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

“It should be one of the greatest seasons in Formula 1 history.”

The tantalising expectation expressed by Martin Brundle throughout a current 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 automobiles.

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 subsequent week, with Williams taking the wraps of their newest automotive – 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 yr 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 advised us

So what provides 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.

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

Whereas the spectacular Verstappen finally completed a snug 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 the direction of the Dutchman’s fourth consecutive title had been performed 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 tip 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 nearly 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 time 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 via a season, so it’s a purely illustrative instance of F1’s rising 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 hitch 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 Red Bull have recovered their car. That’s the key thing,” steered Brundle on one of many key early questions to come back in pre-season testing.

“If Red Bull have recovered their car and Verstappen’s on form, he’ll still be the man to beat for the title because Piastri could take points off Norris and Hamilton and Leclerc could take points off each other.”

The consequence of static rules and the legislation of diminishing returns

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

Subsequent yr F1’s technical rulebook is turned the wrong way up for 2026 in a method 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 indicate 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 regulations are very mature so we’re not expecting one team to suddenly jump ahead,” mentioned Brundle of 2025’s seemingly aggressive image.

“They are reaching the peak in this last season of how these cars can perform.”

With little long-term worth in groups pursuing season-long automotive growth this time owing to the shortage 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 method all over the 24-race marketing campaign.

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

Chatting with Sky Sports activities at varied pre-season occasions in current weeks, group bosses at a few of the main outfits have been singing from a really comparable hymnsheet on the subject of what to anticipate within the new season.

Zak Brown, McLaren: “[Lando’s] definitely one of the favourites. I’d 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, will probably be robust to place collectively 24 races with out having just a few rookie days. Liam [Lawson] I am certain will likely be sturdy, and do not rule out Fernando [Alonso]… so I believe it will be an epic season.”

Christian Horner, Crimson Bull: “I think it’s going to be a mega year. I think that McLaren had a strong year last year, but we still won more individual races than any other driver, almost double.

“Max will likely be robust to beat, however we do not underestimate the opposition.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes: “I believe this yr could possibly be the identical once more that three, 4, 5 groups are actually shut to one another combating – which is sweet information for the game – and on the similar time balancing growth for subsequent yr. 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 may, as ever, begin to present the primary clues and the hints at an early-season pecking order.

Nevertheless, this yr even then that may simply be the proof of automotive efficiency on a observe which doesn’t stage the primary Grand Prix on condition that for the primary time since 2020, the primary race of the season shouldn’t be additionally in Bahrain.

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

“It should be so close and whoever wins it will win a great championship,” mentioned Brundle.

“But until we see the cars on track, and probably not until the Saturday of Melbourne, the first race, where they are low fuel, flat out, fresh tyres, giving it everything will we truly know the pace of who’s just aced it. Then it’s about who’s still fast 30, 50, 60 laps 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 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime