2025 Goodwood Festival Of Speed

Held from the 10th to the 13th of July, this year’s fantastic event was built around a single, stirring theme: The Winning Formula – Champions & Challengers. A salute not only to the past 75 years of Formula 1 but to the daring spirit that unites motorsport legends with up-and-coming, next-gen challengers.

As is the norm at Goodwood, the air was thick with petrol fumes and tyre smoke from ICE, electric motors, and now hydrogen-powered cars. Bathed in the welcomed July sun, a crowd of thousands lined the hay bailed drive of the Goodwood Estate yet again to watch the speed, style and engineering obsession power up the hill.

The timed hill climb delivered its usual dose of adrenaline brilliance. This year’s Shoot-Out was won by Romain Dumas in the Ford Supertruck, clocking in at 43.22 seconds. You read that right: a 1,000+bhp electric pickup beat the supercars and prototypes at their own game this year.

Elsewhere, Tom Williams took top honours in the Rally shootout, wringing every last decibel from his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 as it bounded, sideways and spectacular, through the Forest Rally Stage.

With over 100 Formula 1 cars on show, this year’s celebration of the sport’s diamond anniversary was nothing short of astonishing. Goodwood segmented the F1 paddock into distinct narrative-driven themes:

• The Pioneers: showcasing the sport’s earliest machines.
• The Innovators (curated by Adrian Newey): celebrated design revolutions.
• The Underdogs: paid tribute to drivers and teams who defied the odds, and
• The Champions: honoured those who reached the pinnacle of Motorsport.

The F1 Teams brought the present day to life, with many current constructors and Formula 1 drivers in attendance too. From Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman at Haas, to Valtteri Bottas, Liam Lawson and even team bosses like Ayao Komatsu and James Vowles even took to the Hill themselves.

Nestled among the noise, the nostalgia and the futuristic Hypercars sat one of the most soulful machines of the weekend: the TWR Supercat. Built by the reimagined Tom Walkinshaw Racing and styled with enough retro-modern menace to cause heart palpitations, this Jaguar XJS-based weapon looks like it was born to storm the Hill. It did precisely that, with a howl and purpose that caught the attention of everyone in attendance.

With a nod to Le Mans and Group A, as well as Jaguar’s untamed legacy, it was both brutal and beautiful, and watching it attack the Hill was a personal highlight of mine. Under the bonnet sits a Supercharged 5.6-litre V12, delivering 660bhp and 730Nm of torque, paired with a six-speed manual gearbox for a purist driving experience. The chassis has been completely reworked with modern lightweight materials, adaptive suspension and uprated brakes, ensuring the Supercat has the handling to match its aggressive aesthetic.

With a limited production run of just 88 units, each car is hand-built and finished to a bespoke spec, blending motorsport engineering with incredible detailing.

As always, Goodwood is also a launch pad. Manufacturers used the Festival to reveal an astonishing spread of global debuts, including:

• Ferrari F80
• Aston Martin DB12 Volante
• Alpine A290 Rallye
• Lamborghini Temerario
• McLaren W1
• Audi e-tron GT Quattro
• Defender 110 Trophy Edition

…and many others, from BMW, Jaecoo, Denza, Praga and Hyundai.

For all the new metal and concept unveilings, few moments captured the weight of history like the now-iconic Balcony Moment. There they were: Sir Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Mika Häkkinen, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacques Villeneuve and Mario Andretti, shoulder to shoulder on the balcony of Goodwood House—fourteen world championships among them. Flanked by the Duke of Richmond, Bernie Ecclestone and Karun Chandhok, it was a rare alignment of racing royalty - a living timeline, captured in a single frame.

Towering above them, the Goodwood House was this year’s central feature, dedicated to Gordon Murray Automotive. Sculpted to showcase the visionary brilliance of Professor Murray’s 60-year career, the installation paired the Brabham BT52 with the GMA T.50, striking a perfect balance between heritage and innovation. Fittingly, Dario Franchitti opened the Hill on Thursday morning in a T.50, drawing a direct line between design and drive.

The FOS Future Lab, presented by Randox, continued its mission to integrate motoring with broader technological advancements. From the world’s most advanced humanoid robot (Ameca) to maritime innovation and spatial computing, the Lab offered a cerebral counterpoint to the sensory overload outside.

And this year, STEM was given a larger platform as well. Atlassian Williams Racing’s interactive display brought wind tunnel models and engineering challenges directly to the next generation of thinkers and tinkerers.

The Cartier Style et Luxe Lawn returned for its 30th edition, awarding ‘Best of Show’ to the sublime 1951 Facel Bentley Cresta II, judged by an eclectic panel that included Sir Jony Ive and Alice Temperley.

Meanwhile, at the Bonhams|Cars auction, big money changed hands. A Bugatti Veyron 16.4 went for over £1.5 million. A 2023 Mercedes-AMG ONE Coupé fetched a cool £2.45 million.

Goodwood’s enduring charm lies not just in the cars, but in the atmosphere it creates. A strange alchemy of boiler suits and tyre smoke, Rolexes and revs. Where else can you stand a few feet from Formula 1 royalty and then watch a futuristic hyper-EV hurtle past a 1920s Bentley?

The 2026 Festival of Speed is already dated for 9–12 July and if this year is anything to go by, you’d be wise to set your reminders now.