The 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed: Where Heritage and Future Collide

The 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, held from July 10–13, wasn’t just another date on the motorsport calendar—it was a four-day spectacle where racing legends, cutting-edge technology, and pure car culture collided in spectacular fashion. Hosted at the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, this year’s event embraced the theme:
“The Winning Formula – Champions & Challengers”, a tribute to motorsport’s greatest victors and the daring innovators ready to challenge them.

From roaring V12s and silent EV supercars to drifting masterclasses and AI-driven concept machines, Goodwood once again proved that no event on Earth captures the spirit of speed, history, and future promise quite like this.

75 Years of Formula 1: A Rolling Tribute to Motorsport’s Crown Jewel

Few anniversaries in motorsport are as weighty—or as worthy of celebration—as 75 years of the Formula 1 World Championship. Goodwood didn’t just mark the occasion—it turned it into the most comprehensive live exhibition of F1 history ever assembled in one place.

A handpicked selection of more than 100 iconic Formula 1 cars, spanning seven decades, thundered up the Hillclimb across the weekend. From the early 1950s Maseratis and Lotuses, through the ground-effect rocketships of the '80s, all the way to today’s aerodynamic marvels like the Mercedes W14 and Ferrari SF-24, it was a spine-tingling journey through racing evolution.

Seven World Champions—Sir Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Häkkinen, and Mario Andretti—gathered to wave to fans from the famous “Champions Balcony” and appeared in on-stage interviews, where they reflected on historic battles and shifting technologies.

The emotional peak came on Sunday with the “Ultimate Grid” run. Dozens of F1 legends fired up their engines and tore up the hill in a spine-shaking salute to the sport’s past, present, and future. For many fans, it was the closest thing to standing in the middle of a racing time machine.

Celebrating Gordon Murray: 60 Years of Disruption and Design Genius

This year’s iconic central sculpture—an annual highlight at Goodwood—paid homage to one of the greatest minds in motorsport engineering: Professor Gordon Murray. The installation, a sweeping metallic arc, suspended the legendary Brabham BT52 and the modern GMA T.50 in a visual metaphor of past meeting future.

Murray’s legacy was celebrated across the estate, with a dedicated pavilion showcasing his work—from the McLaren F1 and the BT46B "fan car" to the latest innovations from Gordon Murray Automotive. His philosophies of lightness, simplicity, and driver-first design were explored in talks, panels, and a special interview with the Duke of Richmond.

The highlight was the debut of GMA’s latest hypercar, which turned heads not just with its stats, but with a sound that cut through the Sussex air like a precision instrument. It was a moving tribute to a man whose career continues to push the boundaries of what's possible.

Hillclimb Drama: Record Runs, Showboating, and Smoke

The 1.16-mile Hillclimb is Goodwood’s spiritual backbone, and in 2025 it delivered a non-stop procession of power, drama, and tire smoke.

One of the loudest crowd reactions came for the Ford SuperTruck, an electric prototype piloted by Romain Dumas. With a 43.23-second run, it became the fourth-fastest car ever to tackle the Hill, proving that EVs can be just as thrilling as their ICE counterparts.

Drift legend “Mad” Mike Whiddett returned in his flame-spitting rotary Mazda RX-7, dancing sideways with balletic precision. He was joined by a new generation of sideways heroes, including Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 N Drift Spec, Volvo’s EX30 Performance Concept, and Toyota’s hydrogen-fueled GR H2, all of which showed that the sideways revolution is fully electrified.

On the Forest Rally Stage, fans were treated to the crackle and pop of modern WRC machinery as Kalle Rovanperä, Thierry Neuville, and Elfyn Evans demonstrated their dirt-slinging craft. Historic entries like the Lancia Delta Integrale and Audi Quattro S1 kept rally nostalgia alive and well.

World Premieres and Supercar Debuts: When the Future Arrives at Speed

With over 50 global and European debuts, Goodwood cemented its place as the premier launchpad for performance vehicles, rivaling even Geneva or Pebble Beach in spectacle.

ICE & Hybrid Supercars:

• Ferrari F80 Concept: A 1,200-hp V12 hybrid with active aero and a design language hinting at Ferrari’s Le Mans roots.
• Pagani Huayra Codalunga Speedster: A long-tail, open-top art piece channeling 1960s endurance racers.
• Koenigsegg Sadair’s Spear: The most powerful car of the festival with over 2,000 hp and proprietary quad-motor torque vectoring.
• McLaren W1: Lightweight, V10-powered, and dripping in carbon fiber.
• Aston Martin Valhalla: Making its first full-speed dynamic run, this long-awaited hybrid stunned fans with its aggressive soundtrack.

EV Highlights:

• Porsche Cayenne EV Prototype: Don’t let the size fool you—this silent SUV packed 1,000 hp and tackled the hill like a rally car.
• BMW Vision Neue Klasse: The next-gen EV platform, bringing elegant minimalism, radical efficiency, and AR dashboards.
• Alpine A290 Rallye: A small EV hatch with rally-grade suspension and absurd agility.

• Hyundai Ioniq 6 N Drift Spec: Shredded tires and melted expectations.

Each debut was more than a static display. Goodwood’s rule is simple: if you want to impress, bring it to life—on the Hill.

Future Lab: Tomorrow’s Mobility, Today

The Future Lab once again proved to be one of the most thought-provoking and inspiring corners of the event. Designed for hands-on exploration, it welcomed everyone from tech-obsessed teens to seasoned engineers.

Highlights included:

• Flying EV prototypes from Japan and Sweden
• Autonomous track cars with vision-based racing AIs
• Sustainable fuel demos and bio-based composite materials
• Haptic feedback steering systems that use muscle memory and nerve response

It was a reminder that the next revolution in mobility won’t just be about what powers the car—but how we interact with it.

Bonhams Auction: Rarity Meets Riches

The Bonhams auction added an extra layer of elegance to the weekend, featuring some of the rarest and most desirable machines ever built:

• A Bugatti Veyron Super Sport crossed the block at £1.55 million
• A one-off Mercedes-AMG ONE prototype sold for £2.45 million
• Classics like a Jaguar D-Type replica and Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider fetched big numbers from collectors and museums

Entertainment, Access, and Atmosphere

Beyond the cars, Goodwood once again delivered on immersive experiences:

• Red Arrows took to the skies daily for precision aerobatics
• Sim Racing Zones hosted esports tournaments with real-world racers
• Children’s Adventure Zone and Classic Car Concours drew family crowds
• Food trucks and champagne bars dotted the estate, from wood-fired pizzas to luxury tasting menus

For many, it’s this blend of motorsport excitement and summer festival vibes that makes FoS such a singular experience.

Final Thoughts: More Than a Festival

This year’s Festival of Speed wasn’t just another automotive event—it was a living, roaring testament to 75 years of F1 brilliance, a homage to visionaries like Gordon Murray, and a launchpad for technological evolution across ICE, hybrid, and EV landscapes.

What makes Goodwood so extraordinary is how it blends the visceral with the visionary. You can stand next to Senna’s McLaren, feel the ground shake from a Koenigsegg launch, and then step into an autonomous simulator that previews your 2035 commute.

Whether you were a lifelong petrolhead or a curious newcomer, the 2025 Festival of Speed was a celebration of motion, memory, and momentum—where history was honoured and the future was driven.

Goodwood is more than just a festival—it’s a living museum, a tech showcase, a racetrack, and a summer celebration of everything that makes motoring magic.

And in 2025, it didn’t just live up to expectations—it raced past them.