The initial driver line-ups going into the 2024 season marked the first time in Formula 1 history that all 20 drivers remained unchanged from the previous season. Yet in the January of 2024, Lewis Hamilton kicked off one of F1’s most memorable ‘Silly Seasons’ for the 2025 driver market by announcing the biggest move in the history of the sport; as the biggest name and most successful driver, signed a multiyear deal with the biggest name and most successful constructor – Ferrari.
The ripple effect has meant that the 25’ grid will see only McLaren and Aston Martin retain both of their drivers from last season, we welcome five rookies; two teams with entirely new line-ups; several drivers swaps. And with less than a month until lights out in Australia, it seems fitting to rank the shaken-up 25’ line-ups from weakest to strongest, distinctly based on quality of driver – regardless of the machinery I anticipate they’ll inherit.
Significantly, 25’ is the final year of the current regulations that were introduced back in 22’. As is typical in F1, throughout the course of a regulatory cycle, the field massively converges in performance – evident to a great extent in 24’. Hence, there becomes a greater ownness on the drivers to make a difference in the fight for points, podiums, wins and championships.
10 Racing Bulls
Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar
Racing Bulls were the final team to complete their line-up when they promoted Isack Hadjar, 20, up from Formula 2. However, this was seemingly less of an active decision to reward the French driver’s 2nd placed finish in the junior category and more out of necessity to fill the void left by Liam Lawson’s promotion to the senior team – Red Bull.
Consequently, it will be a rapid turnaround and straight into the deep end for Hadjar. There is a certain rawness about him which is comparable to teammate, Tsunoda, when he first stepped up to F1 in 2021. Thus, it’ll be a steep learning curve for the French driver, whose only experiences behind the wheel of an F1 car have come in a handful of Free Practice sessions and at the 2024 post-season test in Abu Dhabi. This lack of experience compared to the opportunities that some of his fellow rookies have been afforded, before making the permanent leap to the pinnacle of motorsport, means that we should probably expect a period of adaptation for the young driver.
On the other side of the garage, since Pierre Gasly left for Alpine in 23’, Yuki Tsunoda has muscled his way to team-leader status within the team.
Tsunoda can feel hard done-by to be snubbed yet again for promotion to Red Bull, whose persisting lack of faith in the Japanese driver undermines the function of the Racing Bulls team as a nurturer and preparer of talent to eventually step up to Red Bull. Despite Tsunoda coming off his best classification to date in the drivers’ championship (12th) and on top of the fact it was well known within the paddock that Red Bull were initially lining up Daniel Riccardo to rejoin the senior team; it was Tsunoda who tore-up that script leading the Aussie to be dropped after the Singapore Grand Prix. Ultimately, Tsunoda then lost a six-race shootout to Liam Lawson for the 25’ Red Bull seat on the grounds that according to Red Bull CEO and Team Principal, Christian Horner: Lawson’s “mental strength and resilience were the right assets to partner Max Verstappen”, this in spite of Tsunoda beating Lawson 6-0 in qualifying and scoring eight points to Lawson’s four.
25’ will mark Tsunoda’s fifth year with the team and in the sport; although I appreciate the step forward that he made in the 24’ season, I remain unsure of his ceiling and ability to compensate enough for any persisting struggles Hadjar may have – in what promises to be a hypercompetitive grid.
9 Alpine
Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan
Pierre Gasly won the French civil war that brewed for two-seasons at Alpine as Esteban Ocon moves on to Haas for ‘25. Gasly had a stellar 24’ season – particularly in the second half – which included a top five finish in Qatar and a joint-Alpine podium at Brazil; helping Alpine recover to 6th in the constructors, after a tough start to the season. In doing so, Gasly reasserted himself within the upper echelon of midfield drivers. It is perhaps important to note that this uptick in Gasly’s results came after he and Ocon collided on the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, after which the team announced that Ocon would be leaving at the end of the season. From that point, it is hard to say Alpine didn’t favour Gasly’s side of the garage when it came to upgrades and preferential strategy. Before, Gasly and Ocon had been one of F1’s most evenly matched pairings during their partnership, but by the end of 24’ Ocon lulled distinctly behind Gasly.
Nonetheless, it is Gasly’s ability to work with the team that made him Alpine’s pick to mold the team around. A decision which was validated as when Alpine brought major updates, Gasly showcased that he could make the most of them – his third place in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix springing to mind. By the end of the season Gasly finished an impressive 10th in the drivers’ standings and had an incredible stat of costing the Enstone team $0 in damages.
Alpine seemingly lack faith in their own decision to promote rookie, Jack Doohan.
However, ninth on this list reflects the fact that buying out Williams’ mid-season ‘super sub’, Franco Colapinto on a five-year deal for a reported $20 million to be simply another of their two test and reserve drivers seems highly unlikely. It does not signal to me that Alpine have supreme confidence in their current driver line-up. Specifically, Alpine seemingly lack faith in their own decision to promote rookie, Jack Doohan. Although the Australian has been submerged within the Alpine driver program for much of his junior career, as well as having gained invaluable experience during his fair but unspectacular grand prix debut, when he replaced Ocon at the final race of 24’ in Abu Dhabi, multiple rumors have continued to swirl suggesting the Australian has only the first six races to fend off any threat of being replaced by Colapinto. “We’ll start the year with Pierre and Jack, I can guarantee you that. After that, we’ll see how the season progresses”. These are the words of the returned and cutthroat Flavio Briatore as Alpine advisor, compiling even more pressure on the young shoulders of Doohan, 22, as he enters the shark tank that is F1.
8 Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Aside from Ferrari signing Lewis Hamilton, Aston Martin made the second biggest and most exciting signing in 2024 – prizing F1’s greatest designer and engineer Adrian Newey from Red Bull. However, in terms of their driver line-up Aston remains one of two teams unchanged from 24’, and there must now be questions as to why that is…
Last season, Fernando Alonso finished best of the rest, in ninth, far behind the eight drivers at the top four teams but still a distant 28 points ahead of tenth placed Gasly. The Spaniard is the most experienced driver in the history of the sport – with 401 race starts- and he maintained a solid level of performance in 24’ despite the car falling firmly back into the midfield. Alonso remains a top driver in the sport and one of only three world champions on the grid, proving as recently as 2023’ that he can still compete at the very front of the grid when given the machinery. With that being said, at 43, it cannot be expected that Alonso will be able to maintain his level for many more years.
More pressingly, Lance Stroll had such a poor season. Inexcusably poor. Since the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Canadian failed to score any points at the remaining 11 races of the 24’ season compared to Alonso’s six separate points scoring races in that time. This was Stroll’s eighth year in F1 and while during that period he has shown glimpses of promise, this has not been sustained to be anywhere near deserving of the lifetime contact that he appears to have at the team his father, Lawrance Stroll owns.
In recent years, all the noise that has come out of the team (namely from Lawrance himself) has emphasised their ambition to win championships and their actions have clearly been in effort to make that a reality: building a state-of-the-art factory in Silverstone, signing a contract extension with two-time drivers’ champion Alonso, signing the sport’s most successful designer in Newey, agreeing an engine deal with Honda for 2026. But keeping Stroll goes entirely against these actions, especially considering that 22’ F2 winner Felipe Drugovich has been waiting in the wings as Reserve Driver, and proven operators with race wins in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez have been left without a seat.
7 Haas
Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman
Solid. Haas is one of two teams racing with an entirely new line-up this year.
Despite having a rather poor second season in F2, Bearman is probably the most prepared rookie joining the grid, at just 19, Bearman has looked mightily impressive each of the three times he was called upon to race for Ferrari and Haas. Specifically, the Brit proved he is already capable of scoring points in F1; in Saudi Arabia with Ferrari and later at Azerbaijan with Haas.
With Ocon, Haas has a proven entity in the midfield. Ocon is a good midfield driver, who deserves his place on the grid. The Frenchman had a torrid 24’ with complaints of inferior treatment on his side of the garage. A bitter departure was made all the worse when Ocon wasn’t given the opportunity to properly end his five-year spell at Alpine before he was abruptly displaced by his 25’ replacement, Jack Doohan, for the final race in Abu Dhabi but his 2nd place drive in the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix stood as a reminder of the Frenchman’s capabilities.
Teammate frictions have tended to follow Ocon around his career: Perez, Alonso and Gasly all had volatile spells alongside the 28-year-old. And while there is of course nuance and subjectivity across all three cases, there remains a persisting rhetoric “that he [Ocon] struggles to be a team player”. However now, Ocon has the opportunity to lead a team for the first time in his career. Nonetheless, I expect these two to be close, especially in qualifying.
Haas have certainly assembled a promising combination; a young driver with a high ceiling and a tested pair of hands with a point to prove. If the impressive Ayao Komatsu continues to steer Haas on an upward trajectory and delivers another decently competitive car, then this pair could prove to be incredibly plucky.
6 Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
Despite having the weakest car last season (scoring only four points) and one of the weaker driver lineups to match with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. In 25’, Mattia Binotto has managed to put together a very respectable driver pairing for this season.
An admirable blend of proven experience and promising youth.
Although there hasn’t been much of a fuss made of Sauber’s 25’ line-up – I for one – think it is quietly underrated, especially with an eye on the team’s transition to becoming Audi in 2026 – an admirable blend of proven experience and promising youth.
Hulkenberg is the third most experienced driver on the grid behind Alonso and Hamilton and in 24’, Hulk was one of the stars of the grid – especially in qualifying trim – spearheading a resurgent Haas to their best constructors’ finish (7th) since 2018.
And while a rookie, Bortoleto joins the Swiss outfit as a part of an illustrious group of recent drivers: Leclerc, Russell and Piastri to win back-to-back F3 and F2 drivers’ championships. Considering Bortoleto beat all the other F2 rookies joining this year’s grid to last year’s F2 championship, Sauber did very well to prize him away from within McLaren’s driver pool and I expect the young Brazilian to sporadically show glimpses of his future capabilities in F1.
This pairing has the potential to perform well in the midfield, but what we see from them in 25’ will be heavily dependent on their machinery. While there is a possibility that the team’s uptick in form during the final quarter of 24’ carries through to 25’, you would have to assume that the team is allocating more of its resources towards 26’ – to hit the ground running as Audi.
5 Williams
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
“For 2025, I think we have the best driver line-up on the grid” the words of Team Principal, James Vowles. It’s certainly good, but it isn’t that good.
I could entertain an argument to have this lineup in and around the podium positions based on how complete they are. By ‘complete’ I think Williams now has a ‘1A’ and ‘1B’ driver dynamic, one that is undeniably their best driver pairing since Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa from 2014-2016. A proven race winner in Carlos Sainz, alongside a good driver who is well-embedded at the team in Alex Albon. But ultimately, I settled on the top of the midfield, 5th place.
After an incredibly underwhelming season, which saw them finish 9th in the constructors last year. Williams did a phenomenal job to acquire the in-demand Sainz. As a four-time Grand Prix winner and six-time pole-sitter, the Spaniard frequently proved himself a match for Charles Leclerc during the four years they were teammates at Ferrari.
In recent years, the second seat at Williams has been filled by the likes of Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargent, drivers who relied more on their financial backing and relations to American markets as opposed to pure ability. Now, Williams should be able to fight with both hands! Therefore, this season will certainly be Albon’s toughest test in F1 since he was crushed by Max Verstappen, in 2020. It should give us a clear read on where his true ability lies.
After joining Williams in 2022, Albon rebuilt his reputation; establishing himself as the class of the midfield. Yet, after last season, questions began to rise about just how good he actually is. The Thai-Brit had by far his most average season at the Grove-based team, made even more noticeable when mid-season rookie – Franco Colapinto – initially outshone him. Since, it has been argued that in retrospect, dominating Latifi and Sargent hasn’t proved an awful lot. Nevertheless, Albon is at worst a solid F1 driver and while I expect Sainz to have a couple of tenths advantage over the course of the season, I believe it will be a competitive combination, especially as Sainz finds his feet at the start of the season.
However, there are mixed reports coming out about the prospects of Williams’ FW47. It is hard to judge whether the quality of the lineup will be reciprocated by an equal level of machinery in the FW47. Recent reports suggest that “25 could be a step forward for Williams”. But on the other hand, Williams themselves have repeatedly emphasised that their focus is firmly set on being competitive in 2026 when the new regulations begin.
Potentially there are questions about Sainz’s level of motivation, rejoining the midfield, but I believe that he is gunning to prove that Ferrari made a mistake in dropping him. And he will be eager to return to the front of the grid, whether that’s bringing Williams with him or showing to other teams that he is wasted in the midfield.
I must emphasise that I am more positive about this lineup than I may seem, but for me it is in no man’s land – distinctly better than any of the pairings prior- but lacking that star, top tier driver to be any higher. I think both Sainz and Albon are excellent options for a top team to pair alongside an elite driver, as we saw with Sainz and Leclerc at Ferrari. But I wouldn’t be entirely confident in either to be my number one driver at a title challenging team.
4 Mercedes
George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
Team boss, Toto Wolff, claims Mercedes are “embarking on a different route, trying to reinvent ourselves with a young driver – in addition to George [Russell], who isn’t mentioned enough. We have a senior, accomplished driver that has won races, and this new kid coming up”.
If this list was based off hype, Mercedes would have to be higher! 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the most highly touted young driver to enter F1 since Max Verstappen in 2015.
But if his two laps during his Free Practice One outing at the Italian Grand Prix told us anything- it is that… yes, his talent and speed are glaringly obvious – but his second lap crash at Paribolica equally showed us that he will still need time to adjust to the pinnacle of motorsport.
George Russell had a stellar 24’, one that he perhaps hasn’t received enough credit for. He comprehensively beat Lewis Hamilton across both their qualifying and race head to heads. Russell has always been a driver held in high regard, but off the back of 24’ Russell finally matched his ‘Mr Saturday ‘qualifying tag with a first-class level of consistency. He finished in the top eight in every race he finished and in the final eight races of 24’ he didn’t finish outside the top six. With that, the Brit has largely dismissed any doubts that he isn’t a driver with world championship potential. I feel as though in previous years, there’s been a hesitation or reluctance to include Russell in conversations with drivers like Leclerc and Norris, two drivers with teams molded around them. Now, entering 25’ Russell can make Merc his team and perhaps even challenge for a title.
Across all three seasons with Hamilton at Mercedes, Russell was ultra-competitive, only in 23’ did the seven-time champion truly outperform Russell. But with that being said, there was little to no pressure on Russell up against Hamilton, who bore most of the experimentation and pressure during the team’s attempts to return to their previous winning ways.
George is now tasked with leading this new era of Mercedes. His completely dominant weekend in Las Vegas towards the end of 24’ installed a lot of confidence in me that Russell has all the ability to take the mantle at Merc. Russell is also an incredibly confident driver; never shy from making calls from inside the cockpit, leading to masterstrokes as we saw in Belgium. But with that being said, Russell has tended to be somewhat rash and crash-prone, something that must be polished in order to avoid mistakes like in Singapore in 23’ because there is now not a Hamilton to compensate.
Also, Toto Wolff has been very public in his courting of Max Verstappen and given the level of investment that has gone into securing and preparing Antonelli to enter F1 it seems more likely that it would be Russell to make way in any circumstance that Wolff was able to prize Verstappen’s signature.
It is almost impossible to predict how Antonelli will fair, I expect the Italian’s season will be a mix of studded performances and rookie errors; with Russell comfortably ahead. Which in a four-team fight at the front, will more than likely rule Merc out of a constructor’s championship. But then equally, as the clear number one Russell might then find himself in and around a driver’s title bid.
3 Red Bull
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson
With all the great accomplishments Red Bull have enjoyed in recent years, you’d have to say that driver line-ups have been their achilleas heel. The second seat at Red Bull has been the most scrutinized drive in the sport since Daniel Ricciardo left the team for Renault at the end of the 2018 season. Gasly, Albon, Perez have all fallen at the sword of the sport’s toughest teammate – four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
The 27-year old Dutchman has been undeniably the best in the world since 2021 and freshly off the back of claiming what in my view is his most impressive title to date in 24’, which saw him win the drivers’ championship by 63 points despite evidently having a car that was at times the third or fourth best car on the grid. Max Verstappen remains the driver to beat going into 25’.
However, Red Bull as a team will drop from first to third in the paddock after finishing third behind both McLaren and Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. With no hyperbole intended, Verstappen won the drivers title on his own back – as it appeared that in both performance, development and operationally Red Bull either fell backwards or were caught by the chasing pack.
With Max Verstappen, Red Bull undeniably has the best driver in the sport
Red Bull won 22 out of 23 races in 23’ but just a season later Red Bull; McLaren; Ferrari; Mercedes all won multiple races, with a record breaking seven of the eight drivers winning numerous races, yet it was only the now departed Sergio Perez – of Red Bull – who failed to win a race in 24’.Consequently, finishing in 8th on 285 points compared to Verstappen’s 1st on 437 points, in the same car. In the end, Red Bull finished a sizeable 77 points behind winners, McLaren.
With Max Verstappen, Red Bull undeniably has the best driver in the sport, which maybe in itself merits them with the best lineup on the grid. From 22’ to the middle of 24’ Red Bull’s dominance masked the vitality of an adequate second driver to back up Max Verstappen. In 2023 Verstappen accumulated 575 points alone which was more than the total of the second-place constructor – Mercedes on 409. Yet, 2024 showed the importance for a team to have two drivers able to consistently maximise their packages.
So, next up into the fire, Liam Lawson. The Kiwi was promoted up to the “hardest seat in F1” off the back of his second consecutive season stepping into the vacant Racing Bulls seat alongside Tsunoda. Lawson wasn’t quite as impressive as he had been during his first spell at Racing Bulls in 23’, but he demonstrated great adaptability as well as a feisty competitiveness in battles against Alonso and Perez.
It is well-known that the Red Bull is designed and tailored to the strengths of Verstappen. Characterized by a pointy, aggressive front end and loose rear. Lawson has been well prepped for this in the Red Bull driver program, and it is hoped that in combination with his mental resilience he will be able to extract performance from the RB-21.
However, Max Verstappen will always be Red Bull’s title challenger, which means Lawson’s job isn’t to match the Dutchman never mind beat him, but to be close enough to back Max up and clean up when needed. In 24’, Perez was on average 0.750 tenths behind Verstappen in qualifying, Lawson will need to be within the quarter of a second range at least.
Relatively speaking, I think Lawson will do a better job than his predecessors, but with so many big hitters at the front of the grid it is hard to imagine that he’ll be able to consistently fight both the McLarens, Ferraris; Russell and Verstappen.
With that being said, the strongest two line-ups are clear… in my view, all four remaining drivers making up the final two teams are currently capable of a drivers’ championship. A distinguishing quality from the rest of the grid.
2 McLaren
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Debatably, as the current Constructors champions, McLaren have a very good case for being evidently the best line-up. With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, McLaren is both a team for the present and a team for the future, to a greater extent than any other team. And they start the season as the consensus favorites.
However, for the most part of last season, they certainly had the quickest car, and yet Lando Norris was unable to take full advantage. Verstappen even claimed he would still have won the championship if he was in the McLaren, “Would I have become champion in the McLaren? Yes! And much earlier too.”
Norris received a lot of criticism for not making the most of McLaren’s performance, in conjunction with Red Bull’s stark downturn in the middle of the season. Fairly, races like Brazil proved that Norris still needs time and experience to mature into a championship driver.
However, McLaren themselves should take some of the blame for the way in which they hampered Norris’ title hopes. Proving that as a team, McLaren are learning how to win again. In Hungary we saw the first signs of real friction, and the potential problem for Mclaren in having to manage two elite drivers. Also, in Monza where the team’s failure to implement team orders and prioritise Norris – allowed Piastri to make an aggressive move on Norris (on the opening lap) – a move that cost the team a probable 1-2 finish.
With that being said, the rate at which Piastri develops is my main point of interest. After his rookie year in 23’, Piastri took a step forward in 24’- winning two races. Another step in 25’ could put him consistently on a par with Norris, which could result in the pair taking points away from each other, a dilemma that Red Bull and Mercedes will likely not have given their distinct driver statuses. And, while Norris is currently carrying the mantle for papaya team, he is entering his eighth season with McLaren and in the sport, whereas Piastri has completed just 46 grand Prix.
Currently, I think both McLaren drivers lack things that the other has. Oscar has lacked a tenth or two to Norris in raw pace and consistency. On the other hand, Piastri has shown to have an extremely level head, seemingly never fazed by the untoward, a quality that Norris is yet to fully develop. However, Norris’ win to close the 24’ season in Abu Dabi was imperious. Almost a replica of Max Verstappen’s victory at the 2020 finale, who then went on to win the championship in 21’…
1 Ferrari
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Super team. Fred Vasseur and John Elkann have put together the sort of team you form in video games! In my view, Ferrari’s new star-studded lineup makes up two of the top three drivers on the grid. 56% of F1 fans also agree that this pair is the best on the 25’ grid!
56% of F1 fans also agree that this pair is the best on the 25’ grid!
In my opinion – outside of the Verstappen – Leclerc was the standout driver of last season. I am also confident in my assertion that he is the quickest driver over a single lap. And with Ferrari having shifted development to prioritise race pace with the SF-24, it brought to light that Leclerc is not only glaringly quick in qualifying, but he is also incredibly well-rounded in his ability to preserve tyres and manage a race. Leclerc demonstrated supreme consistency in 24’; only finishing outside of the top five on just three occasions in a record 24 race season. Whatsmore, he utterly dominated both the Monaco and Texas GPs. If you add to that, the sport’s most successful driver in Lewis Hamilton with 105 race wins and 104 pole positions – you have the best driver line-up on the 25’ grid.
The dynamic between Leclerc and Hamilton will be fascinating. While the two have always shared a great level of respect on and off the track, now as teammates, both will be eager to assert themselves as the team-leader and the one to bring the first drivers’ championship back to Maranello since 2007. Leclerc is a champion in-waiting and Hamilton has come to Ferrari to claim a record eighth title. If Ferrari’s SF-25 challenger is of championship caliber, then the battle between these two should be even more tantalising.
It is extremely rare that a sportsperson is bigger than the sport itself, and Lewis Hamilton is bigger than F1! Yet he is still very much stepping into the lion’s den at Ferrari. Since Leclerc rapidly displaced four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari has firmly centred the team around the Monegasque, therefore it is imperative that Hamilton acclimatises quickly to Ferrari’s ‘total immersion’ program – designed to ready him for the Tifosi way of working – that is entirely different from what Hamilton has become accustomed to during his 11 years with Mercedes.
Questions have been raised about Hamilton’s form given his tough final stint with Mercedes. Since the turn of the new regulations in 22’ Hamilton has clearly struggled with the characteristics of the new era of cars that do not favour his aggressive braking style.
Consequently, the statistically greatest qualifier has struggled massively over one lap in the past three years. In 2024 Hamilton was drubbed 19-5 by George Russell in their quali head-to-head. Speaking after a disappointing Saturday at the Italian GP, Hamilton said, “Qualifying has been my weakness for a minute now and I can’t figure it out.”
With that being said, Hamilton has remained imperious in race trim, often finishing closely behind or in front of Russell despite starting much further down the grid. He also had the most net positions gained at 55 in the 24’ season. As recently as 23’, Hamilton finished third in the drivers’ standings behind the dominant Red Bulls.
25’ may well present Ferrari with the opportunity to contest both championships. I have no questions about Leclerc. I expect a period of adaptation to be levelled out by a revitalised Hamilton, who at 40-years-old, says he feels “invigorated, so full of life”
As long as Hamilton doesn’t leave himself with too much to do on Sundays after not maximizing on Saturdays, you can never rule out Sir Lewis Hamilton.
