In 2023 Crimson Bull had been so dominant they might have gained the constructors’ championship as a one-car group – offering the automotive was pushed by Max Verstappen.
However final 12 months their rivals had been a lot nearer and all of the sudden the gulf in efficiency between Crimson Bull’s two drivers value them dearly. Verstappen clinched the drivers’ title once more however the group fell to 3rd within the standings as Sergio Perez contributed little greater than 1 / 4 of their complete.
For 2025 all bar two of the F1 groups have completely different line-ups – together with Crimson Bull. Two of them have all-new pairings and no fewer than six drivers will begin their first full seasons.
However amid all that change, which group now has the strongest line-up of driving expertise? That’s so that you can resolve on this week’s ballot.
Crimson Bull
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson
Perez slumped to his worst end in 4 years at Crimson Bull final season, the group misplaced the constructors’ championship and confirmed him the door. In his place comes Lawson, who has simply 11 grand prix appearances to his title. Verstappen will certainly proceed to set the usual by which different drivers are judged, however will his new group mate sink or swim?
Mercedes
George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes have misplaced their star driver as Lewis Hamilton defects to Ferrari. However Russell’s performances final 12 months prompt he might now be simply as fast. Then there’s the fascinating query of Antonelli’s potential: Mercedes have tried to maintain a lid on the hype, however the haste with which they’ve pushed him by means of the junior ranks plus his rapid promotion to a front-running group made that not possible.
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Ferrari
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton turns into the most recent in an extended line of a number of champions to pursue the dream of profitable a title for Ferrari. In his case, in fact, it will be a record-breaking eighth. However his closing season at Mercedes was lower than stellar, whereas Leclerc produced one in all his greatest performances final 12 months at Ferrari.
McLaren
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
McLaren’s drivers ran one another too shut for consolation at instances final 12 months, inflicting strained moments on the Hungaroring and Monza. The group may very well be heading for a repeat in 2025 if their automotive stays as aggressive because it was for a lot of final season and Piastri continues to shut the hole to Norris.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Alonso will flip 44 subsequent season however has proven no signal of letting up both his relentless tempo or his uncompromising racecraft. Stroll languished nicely off his tempo once more final 12 months, nonetheless.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan
Alpine made a belated effort to lure Carlos Sainz Jnr after Esteban Ocon determined to depart, however had been unable to entice him. Doohan due to this fact turns into the primary member of their junior group to make his F1 debut for them (Piastri and Zhou Guanyu having finished so for different groups).
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Williams
Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jnr
Williams pulled off a coup by attracting Sainz to affix them after Ferrari moved him apart to make means for Hamilton. He’ll undoubtedly show the strongest competitors Albon has confronted since he partnered Verstappen at Crimson Bull.
Racing Bulls
Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar
Having been handed over for promotion to Crimson Bull, Tsunoda goes into his fifth season at Racing Bulls. Hadjar arrives in F1 with no junior collection championship to his title, although he led the Method 2 standings final 12 months and suffered some poor luck on his option to the runner-up spot.
Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
The final two groups have fully reset their driver line-ups for 2025, taking one skilled hand and one newcomer. Hulkenberg’s F1 profession was unexpectedly revived by his return to Haas final 12 months, whereas former McLaren junior Bortoleto has finished the Leclerc/Piastri/Russell trick of profitable F1’s high two feeder collection in consecutive seasons.
Haas
Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon
Haas can be Ocon’s fourth completely different group since he made his F1 debut in 2016, and his first time sharing a group with somebody considerably much less skilled than himself. Bearman critically impressed Haas on his appearances for them in observe periods and as an alternative.
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I say
When you can’t low cost high abilities like Verstappen and Alonso, they’re one half of considerably imbalanced driver pairings. Stroll more and more seems to be like a drag on Aston Martin’s potential, and whereas Lawson has the potential to impress, he’s nonetheless very a lot an unknown amount.
McLaren’s pairing of Norris and Piastri undoubtedly served them nicely final 12 months, and given their relative inexperience in comparison with many different drivers on the grid, they nonetheless have potential to enhance. However one group has shaped a really spectacular partnership.
Ferrari already had arguably one of many strongest line-ups in F1 with Leclerc and Sainz. However changing the latter with essentially the most profitable driver in F1 historical past creates a formidable line-up. The times of this group not wanting ‘two roosters in the identical hen home’ are lengthy gone.
However one fascinating query within the upcoming season can be whether or not Mercedes’ religion in Antonelli is vindicated. If he’s actually pretty much as good as they assume he’s, their squad may very well be a severe pressure.
You say
Which group has the strongest driver line-up for 2025? Solid your vote under and have your say within the feedback.
Which Method 1 group has the strongest driver line-up for 2025?
- Haas: Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon (0%)
- Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto (0%)
- Racing Bulls: Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar (0%)
- Williams: Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jnr (1%)
- Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan (0%)
- Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll (0%)
- McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (28%)
- Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (69%)
- Mercedes: George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli (1%)
- Crimson Bull: Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson (1%)
Complete Voters: 120
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