F1 has all the ingredients needed for an iconic season
FINAL CORNER, CHEQUERED FLAG: The new F1 season gets underway down under this Sunday
McLaren have been hailed as the pre-season favourites to win the Formula One world championship but 2024’s unpredictable twists could pale in comparison to what’s set to be an iconic 2025 campaign.
Red Bull started as the team to beat 12 months ago, dominating the field in Bahrain, carrying over the pace that saw them win all but one race in 2023. But the ominous nature of their early-season form last year faded emphatically in the second half of the term — and they ultimately didn’t even finish second in the standings, coming behind both McLaren and Ferrari, in that order.
There is no predicting how the order will shake out after just three days of pre-season testing, particularly as it took place in an unseasonably cold Bahrain, but the key takeaway across the board has been that the world champion team looks best placed to retain their crown. However, that doesn’t mean they will necessarily even win in Australia, let alone when all is said and done in Abu Dhabi.
McLaren vs Ferrari
McLaren winning the championship last year was a remarkable achievement given they were dead last at the opening race in 2023. But it also means that they, more than anybody, know not to read too much into the start of a new campaign, and last season only further showed that things can quickly change in the pecking order in F1.
Even if they do start the season strongest, there is the elephant in the room of the technical directive on flexible front wings that could hamper them when it comes into play in Spain — a controversial decision from the FIA before we’ve even gotten underway.
If the Woking outfit will have the strongest overall package to start the new year, then Lando Norris has to lay down a marker as a championship contender in the driver’s standings. Yet, it could be his teammate Oscar Piastri that poses the biggest threat to his ambitions, if indeed McLaren’s advantage is big enough to go on an early winning streak.
The Australian wasn’t as consistent as Norris last year, but he’s now into his third F1 season and this has to be the year where he puts it to the 25-year-old on a regular basis if he’s to become a champion in his own right. Piastri piecing together his game to become more well-rounded will make this a formidable pairing.
All this talk about McLaren, but we should absolutely not forget about the prancing horses at Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton’s arrival has understandably taken all the headlines, but it was Charles Leclerc that earned the most points in F1 last year from the summer break to the final race. If the Scuderia can keep pace with McLaren, then there is no doubt that the Monegasque will be a threat in this title fight. Ferrari will be hoping that having a seven-time world champion teammate will only push him further.
This partnership could be truly explosive, with Ferrari and McLaren showing that having two number one drivers could be the best route to success in a condensed field this season. Red Bull certainly don’t agree with that view, which will make for a great contrast.
Red Bull’s contrasting F1 strategy in 2025
And we certainly shouldn’t be writing off the four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen in all of this talk about titles. The Red Bull may not have looked like the strongest package in Bahrain, but the Dutchman has proven time and again that this isn’t a stumbling block to his success. If we are to have a new world champion in F1 this year, then they will have to be at their best to overcome Verstappen.
Liam Lawson will be alongside the 27-year-old, replacing Sergio Perez, and there will be a lot of pressure on his shoulders to provide ample support to Verstappen’s championship bid. Given his F1 racing experience boils down to just 11 grands prix, this is a true sink or swim moment for the New Zealander.
Lawson’s inexperience sets the tone for 2025, which will also be a big year for rookies after a barren few years. F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto joins Sauber, with Jack Doohan in at Alpine and Ollie Bearman at Haas. Isack Hadjar has taken Lawson’s place with the newly named Racing Bulls (fka Alpha Tauri, Toro Rosso).
The hype builds for Andrea Kimi Antonelli
But it’s the arrival of Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, taking over from the departed Hamilton, that has the paddock talking. The Italian is still only 18, and the hype around his emergence as an F1 talent is the most we’ve seen since Verstappen was coming through as a 17-year-old a decade ago.
The pressure on his shoulders will be immense, and George Russell will be relied upon to lead the Mercedes team while Antonelli gets to grips with his new surroundings. The teenager will be expected to be competitive, but will be given room to make mistakes as long as he is quick.
Russell will take on the role of team leader, and there are question marks over his readiness for such a position. Mercedes have struggled to put together a title contender since the ground effect regulations arrived in 2022, and being just adrift of the top teams might actually suit their two drivers this year, even if it’s not what they’d obviously want.
F1 is just as unpredictable and hard to read when assessing the middle of the pack as it is at the front before this 2025 season, with Alpine and Williams showing a lot of promise in Bahrain. But Haas and Aston Martin shouldn’t be immediately written off even if they didn’t show any strong pace during the three-day test.
The pairing of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon is the most exciting among this group, and seeing how the two fare against each other could make and break either man’s career ambitions.
There are stories up and down the grid going into Sunday’s race in Albert Park and it might not be until December that we get definitive answers. Strap yourselves in, as this season promises to be an iconic year in F1.
Prediction corner
It would be foolish to try and predict any kind of championship order before the season’s gotten underway, so instead I’ll focus on this weekend in Australia.
There’s never been a (legal) podium for a home driver since F1 started racing in Australia, and I think Piastri will break that run this weekend with a top three finish at Albert Park.
Pre-season testing ranking
I watched a lot of the three days of testing, and this is where I think the teams rank coming out of Bahrain (1st-10th): McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, Alpine, Williams, Haas, Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Sauber.
This is not necessarily where they’ll rank, even just in Australia, but it’s how the teams all looked compared to each other during the test.
Storyline of the weekend - Australia
There are too many to choose from when it comes to the opening weekend, but something to whet the appetite is the weather forecast for Sunday. Rain on the radar!
Welcome!
Welcome to another season of F1 writing from me, I hope anyone reading enjoyed this season preview and is looking forward to the 2025 campaign.
I’ll be with you every step of the way.