F1 predictions: Who will win the world title? Will Lewis Hamilton get a podium? Subsequent non-McLaren race winner?

As Formulation 1 returns for what guarantees to be an exhilarating finale to the 2025 season, the Sky Sports activities digital workforce predict what’s going to occur over the ultimate 10 races.

After three weekends off, the season resumes stay on Sky Sports activities F1 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, with many plots nonetheless to play out.

Prime of the invoice is the Drivers’ Championship title battle between the dominant McLarens, with Oscar Piastri main Lando Norris by simply 9 factors.

Past that, intrigue stays round whether or not Lewis Hamilton can flip round his disappointing begin to life at Ferrari, whereas Max Verstappen’s long-term future stays up within the air with Crimson Bull struggling earlier than the summer time break.

Earlier than the motion resumes with first observe in Zandvoort on Friday, Sky Sports activities digital journalists James Galloway, Sam Johnston and Nigel Chiu share their predictions for the rest of the 12 months.

Who will win the Drivers’ Championship?

NC: Lando Norris

For all of the speak of Lando Norris having a difficult season and making too many errors, he is solely 9 factors behind and I believe he is acquired an edge over Oscar Piastri on outright velocity.

Since McLaren launched a brand new entrance suspension design in Canada, Norris has been persistently stronger in comparison with the primary a part of the season.

This title race may successfully develop into a qualifying championship given the significance of observe place for 2 comparable drivers in equal automobiles and I’d again Norris to get extra poles within the closing 10 rounds.

SJ: Lando Norris

There is likely to be some British hopefulness concerned with this decide, however Norris seemed to be rising in confidence all through the summer time as he received three of the final 4 races earlier than the break.

Whereas it is dangerous to look again to final 12 months as a yardstick given Piastri’s enormous enchancment, Norris persistently confirmed excellent tempo in 2024 on the circuits that come after the summer time break.

I believe Norris will largely have the higher hand in qualifying, and the larger problem for him will probably be changing pole positions to leads on the finish first laps. He has at the least been considerably battle-hardened by duelling with Max Verstappen final 12 months.

JG: Oscar Piastri

The season’s long-time factors chief will nonetheless be on prime when it really issues come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi on December 7.

It will not be by a lot, and it is definitely not out of the query that the Australian will lose the championship benefit to Norris at a number of factors over the concluding 10 rounds, however the consistency that has seen him qualify exterior of the highest three simply as soon as all season and contend for nearly all race wins will in the end pay slender however golden dividends.

Who would be the subsequent non-McLaren driver to win a race?

SJ: George Russell

Mercedes suffered a lack of tempo within the weeks earlier than the break however have a behavior of displaying as much as sure circuits and being speedy.

They had been dominant in Las Vegas final 12 months and will definitely anticipate to be within the combine as soon as extra beneath the lights in Sin Metropolis.

Even when such a transparent opening would not come up, Russell usually appears to place himself in the correct place on the proper time to strike when alternative knocks, so I would not guess towards the Brit sneaking one other win ought to the McLarens take one another out someplace.

NC: Charles Leclerc

And I’ll go one higher by saying the race it’s going to occur at – the Italian Grand Prix in September.

Each Piastri and Norris are each yet another new energy unit away from incurring grid penalties. One, or each, might select Monza because the vacation spot to take a grid drop which can pave the best way for McLaren’s rivals.

Ferrari are at all times aggressive at Monza and their automotive has nice mechanical grip to get round slower corners and modifications route properly which is helpful within the chicanes. Add of their robust energy unit and Leclerc’s flying kind provides the recipe for a repeat of final 12 months’s Italian Grand Prix win.

JG: Charles Leclerc

The race-day dominance of the McLarens implies that he is been completely knocking on the door of a victory come the top of grands prix, however the 5 top-four finishes which Charles Leclerc secured within the final seven races earlier than the break meant he was most often the motive force subsequent in line to revenue had there been any McLaren slip-up.

There will not be many true possibilities for Ferrari – or Mercedes or Crimson Bull both, for that matter – to topple the papaya pair on a Sunday over the remainder of the season however the sequence of Monza-Baku-Singapore in September/October seems a great one for Leclerc to at the least strike a victory blow as soon as.

Will Lewis Hamilton get a grand prix podium in 2025?

JG: Sure

I’ll say Lewis Hamilton’s proud document of ending on the rostrum in yearly of his Formulation 1 profession will in the end lengthen to a nineteenth consecutive season, though predicting when and the place this occurs is admittedly a tricky ask.

If Ferrari’s kind follows custom they usually fly at Monza, then maybe that’ll be the emotional place for Hamilton to lastly crack it.

NC: No

I hope I am mistaken however that is essentially the most Lewis Hamilton has struggled with a automotive in his profession and the worst feeling for any racing driver is after they have tried quite a few set-ups and engineering methods however they cannot persistently match their team-mate.

The opening few rounds after the summer time break will dictate how Hamilton’s season ends and if his downward pattern continues, it is going to be extraordinarily troublesome to all of the sudden get some confidence beneath his belt having by no means actually acquired on prime of those floor impact automobiles.

SJ: Sure

Regardless of some ugly moments, particularly lately, Hamilton has proven sufficient flashes of velocity to recommend a great end result will come sooner or later.

A bit of excellent fortune or Ferrari acing their setup someplace will certainly current a few alternatives, and after they come, the seven-time world champion’s dedication to assert a primary podium in pink will guarantee it occurs.

Will there be any extra seat modifications through the 2025 season?

SJ: Sure

I can not see Franco Colapinto holding his Alpine seat till the top of the season. The Argentine continues to crash too usually and doesn’t seem like a viable long-term choice alongside Pierre Gasly.

I believe Flavio Briatore will need to check out reserve driver Paul Aron earlier than the season is out – that is assuming we’re not going to bizarrely see Jack Doohan finish the season again within the seat he had taken away from him in Could.

JG: 50-50

Now that Valtteri Bottas has signed up with Cadillac for 2026, one identified short-term rival to Franco Colapinto’s Alpine seat has successfully fallen away, however the Argentine will certainly want to indicate a post-break upturn in kind to be completely positive of at the least seeing out the season.

A lot will rely upon who Alpine in the end signal as much as accomplice Pierre Gasly in 2026. If it is not Colapinto, then he stays susceptible to a second in-season reshuffle.

NC: No

Alpine will persist with Franco Colapinto and Crimson Bull will give Yuki Tsunoda the remainder of the season to impress.

Except we see a shock exit like we had with Esteban Ocon not competing in Abu Dhabi for Alpine final 12 months, I do not see any modifications.

At which observe will the 2025 title race be determined?

JG: Abu Dhabi

We’re going all the best way to Abu Dhabi. Given Piastri and Norris have by no means been greater than 23 factors aside within the standings throughout the primary 14 races of this season, it is exhausting to see that hole all of the sudden ballooning over the ultimate 10 rounds given the team-mates are proving so evenly matched.

Granted, late-season unreliability for one automotive and never the opposite may all of the sudden create a merciless however decisive benefit earlier than we arrive at December’s season finale however, all issues being equal, the McLaren duo will stay inside 25 factors of one another after they line up (most likely on the entrance row) on 2025’s closing grid.

SJ: Abu Dhabi

For the primary time since that fateful night time in 2021, I believe the Drivers’ Championship remains to be going to be alive going into the ultimate race of the season.

It is exhausting to envisage both Piastri or Norris surging away from one another barring some main misfortune for one in all them. If I find yourself being proper, we will solely hope it is shut sufficient that there will probably be actual jeopardy all through the weekend on the Yas Marina Circuit.

NC: Qatar

There will probably be a few enormous moments within the title race, whether or not it is by means of misfortune or a driver error that may hand Piastri or Norris a giant benefit within the championship.

I additionally anticipate additional contact between the McLaren pair the place one in all them may come off worse.

Will there be a driver market shock because the 2026 grid is about?

NC: Sort of

I am unsure if this counts as a shock however a reputation you’ll be listening to much more about over the subsequent 12 months is Arvid Lindblad.

I believe he’ll take one of many 2026 Racing Bulls seats and develop into Britain’s youngest ever F1 driver at 18 years outdated when he traces up on the grid in Melbourne subsequent March.

Crimson Bull have lengthy been searching for somebody at, or close to Max Verstappen’s degree and Lindblad is a critical expertise.

JG: Relies upon what you name a shock…

Actually not one now that is going to make Earth-shuddering headlines, however it is going to be fascinating to see what Crimson Bull do with their troubled second seat for 2026.

On pre-summer break kind, and on previous precedent, you’d suppose that Yuki Tsunoda will not be in it and Isack Hadjar will come pre-season testing subsequent January, however will the occasions of the final 12 months – together with the departure of Christian Horner – have any impression on how they go about deciding on issues for the primary 12 months of F1’s guidelines reset?

SJ: No, however…

I believe the 2026 grid will largely fill as anticipated. Cadillac and their two vacant seats had been maybe the largest unknown, however the sport’s new workforce have now signed up Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

You possibly can debate whether or not it’s going to rely as a shock when it occurs, however the subsequent large shake-up within the driver market goes to come back each time Max Verstappen indicators for Mercedes. I will be shocked if the Dutchman is not driving for the Silver Arrows in 2027.

Formulation 1 returns after the summer time break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort this weekend, stay on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime