After realising My 2024 Formula 1 Season Predictions last week, it’s now time for me to make my Predictions for what the Grid will look like at the start of the 2025 Season. With plenty of contracts up at the end of this year, this could either age terribly (definetly this one) or turn out to be actually quite accurate (I doubt it). Either way, this is just a bit of fun, and this list is in order of Most Confident to Least Confident!
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
For me, McLaren is the team that I think will keep hold of both of their drivers for 2024. Lando Norris is McLaren through and through whilst Oscar Piastri is a sensational young talent who’s only going to get better and better. McLaren would honestly be foolish to get rid of either driver and I can’t see a reason as to why either Lando or Oscar would want to leave and go somewhere else. It’s also worth mentioning that both Norris and Piastri have years left on their current contracts.
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Had I done these Predictions a month ago, I would not have put this! However, as we all know, Lewis Hamilton is going to be pairing up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025 and there’s honestly not much more to say about this other than I’m looking forward to it!
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo
Pretty much a year on from when I made this Prediction for the 2024 Grid, I expect Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo to reunite as teammates at Red Bull in 2025. Max Verstappen obviously isn’t going anywhere as his contract’s not up until 2028 whilst I expect Daniel Ricciardo to have a very strong year at Visa Cash App RB which will ultimately get him a seat back at the big team at the expense of a struggling Sergio Perez.
Mercedes: George Russell and Fernando Alonso
From the moment I heard the news that Lewis Hamilton was leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024, Fernando Alonso was the first name that came to my head as a perfect replacement. Fernando’s been driving amazingly well these past few years, and I honestly can’t see him staying at Aston Martin going forward unless they have an amazing 2024. As for his teammate, I expect George Russell to establish himself as Mercedes’ team leader throughout this season before he has to take on another World Championship-winning teammate!
Haas: Nico Hulkenberg and Oliver Bearman
If you’ve read my 2024 F1 Season Predictions, you will know that I expect Haas to have another poor year lounging at the back with Nico Hulkenberg considerably outperforming Kevin Magnussen. That is why I’ve kept Nico at Haas whilst I see K-Mag getting dropped. As for his replacement, if you’ve read my 2024 Formula 2 Predictions, you will know that I expect a very strong year from Ollie Bearman and given the testing he’s already done with the team, plus his connection with Ferrari, it makes perfect sense to me to have Bearman join Haas for 2025. One thing I will say though is I was actually close to putting Hulkenberg at Kick Sauber! Speaking off...
Kick Sauber: Carlos Sainz and Theo Pourchaire
As some of you may know, I expect Kick Sauber to have another difficult year which will ultimately see them get rid of both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu (Valtteri will retire, Zhou will just get dropped). Out of all of the people that could replace Bottas and Zhou, the pairing of Carlos Sainz and Theo Pourchaire makes the most sense to me. First of all, you have to remember that Sauber is becoming Audi in 2026 and that’s the main reason why I’ve put Sainz here. For me, Carlos deserves to be in one of the Top 3 teams on the Grid (certainly Top 4), so whilst this may seem harsh, I think this could well be the best move for the Spaniard in the future. As for his teammate, Theo Pourchaire has been with Sauber in some capacity since 2019 and I’m honestly quite surprised that the reigning Formula 2 Champion didn’t get a seat at the team in 2024. Pourchaire will also be fully ready for a crack in F1 in 2025, especially as he’s Sauber’s Reserve Driver yet again this year as well as competing in Super Formula (something the likes of Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson have done in the past).
Aston Martin: Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly
So this is where things get interesting! First of all, I’d be stunned if Lance Stroll left Aston Martin at the end of the year (or ever to be honest) and you already know that I think Fernando Alonso will leave Aston to go to Mercedes. In terms of his teammate, I think Pierre Gasly is the right man to replace Alonso from 2025 onwards. I’ve already said multiple times that I expect Pierre to have a tough 2024 Season, but that’s mainly down to his team (Alpine) more than anything else. Whilst Felipe Drugovich is also a deserving candidate, I think Gasly is a better option for the Silverstone-based team.
Alpine: Esteban Ocon and Victor Martins
We’ve just spoken about Pierre Gasly leaving Alpine after a difficult year, but I honestly can’t see Esteban Ocon leaving the team unless Ocon has a year so great that he earns a seat at Mercedes (something I don’t envision). It also makes sense for Esteban to stay at Alpine as he’d return to being the team leader. As for his teammate, Victor Martins makes a lot of sense to me. First of all, I expect Victor to win the Formula 2 Championship this year and it’s also worth mentioning that Martins is a part of the Alpine Academy. The fact that Victor Martins is also French allows Alpine to keep their “2 French Drivers at a French Team” and that’s ultimately why I’ve picked Martins over Jack Doohan (who also deserves a seat on the Grid).
Visa Cash App RB: Liam Lawson and Ayumu Iwasa
I’m actually pretty confident that Visa Cash App RB will have a whole-new Driver Lineup in 2025 as I see Daniel Ricciardo moving to Red Bull whilst Yuki Tsunoda will ultimately lose his seat (and take a Reserve role, potentially at Aston Martin). Another thing I’m pretty confident about is Liam Lawson getting his well deserved spot on the Grid. Liam impressed massively during his mini stint on the Grid last year and it feels almost a forgone conclusion that Lawson will be driving for Red Bull in some capacity next year. As for his teammate, I’ve gone with Ayumu Iwasa. This isn’t necessarily because Ayumu’s Japanese as Red Bull’s partnership with Honda is nearly coming to an end. The reason why I’ve gone with Iwasa is the young talent is driving in Super Formula this year, and as I explained earlier, Red Bull like to send their Young Drivers over to Japan to really test them. If Ayumu Iwasa has a strong year in SF, he’s definetly got a chance of being in F1 in 2025.
Williams: Alex Albon and Sergio Perez
To be honest, Williams is the 2025 Driver pairing I’m least confident about. I expect Alex Albon to stay at Williams for at least another year on the simple basis that he has a contract till the end of 2025 plus I can’t see too many other options for him. I also think Logan Sargeant will struggle again and will ultimately lose his seat as a result. As for his teammate, I’ve gone with Sergio Perez. My reasoning for this is Checo can sign a 2-year contract, spend 2025 getting used to his surroundings whilst also gaining some confidence back before Perez hopes Williams will give him a car to fight back at the front. If this doesn’t happen, Sergio would retire. This would also be a good move for Williams as it would give them plenty of experience plus a driver that’s known for getting the most out of his car (besides at Red Bull of course). However, I have to say, I’m not at all confident about this as Checo Perez could easily just hang up his helmet at the end of the year (in F1 anyway) whilst there’s a certain young Italian racing driver by the name of Andrea Kimi Antonelli that could well get this seat (I think he’ll spend another year in F2 though).
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