2025 Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Year’s Biggest News and F1 Drama

Each year brings its own cascade of headlines, but 2025 seemed to set a new standard for surprise and spectacle. Whether you were glued to the news, following every twist in world politics, or racing to keep up with the pulse-pounding drama on the Formula 1 circuit, this was a year that demanded attention.

The Week’s big New Year’s Day quiz for 2026 is more than just a playful family challenge—it’s a snapshot of a year that moved fast and, at times, broke expectations. From global conflicts simmering or flaring up, to pop culture moments that had everyone talking, 2025 was a whirlwind. Politics, entertainment, sports—every corner of life seemed to deliver a headline worth remembering.

One arena where drama played out in real time was Formula 1. The 2025 season delivered the kind of edge-of-your-seat competition fans crave. Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, capped off the year with a flourish—his celebratory doughnuts on the Abu Dhabi track were more than just a victory lap. They marked the moment he clinched his maiden Drivers’ Championship, edging out Max Verstappen by a nail-biting two points. Verstappen, the relentless competitor, had mounted a late-season charge to retain his title, but Norris’s consistency and composure paid off when it mattered most.

The F1 season was packed with stories beyond the podium. The rise of new talents, the shifting fortunes of teams, and strategic gambles kept even seasoned fans guessing. For those who followed every lap, the Formula 1 official quiz offers 20 questions to see just how closely you tracked the action. Did you catch the rookie breakthroughs? Remember the critical pit stops? Recall the moments that defined the championship chase?

Back in the broader world, The Week’s quiz asks you to sift through a year’s worth of global news. From political maneuvering—like Donald Trump considering a security guarantee for Ukraine, a move Zelenskyy said was vital for peace—to ongoing debates about the integrity of sports, such as concerns over ‘tanking’ in the NBA and NFL, 2025 demanded that audiences stay engaged and informed. The headlines weren’t just about distant events; they touched on the way people live, the entertainment they consume, and the challenges societies face.

Quiz culture itself thrived, offering a way for families and friends to come together and reflect on what mattered most. The Week ran regular ‘Quiz of the Week’ features, each covering the latest headlines and testing whether readers were keeping pace with the news cycle. From November’s headlines through December’s surprises, these quizzes became a ritual—a way to measure not just personal attention, but the collective pulse of society.

As we step into 2026, the annual quiz is more than trivia. It’s a mirror, showing how news, sports, and culture shape our memories. It’s a playful reminder that, in a year of rapid change, staying informed is both a challenge and a reward.

So whether you’re a casual observer or a headline hawk, the 2025 quiz is your chance to look back and ask: How much did I really notice? Did I see the stories behind the stories? The big moments might stand out—the crowning of a new F1 champion, the global debates, the cultural shifts—but the subtle details, the unexpected turns, are what make a year truly memorable.

Try your hand at The Week’s bumper quiz and Formula 1’s season recap. Share it with your loved ones, spark a lively debate, and discover who among you was most attuned to the rhythm of 2025.

Looking at the facts, 2025 was a year defined by competition—in sport, in politics, and in the race to understand a rapidly changing world. The quizzes offered by The Week and Formula 1 aren’t just games; they’re signposts of an era where information moves quickly, and only the attentive can keep up. In reflecting on the year’s events, we see not just what happened, but how it shaped us—and how, in the rush of headlines, it’s worth pausing to ask the right questions.

(Sources: The Week, Formula 1)