The 2025 Formula 1 Season is here. Being the last year before the major 2026 regulation changes, the competition will be tight. There are obvious favorites, but also several dark horses that could steal podiums all season long. The juggernaut that is Red Bull appears to be slowing down before the regulation changes while weaker teams like Williams are going all-in. The season kicks off at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, which airs at 12:00am EST on Sunday, March 16th.
World Drivers’ Championship
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Carlos Sainz – Williams
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Liam Lawson – Red Bull
- Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
- Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
- Alex Albon – Williams
- Yuki Tsunoda – VCARB
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine
- Nico Hulkenburg – Kick Sauber
- Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
- Esteban Ocon – Haas
- Isak Hadjar – VCARB
- Ollie Bearman – Haas
- Gabriel Bortoleto – Kick Sauber
- Jack Doohan – Alpine
The 2025 World Drivers’ Championship will simultaneously be close and not close. Only a few points will separate the top drivers, while the bottom drivers will be far behind them. Lando Norris is the runaway favorite for the WDC due to an apparent slip in the Red Bull’s Performance and Ferrari still not doing anything to fix its strategy issues. I think Williams will be a dark horse this season with arguably the most underrated driver duo in Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon and a new and improved car. The biggest change between 2024 and 2025 has been the large class of rookies, those being Kimi Antonelli with Mercedes, Fernando Alonso with Aston Martin, Isak Hadjar with VCARB, Ollie Bearman with Haas, Gabriel Bortoleto with Kick Sauber, and Jack Doohan with Alpine. Antonelli will be the best rookie this year as he is in the best situation out of the rookies. He has the best car and team around him compared to the bottom-of-the-barrel teams most of the other rookies are driving for.
World Constructors’ Championship
- Scuderia Ferrari HP
- McLaren Racing
- Oracle Red Bull Racing
- Mercedes-AMG Petronas
- Atlassian Williams Racing
- Aston Martin Aramco
- Visa Cash App Racing Bulls
- MoneyGram Haas
- Stake Kick Sauber
- BWT Alpine
Ferrari is currently the favored team due to its acquisition of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and car improvements shown off at preseason testing. However, the 2024 WCC-winning McLaren will put up a solid opposition to Ferrari, but I’d give the edge to Ferrari due to McLaren having a slightly weaker driver lineup. As stated earlier, Red Bull’s car has appeared to have slightly regressed compared to the competition. Combined with a rookie driver in the second seat, I have Red Bull finishing third, purely off of Max Verstappen’s willpower. Aston Martin is likely to continue to be a midfield contender as long as they have “driver” Lance Stroll in a seat. Similar to Williams, VCARB could be better than expected and end up with a few podiums and maybe even a race win, however, they will not be nearly as good as Williams. The bottom-feeding Haas, Kick Sauber, and Alpine have little hope for this season and should instead focus their energy on preparing for 2026.
