Team by team prospects for the 2025 F1 season

By Alan Baldwin, Reuters

Team-by-team prospects for the 24-race 2025 Formula One season starting in Melbourne on Sunday.

Listed in 2024 championship order, drivers with racing numbers:

MCLAREN

4 - Lando Norris (Britain)

81 - Oscar Piastri (Australia)

Norris is the bookmakers' favourite after finishing runner-up last year in a breakthrough season that saw him shrug off the cruel taunt of Lando 'Nowins' and take four victories with eight poles. The jury remains out on whether he is mentally tough enough to beat Max Verstappen while Piastri has plenty of confidence and is a big threat to the Briton's ambitions. The car still looks the one to beat but if the battle is between teammates, don't count out the Australian. Any tangling between them will be welcomed by rivals, particularly Red Bull.

Prediction: Top two

FERRARI

16 - Charles Leclerc (Monaco)

44 - Lewis Hamilton (Britain)

Hamilton has swept the headlines with his sensational move from Mercedes. His quest for a record eighth title with the oldest and most glamorous team and at the age of 40 has captured the imagination of fans worldwide, even if last year was the worst of his storied career. It may turn out to be no more than a dream. Leclerc is rapid in qualifying, embedded within the team and senses his time has come. If the car is competitive, Leclerc could be the one in the driving seat.

Prediction: Challenging McLaren for the title

RED BULL

1 - Max Verstappen (Netherlands)

30 - Liam Lawson (New Zealand)

Verstappen can become only the second driver after Michael Schumacher to win five titles in a row. The pace of the car, first since star designer Adrian Newey left, remains to be seen. Verstappen is clear number one and has a new teammate in Lawson, whose job is to score solid constructors' points and help the Dutch driver where necessary. Lawson replaces Sergio Perez and will be expected to put up more of a fight than the Mexican while avoiding the fate of other Red Bull prospects who were blown away by Verstappen.

Prediction: Top three contenders

MERCEDES

63 - George Russell (Britain)

12 - Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Italy)

Mercedes start the post-Hamilton era with, in Antonelli, a rising star ready to shine and a car that looks quicker and more stable. Russell is now the clear team leader and needs to prove on track that he has the pace and mental resilience to fight for the title. There is no love lost between him and Verstappen after clashes last year and that spat could boil over again. Antonelli impressed in testing and could be a race winner, just as Hamilton was in his first year, if the stars align.

Prediction: Top three contenders

ASTON MARTIN

14 - Fernando Alonso (Spain)

18 - Lance Stroll (Canada)

Alonso is the oldest driver on the grid, still going strong at 43 and still chasing his dreams of winning again and maybe being a title contender next year in a Honda-powered Newey-designed car. This year may be more of a struggle with the 2025 version seemingly off the pace in testing. Stroll's position, as son of the team owner, is not in doubt but he needs to get much closer to Alonso's pace to convince neutrals of his worth.

Prediction: fifth at best, probably lower

ALPINE

7 - Jack Doohan (Australia)

10 - Pierre Gasly (France)

Gasly is the clear team leader following the departure of Esteban Ocon to Haas. He still needs to deliver, with Flavio Briatore ruthless in his decision-making. Rookie Doohan stepped into Ocon's seat in Abu Dhabi last December but could be on borrowed time already, with Argentine Franco Colapinto signed as reserve and waiting for his opportunity to race again. The car looks promising, possibly best of the midfield.

Prediction: Sixth, maybe fifth

HAAS

31 - Esteban Ocon (France)

87 - Oliver Bearman (Britain)

America's team celebrating a 10th anniversary with an all-new lineup. Ocon joins from Alpine while Ferrari reserve Bearman gets his chance to show what he can do over a season after last year's stand-in outings. Haas jumped from last to seventh in 2024, holding on to that gain will be hard.

Prediction: in danger of dropping back

RACING BULLS

6 - Isack Hadjar (France)

22 - Yuki Tsunoda (Japan)

Rookie Hadjar replaces Lawson after finishing runner-up in F2 last year. Undoubtedly quick and analytical, he will have to control his emotions over the radio. Tsunoda is also known for excitable exchanges, which keeps the television bleepers busy, and is fighting for his future with backers Honda leaving for Aston Martin at the end of the season.

Prediction: No change on last year

WILLIAMS

55 - Carlos Sainz (Spain)

23 - Alex Albon (Thailand)

The former champions looked the most improved team in testing, with much-travelled Sainz joining from Ferrari and setting the fastest lap in a qualifying simulation. The partnership with experienced Albon promises to deliver results and Williams could be pushing to be best of the midfield pack, although a switch of focus to 2026 could blunt that.

Prediction: Fifth or sixth if testing translates

SAUBER

27 - Nico Hulkenberg (Germany)

5 - Gabriel Bortoleto (Brazil)

The future Audi team are more focused on 2026 than 2025 but will not want to start life as a works team from the back of the grid. In rookie Bortoleto they have a driver with plenty of potential, a champion in both F2 and F3 at the first attempt. Hulkenberg is a safe pair of hands but his record of most starts without ever standing on the podium looks unlikely to end.

Prediction: Last again

- Reuters