The Mexico City ePrix, the Daytona 500, and the Dakar Rally are here to tide us over until Formula 1 returns.
As the holiday season comes to a close, it can feel like there’s an eternity between the start of the new year and the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
But don’t worry; if you’ve got the racing bug, there’s plenty of motorsport action taking place in the interim! We’ve picked out 12 critical events to tune into as you wait for F1 to kick off 2025.
The Dakar Rally is one of the most exceptional events in off-road racing history, and in 2025, competitors will push themselves to the limit in the Saudi Arabian desert.
The Prologue Stage kicks off on January 3, with 12 subsequent stages taking place through January 17. Live streaming is a challenge, but highlights are available on streaming platforms in multiple countries.
How to watch: Stream on NBC Sports, FloRacing, and Peacock in USA; stream on Red Bull TV in UK
Formula E’s 11th season has already kicked off with an event in Brazil, but early 2025 will see the series’ second event in Mexico City.
Having won the first round of the season, Mitch Evans is currently leading the championship with his Jaguar TCS Racing team, though a strong performance from McLaren — third and fourth — sees the Woking-based team leading the teams championship.
How to watch: CBS or Roku in USA; ITV in UK
If you haven’t heard, endurance racing is in a renaissance right now. The top-level Hypercar prototypes are stunning pieces of hybrid machinery, and manufacturers from around the world have clamored to participate.
The year will kick off with the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the end of January. Right now, 61 cars are featured on the provisional entry list. Prototype manufacturers rung the gamut from Cadillac to Acura to Porsche, while former F1 talent entered in the event include Felipe Nasr, Will Stevens, Brendon Hartley, Kevin Magnussen, Daniil Kvyat, and so many more.
How to watch: NBC, USA, and Peacock in the USA; stream on IMSA.tv or IMSA Radio worldwide.
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The NASCAR Clash is a non-championship exhibition race designed to generate hype and excitement for the upcoming Cup Series season. The two-day event features qualifying followed by a handful of heat races.
This year, the Clash will take place at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium, a track that has undergone extensive modifications to host modern stock car racing.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
Formula E’s third and fourth rounds of its 11th season will both take place in Jeddah — the first time it will race on a modified version of the Corniche circuit utilized by Formula 1.
Previously, FE events in the kingdom took place at Diriyah.
How to watch: CBS or Roku in USA; ITV in UK
The first points-paying race of the NASCAR Cup Series season is the Daytona 500, and it’s the series’ marquee event. Its first race took place in 1959, though Daytona Beach has been a significant location for NASCAR long before the track’s founding.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
Still riding the Daytona 500 high? Most stock car racing fans are, too — and following the spicy season opener with a race at Atlanta the following weekend makes for a great beginning to 2025 for NASCAR.
Atlanta Motor Speedway went through a repave a few years ago, but it has quickly become a favorite track of both drivers and fans thanks to its steep banking and tight turns.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
If you feel like Formula 1 has been gone for ages, just imagine the plight of the IndyCar fan! The American open-wheel series wrapped up its 2024 season back in September, and it won’t return until early March — almost six months later!
We’ve seen a significant reshuffling of the IndyCar grid this season, as stars like Alexander Rossi leave McLaren for Ed Carpenter Racing, and as PREMA Racing makes its American open-wheel debut with Robert Shwartzman and Callum Ilott behind the wheel.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Sky Sports F1 in UK
Ever wondered what a stock car looks like at a Formula 1 track? Wonder no further, as NASCAR will head to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for its third official race of the season!
Yes, OK, NASCAR utilizes a shorter course than that used by Formula 1 — but it’s still one hell of a fascinating experiment in track usage. Plus, the NASCAR competition at COTA has been fierce these last few years, and there are certainly a few road course specialists lined up to take part.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
The European endurance season will kick off with the Qatar 1812 km, the first of eight rounds. While the event is listed as taking place on March 2, make sure to doublecheck your local time zone conversions to ensure you don’t miss a moment.
How to watch: Stream on MAX in the USA, Eurosport in UK
With just one weekend remaining before the Formula 1 season kicks off in anger, why not tune into one more NASCAR event — this one held at Phoenix.
If you’re not familiar with the NASCAR schedule, several tracks have multiple race dates, and Phoenix is one such track. You might recognize this oval from the season finale that crowned Joey Logano champion in 2024.
It’ll host its spring date in early March.
How to watch: FS1 in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
We may be cheating a little on this one, as the 12 Hours of Sebring takes place during the same weekend as Formula 1’s big return in Australia — but trust us, you won’t want to miss this.
The bump-laden track may have been built on an airfield in Florida, but it holds a surprising connection to Formula 1: It was the first American track to host a Grand Prix, which it did in 1959.
Make sure to tune in — even if just for a few hours.
How to watch: NBC, USA, and Peacock in the USA; stream on IMSA.tv or IMSA Radio worldwide.
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