F1 2025: Are Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, George Russell all in title hunt? | F1 Information

“It must be one of many biggest seasons in System 1 historical past.”

The tantalising expectation expressed by Martin Brundle throughout a latest Sky Sports activities Information interview in an early preview of a 2025 season that already sparkles with promise and anticipation even earlier than a single wheel has been turned by one of many grid’s 10 new soon-to-be-launched vehicles.

The countdown to pre-season testing in Bahrain on the finish of February, after which the primary race in Australia on March 16, lastly really begins to ramp up over the following week, with Williams taking the wraps of their newest automobile – albeit in a one-off livery – on Friday earlier than subsequent Tuesday’s first-of-its-kind all-team and driver occasion at London’s O2 proves the centrepiece of a launch season with a distinction.

Max Verstappen will begin the 12 months aiming to turn into simply the second driver after Michael Schumacher to win the drivers’ title 5 years in succession however Crimson Bull’s reigning champion could face his hardest quest for the crown since profitable his first in 2021…

What the second half of the 2024 season instructed us

So what presents the prospect of a wide-open, true multi-driver championship battle this time given the identical driver has gained the final 4 world titles, two with absolute dominance and the final with the consolation of two races nonetheless to spare.

Effectively, for exhibit A, we provide the drivers’ factors standings from the second half of final season.

Whereas the spectacular Verstappen finally completed a cushty 63 factors away from second-placed Lando Norris within the standings regardless of resurgent McLaren ending Crimson Bull’s reign as constructors’ champions, a lot of the leg work in direction of the Dutchman’s fourth consecutive title had been accomplished within the marketing campaign’s first half.

Verstappen gained seven of the primary 10 races and was already a dominant 84 factors forward of Norris, and greater than 100 away from everybody else, by the point the 24-race season reached its midway level after July’s British Grand Prix the place the Dutchman completed second to Lewis Hamilton.

The following 12 races, nonetheless, to the top of the marketing campaign in Abu Dhabi in December painted a really totally different image.

Prime factors scorers in last 12 races of 2024 season (Hungary-Abu Dhabi)

• 1. Charles Leclerc – 206 factors – 2 wins
• 2. Lando Norris – 203 factors – 3 wins
• 3. Max Verstappen – 182 factors – 2 wins
• 4. Oscar Piastri – 168 factors – 2 wins
• 5. Carlos Sainz – 144 factors – 1 win
• 6. George Russell – 134 factors – 1 win
• 7. Lewis Hamilton – 113 factors – 1 win

Having been virtually unbeatable for a lot of the earlier two years in his Crimson Bull, Verstappen gained simply twice extra and was solely the third highest-scoring driver from the Hungarian GP onwards

As an alternative it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who high scored over the ultimate dozen rounds, with Norris a detailed second.

Leclerc scored 206 factors, simply three greater than Norris however 24 greater than Verstappen. In all, the ultimate 12 race wins had been shared between the highest seven drivers with nobody claiming greater than Norris’ three.

Moreover, had the factors been reset from that summer season Budapest race onwards, then 4 drivers – Leclerc, Norris, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri within the second McLaren – would have gone into the Abu Dhabi finale with a shot on the title.

In fact, a season’s factors tallies do not ever reset midway by a season, so it’s a purely illustrative instance of F1’s growing competitiveness – however a tantalising one however. The narrative heading into the brand new marketing campaign, in fact, has been additional fuelled by mass adjustments to the grid’s 10 line-ups, with Hamilton’s transfer to affix Leclerc at Ferrari the headline match-up.

Teenage rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli joins Russell at a new-look Mercedes, with Liam Lawson promoted to the seat subsequent to Verstappen after the struggling Sergio Perez lastly misplaced his Crimson Bull drive.

“We’ll see if Crimson Bull have recovered their automobile. That is the important thing factor,” advised Brundle on one of many key early questions to come back in pre-season testing.

“If Crimson Bull have recovered their automobile and Verstappen’s on kind, he’ll nonetheless be the person to beat for the title as a result of Piastri might take factors off Norris and Hamilton and Leclerc might take factors off one another.”

The consequence of static rules and the regulation of diminishing returns

The approaching season marks the fourth – and last – marketing campaign of the present regulation period.

Subsequent 12 months F1’s technical rulebook is turned the wrong way up for 2026 in a approach arguably by no means fairly seen earlier than owing to simultaneous adjustments to each the chassis and engine rules.

Earlier than then, although, and historical past has tended to point out that the deeper right into a static regulation period F1 goes the nearer the racing will get and the extra aggressive the battle for wins turns into.

“The rules are very mature so we’re not anticipating one group to out of the blue bounce forward,” stated Brundle of 2025’s possible aggressive image.

“They’re reaching the height on this final season of how these vehicles can carry out.”

With little long-term worth in groups pursuing season-long automobile improvement this time owing to the dearth of carry-over elements into 2026, the flip ought to imply that if 2025 begins as shut as is hoped, then it’s prone to keep that approach right through the 24-race marketing campaign.

‘Mega’, ‘epic’ – what the main groups are predicting

Talking to Sky Sports activities at varied pre-season occasions in latest weeks, group bosses at among the main outfits have been singing from a really related hymnsheet on the subject of what to anticipate within the new season.

Zak Brown, McLaren: “[Lando’s] undoubtedly one of many favourites. I would put Oscar in there, Max in there. Charles in there, Lewis in there, George in there.

“I believe Kimi [Antonelli] might be going to win a race or two, although clearly, as a rookie, it is going to be powerful to place collectively 24 races with out having a couple of rookie days. Liam [Lawson] I am certain can be robust, and do not rule out Fernando [Alonso]… so I believe it’ll be an epic season.”

Christian Horner, Crimson Bull: “I believe it’ll be a mega 12 months. I believe that McLaren had a robust 12 months final 12 months, however we nonetheless gained extra particular person races than another driver, virtually double.

“Max can be powerful to beat, however we do not underestimate the opposition.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes: “I believe this 12 months may very well be the identical once more that three, 4, 5 groups are actually shut to one another preventing – which is nice information for the game – and on the similar time balancing improvement for subsequent 12 months. It is going to be fairly attention-grabbing how the priorities are set.”

When will we discover out extra about the place groups stand?

It’s the three days of testing in Bahrain on February 26-28 that can, as ever, begin to present the primary clues and the hints at an early-season pecking order.

Nonetheless, this 12 months even then that can simply be the proof of automobile efficiency on a monitor which doesn’t stage the primary Grand Prix on condition that for the primary time since 2020, the primary race of the season will not be additionally in Bahrain.

Australia’s Albert Park – a really totally different monitor to Sakhir – hosts the March 16 opener with Bahrain’s Grand Prix not going down till the fourth spherical in April.

“It must be so shut and whoever wins it’s going to win an excellent championship,” stated Brundle.

“However till we see the vehicles on monitor, and doubtless not till the Saturday of Melbourne, the primary race, the place they’re low gasoline, flat out, recent tyres, giving it every thing will we really know the tempo of who’s simply aced it. Then it is about who’s nonetheless quick 30, 50, 60 laps right into a grand prix.

“I believe it’s totally courageous to jot down anyone off or write anyone right into a championship-winning place.”

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 System 1 season dwell on Sky Sports activities F1, beginning with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime