Formula 1

[Nicholas Lewis]

Here are my predictions for the 2025 season:

Mclaren will be the quickest car this season with Norris winning the championship. Piastri will be a little closer to him this season but not by much (gap around the 50 points mark). I also think this may be Lando's best chance of winning the championship in his career depending on how the 2026 regulation changes pan out.

Ferrari will be the second quickest car with Leclerc slightly ahead of Hamilton (If you asked me this 5 or so years ago I would've said Hamilton would win this teammate battle by a pretty sizeable margin but age is catching up to Lewis now).

Red Bull & Mercedes will be very close as the 3rd & 4th fastest cars but Max will be the difference maker and will probably take 3rd or even 2nd in the drivers championship with Red Bull 3rd in the constructors. Russell will be ahead of Antonelli over the season but Antonelli may be on par with him in driver ability towards the end. Lawson will be a lonely 8th in the drivers championship but will do enough to stay there for the whole season.

Then a big gap to best of the rest which I think will be Williams & Aston Martin close together as the 5th & 6th fastest cars. Sainz & Alonso will be closely matched but Albon will be quicker than Stroll. Williams take 5th in the constructors and Aston Martin 6th.

Alpine will be the 7th fastest car. Gasly will pick up points in a handful of races. Doohan will more than likely be binned off for Colapinto at some point in the season but Gasly will still finish ahead of either driver.

Haas will be the 8th fastest car, fairly close to Alpine. I think Ocon & Bearman will probably be the closest teammate battle with Ocon slightly edging out Bearman over the season.

RB will be the 9th fastest car with Tsunoda beating Hadjar quite convincingly. This will be Yuki's last season in the Red Bull family and I think he'll go to Aston Martin as a reserve driver next season due to his links with Honda and Aston Martin using Honda engines from 2026. He may get a race seat there if Alonso bows out and let's face it, Stroll isn't leaving there anytime soon.

Sauber will once again win the Minardi Award for slowest car by far but I don't think they will be quite as bad last year (they were Haas 2021 levels of bad last year but Bottas was driving the hell out of that dog). Hulkenberg will finish ahead of Bortoleto quite comfortably but either driver will be lucky to get a few points.

Finishing order will be:
1 - Norris
2 - Verstappen
3 - Piastri
4 - Leclerc
5 - Hamilton
6 - Russell
7 - Antonelli
8 - Lawson
9 - Sainz
10 - Alonso
11 - Albon
12 - Gasly
13 - Stroll
14 - Ocon
15 - Bearman
16 - Tsunoda
17 - Colapinto (replaces Doohan mid season)
18 - Hadjar
19 - Doohan
20 - Hulkenberg
21 - Bortoleto

Apologies for this post being a bit long.

Position 1&2 hold good after race 1 rest of the running order a jumble but a long way to go!

 

[JD2168]

Lando Norris has won the Australian Grand Prix in tricky wet/dry conditions with Max Verstappen in second & George Russell in third. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth in his first race with Alex Albon in fifth. In his first race for Ferrari Lewis Hamilton finished 10th after a late tyre gamble didn’t work with Leclerc in eighth split by Oscar Piastri who span late on in a late rain shower.

All of the rookies apart from Antonelli struggled with only Bearman also finishing. Hadjar crashed on the formation lap, Doohan crashed on lap one, Lawson who struggled & Bortoletto crashed in the late rain shower. It did make me think a wet test for rookie drivers might be a good idea to give some experience in tricky conditions.

The white lines on the track were a contributing factor in a number of the crashes during the race.

It is the first time Max has not been leading the World Championship since the 2022 season.

Regarding Fernando Alonso, a great driver but has made some poor mistimed decisions when switching teams. He also could look at himself as he was a contributing factor in the McLaren 2007 season when he & Lewis fell out. He would have won the 2010 title if Ferrari had not concentrated only on Webber & not paid attention to the tyre graining easing & Vettel at the front of the race.

 

[D365]

Over rated in my opinion, believes his own hype. For me his trips to the Indy 500 summed him up, he thought because he'd been a F1 champion he could jump in and win, then seem surprised when he didn't even qualify. This was on his 2nd visit in 3 attempts, his best finish was 21st

Fair enough to criticise later attempts, in the wake of the post-Dennis McLaren/Honda fallout. But Alonso’s performance in 2017 (first Indy 500 attempt) was looking like a top-3 finish before… a Honda engine failure.

 

[75A]

Yes it was and he did lead for 27 laps.
Had to smile at him putting the car in the wall in Melbourne this morning.

 

[PG]

One thing that did concern me was seeing a marshal standing, during the Alonso safety car period, at the edge of the track while the cars passed. Presumably they were about to retrieve some debris but surely they should have been behind a barrier until the field had gone through? Being at the outside of a corner put them right in the way if anyone had dropped it. Not sure why the race wasn't red flagged when the recovery truck was on circuit in the wet - IIRC Jules Bianchi was driving behind the safety car when he collided with a recovery vehicle back in 2014 also in the wet.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Not sure why the race wasn't red flagged when the recovery truck was on circuit in the wet - IIRC Jules Bianchi was driving behind the safety car when he collided with a recovery vehicle back in 2014 also in the wet.

I believe that it's still permitted as long as there's an actual safety car on track, not just VSC. The Bianchi crash was under double waved yellows, but in practice, drivers were barely slowing down and Bianchi was no different, hence why they introduced the VSC to get the drivers to slow down considerably (I think it's 30%, but could be wrong). It's ridiculous to think that there was no SC at the time with a recovery vehicle on the track, but the FIA can't really be blamed for drivers breaking the rules.

I think the drivers have been calling for a red flag in the wet if there's a recovery vehicle on the track. For me, it's a no brainer, although I think we really need to find a solution to preserve time gaps during safety car periods and red flags. I do wonder why we can't have an electronic solution that would have cars line up on the grid, and then cars would be released according to the time gaps that existed at the moment of the SC / red flag.

 

[sannox]

I believe that it's still permitted as long as there's an actual safety car on track, not just VSC. The Bianchi crash was under double waved yellows, but in practice, drivers were barely slowing down and Bianchi was no different, hence why they introduced the VSC to get the drivers to slow down considerably (I think it's 30%, but could be wrong). It's ridiculous to think that there was no SC at the time with a recovery vehicle on the track, but the FIA can't really be blamed for drivers breaking the rules.

I think the drivers have been calling for a red flag in the wet if there's a recovery vehicle on the track. For me, it's a no brainer, although I think we really need to find a solution to preserve time gaps during safety car periods and red flags. I do wonder why we can't have an electronic solution that would have cars line up on the grid, and then cars would be released according to the time gaps that existed at the moment of the SC / red flag.

There were concerns about a crane in Suzuka a few years ago, but when the question was posed to Verstappen, Norris and Russell about the Alonso incident yesterday and all said that it was fine with the safety car. I'm not sure the situation at the weekend justified a red flag.

 

[BingMan]

it's a no brainer, although I think we really need to find a solution to preserve time gaps during safety car periods and red flags. I do wonder why we can't have an electronic solution that would have cars line up on the grid, and then cars would be released according to the time gaps that existed at the moment of the SC / red flag.

Similarly at the end of safety car. Make cars remain at the safety car speed until the gap is what it was when the safety was called

Also allowing tyre changes during red flags should be another no-no. Free it stops ruyin the competition.
Or allow them but add thirty seconds to the time gap.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Lando Norris has won the Australian Grand Prix in tricky wet/dry conditions with Max Verstappen in second & George Russell in third. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth in his first race with Alex Albon in fifth. In his first race for Ferrari Lewis Hamilton finished 10th after a late tyre gamble didn’t work with Leclerc in eighth split by Oscar Piastri who span late on in a late rain shower.

Albon had been placed fourth due to a time penalty on Antonelli but that was reversed on appeal but none the less a good result for Williams. Lets hope the wild ride continues and plenty of drivers remain in the mix.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Similarly at the end of safety car. Make cars remain at the safety car speed until the gap is what it was when the safety was called

Yeah, I've never really understood why they don't do this. There's nothing particularly difficult about it, just electronically limit them to a certain speed until the desired time gap is achieved once the green flag is waved.

Also allowing tyre changes during red flags should be another no-no. Free it stops ruyin the competition.

I've never been fond of allowing any changes under a red flag. The cars should be effectively under parc ferme during that time, unless there's a decision by race control to allow changes due to a specific situation.

 

[JamesT]

I've never been fond of allowing any changes under a red flag. The cars should be effectively under parc ferme during that time, unless there's a decision by race control to allow changes due to a specific situation.

The argument for allowing tyre changes has always been that it’s a safety issue. If cars have potentially run over debris which could have caused punctures, you’re risking more crashes by forcing them to continue on their existing tyres.
A tweak to the rules that mitigate the competitive advantage could work. Forcing the replacement to be the same compound and/or making it not count as the compulsory stop?

 

[najaB]

Forcing the replacement to be the same compound and/or making it not count as the compulsory stop?

Yeah, that would help a lot. Though, how would you handle it if they were running on intermediates when the race was red flagged?

 

[PG]

Albon had been placed fourth due to a time penalty on Antonelli but that was reversed on appeal but none the less a good result for Williams.

Which leaves McLaren and Mercedes level on points in the constructors championship although 1st and 2nd respectively. Raises an interesting question :

• If they score equal points in China and Mercedes take the win would they be equal 1st in the constructors?​

 

[gswindale]

I would think that McLaren would remain 1st and Mercedes 2nd on the basis that McLaren scored the first win.

 

[BingMan]

I've never been fond of allowing any changes under a red flag. The cars should be effectively under parc ferme during that time, unless there's a decision by race control to allow changes due to a specific situation.

And if changes are allowed there should be a time penalty equivalent to a pit stop.

 

[JD2168]

It is reported that the FIA will increase the load test for the rear wing at the Chinese Grand Prix after fresh accusations of flexi-wings.

 

[DarloRich]

All of the rookies apart from Antonelli struggled

Antonelli did very well actually coming through from a low grid slot - I am still not sure I would have gone for him this year ahead of Sainz but I am sure Merc know best!

with only Bearman also finishing.

After limited running so quite impressive

Hadjar crashed on the formation lap,

Doh - although the comments from that dinosaur at Red Bull were unhelpful.

Doohan crashed on lap one,

Alpine will ditch him first chance they get

Lawson who struggled

Overly aggressive - trying to be a mini Verstpapen without the talent

Bortoletto crashed in the late rain shower. It did make me think a wet test for rookie drivers might be a good idea to give some experience in tricky conditions.

He had until that point had a solid weekend.

For me, it's a no brainer, although I think we really need to find a solution to preserve time gaps during safety car periods and red flags.

Similarly at the end of safety car. Make cars remain at the safety car speed until the gap is what it was when the safety was called

Why? What we want is all the remaining cars going full pelt into corner one. Much more fun. We don't have to sanitise everything!

Forcing the replacement to be the same compound and/or making it not count as the compulsory stop?

Agree - there should be no advantage gained in these circumstances ( only exception would be wet to dry or dry to wet change)

 

[Cloud Strife]

Why? What we want is all the remaining cars going full pelt into corner one. Much more fun. We don't have to sanitise everything!

Because it's not fair and yes, I'm still bitter and angry about Abu Dhabi 2021! I understand perfectly why they did it for TV, but in this case, Masi should have told both Lewis and Max that they were going to be allowed to race each other in a one lap shootout and that they had to be in 1-2 position for the restart, and that they were both free to change tyres.

But I've always been a supporter of not allowing cars to change anything during yellow or red flags, or if the safety car is out. If you get stuck behind lapped cars when the SC is deployed, sorry, that's just racing life, they shouldn't be allowed to unlap themselves.

The argument for allowing tyre changes has always been that it’s a safety issue. If cars have potentially run over debris which could have caused punctures, you’re risking more crashes by forcing them to continue on their existing tyres.

I'd suggest that in this case, you can calculate the time needed to pit normally and apply it as a kind of stop-go penalty. It's hard to explain what I have in mind, but you could say "okay, 2.5 seconds to change tyres, 25 seconds lost in the pit lane, so you'll incur a 27.5 second penalty if you change tyres, to be applied at the end of the race or at a following pit stop".

In essence, there wouldn't be a free tyre change, and hitting debris would be a racing incident. Even if there's a red flag and then the heavens open up, the decision would be down to the teams: do they change to inters or wets, or do they leave the original tyres on?

 

[DarloRich]

yes, I'm still bitter and angry about Abu Dhabi 2021! I understand perfectly why they did it for TV, but in this case, Masi should have told both Lewis and Max that they were going to be allowed to race each other in a one lap shootout and that they had to be in 1-2

but that is a result of someone making the rules up as they went along rather than an issue with the operation of the safety car!

Perhaps the pits should be closed under a safety car like in Le Mans racing

 

[BingMan]

Why? What we want is all the remaining cars going full pelt into corner one. Much more fun. We don't have to sanitise everything!

Safety cars are by their very nature sanitisers. Racing would be better without them altogether.

Stating a race behind a safety car is the silliest. It is ether fir to race so send them out. Or it ibn't so keep them in.
We pay to see motor racing not processions.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Perhaps the pits should be closed under a safety car like in Le Mans racing

I've never understood why the safety car is essentially a free pit stop. It makes no sense whatsoever, and in general, the safety car is one of the worst things about F1 for me. I'd much rather that the pit lane would be closed, or if they need to enter for safety reasons, then they wouldn't be allowed to leave until the race restarts. If their car is capable of making it around the track, then they can follow the safety car until it comes into the pits and then pit.

 

[D365]

Sad to see the news of Eddie Jordan’s passing. A successful independent team owner from 1991 to 2005, and latterly known as a TV pundit, journalist and podcast host.

 

[sannox]

Yeah, very sad. Eddie Jordan was one of a kind from a different era of Formula 1.

 

[Pete_uk]

90s F1 wouldn't have been the same without Jordan on the grid.

RIP

 

[DarloRich]

Very sad news about Eddie Jordan

 

[sannox]

Interesting results in China's sprint qualifying.

You have to wonder will Red Bull ever get 2 cars near the front again!

 

[Tetragon213]

Very sad news about Eddie Jordan

Very sad indeed.

Interesting results in China's sprint qualifying.

You have to wonder will Red Bull ever get 2 cars near the front again!

Maybe if they'd promoted Tsunoda instead of Lawson, they might at least have 2 cars in Q2...

I'm still quite surprised that Hamilton on his 2nd qualifying of any sort managed to take pole! Shows there's still some life in him yet. Also it'll be interesting to see how Lando recovers from starting out of position.

 

[sannox]

Maybe if they'd promoted Tsunoda instead of Lawson, they might at least have 2 cars in Q2...

There comes a point when you look at Red Bull's drivers and wonder if the issue is elsewhere... Gasly, Albon, Perez, Lawson now all struggled in some degree. Gasly and Albon have had solid careers post Red Bull.

Tsunoda and Lawson were pretty equally matched at RB with very little between them... Was it Albon that had an interview with Jake Humphrey (?) about how the Red Bull was a pig to drive because of the Max set up, then you bin it and your confidence goes and before you know it you can't do anything.

 

[75A]

Well done to Lewis Hamilton for winning this mornings 'Sprint' race. He started on Pole and led every lap.
That might silence his critics for a while.

 

[BingMan]

Well done to Lewis Hamilton for winning this mornings 'Sprint' race. He started on Pole and led every lap.
That might silence his critics for a while.

Naw. He only qualified 5th for the main race. Load of rubbish