frame from the top, the liquid frozen in time, the pit board details, and the confetti alluding to what has just happened. Pure chaos, with Lando at the centre of it all, grinning from ear to ear, and taking in the moment.”

McLaren F1 Abu Dhabi
Qas
Shot on a Canon R5 with a 24-70mm lens 

“This was captured during a filming day at the 2025 pre-season testing in Bahrain. This was our first opportunity to capture the drivers in their overalls, alongside the 2025 car, and I also wanted to include the pit crew because I felt that incorporating the team would really help to bring the photos to life. I consider this to be my favourite image because it was the first time I had done anything like this: posed and intentional. This image feels powerful as it represents the entire team, not just the two drivers.”

McLaren F1 Bahrain 2025
Alex
Shot on a Canon R5 mkII, with a F2.8 70-200mm lens

“Is this the most stylistic shot? No. But what I love about this image is that in the pouring rain, just before a key race in the middle of a big Championship battle, Lando and Oscar have found something to laugh and smile about, and you can almost hear their distinct laughs coming through.

“It's just a nice photo that makes you smile, and I feel that sometimes, pulling on an emotion, is what a good image is all about. One thing that can, at times, be difficult to remember, particularly with all of the stresses that top-level sports can provide, is just how much fun racing is and how lucky we are to be able to work this environment.”

McLaren F1 2025 Lando and Oscar
Bruce
Shot on a Canon R5ii with a 28-70 f2 lens 

“While the shot is a complete silhouette, I like the fact that you can still easily tell, not only that it is Oscar, but I think that you can also feel from this image that he is dialled in and focused for the job ahead.

“I like the colour and light gradients, and the leading lines in the shot. I also think that the low, abstract angle makes Oscar look like a giant, and I think that’s pretty sweet.”

Oscar Piastri
Qas
Shot on a Canon R5 with a 24-105mm lens

“This image was captured following our Constructors’ Championship victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. Those who had worked the race at the track had returned from the race and were celebrating the victory with the entire team at the factory. This particular image shows Zak, Andrea, Lando, and Oscar holding the Constructors’ trophy up high in the air.

“I decided to make the image black and white to give it a timeless, classic feel, in line with the significance and history of the Constructors’ Championship trophy. And the sunlight beaming through the glass windows just makes this even more dreamlike.”

2025 Constructors’ Championship McLaren