“It needs to be one of many best seasons in Method 1 historical past.”

That was the tantalising expectation expressed by Martin Brundle throughout a latest Sky Sports activities Information interview in an early preview of a 2025 season that already sparkles with promise and anticipation even earlier than a single wheel has been turned by one of many grid’s 10 new soon-to-be-launched vehicles.

The countdown to pre-season testing in Bahrain on the finish of February, after which the primary race in Australia on March 16, lastly begins to actually ramp up over the following week, with Williams taking the wraps of their newest automotive – albeit in a one-off livery – on Friday earlier than subsequent Tuesday’s first-of-its-kind all-team and driver occasion at London’s O2 gives the centrepiece of a launch season with a distinction.

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Max Verstappen will begin the yr aiming to develop into simply the second driver after Michael Schumacher to win the drivers’ title 5 years in succession however Purple Bull’s reigning champion could face his hardest quest for the crown since successful his first in 2021…

What the second half of the 2024 season instructed us

So what affords the prospect of a wide-open, true multi-driver championship combat this time given the identical driver has gained the final 4 world titles, two with absolute dominance and the final with the consolation of two races nonetheless to spare.

Effectively, for exhibit A, we provide the drivers’ factors standings from the second half of final season.

Whereas the spectacular Verstappen finally completed a snug 63 factors away from second-placed Lando Norris within the standings regardless of resurgent McLaren ending Purple Bull’s reign as constructors’ champions, a lot of the leg work in direction of the Dutchman’s fourth consecutive title had been achieved within the marketing campaign’s first half.

Verstappen gained seven of the primary 10 races and was already a dominant 84 factors forward of Norris, and greater than 100 away from everybody else, by the point the 24-race season reached its midway level after July’s British Grand Prix the place he completed second to Lewis Hamilton.

The subsequent 12 races, nevertheless, to the tip of the marketing campaign in Abu Dhabi in December painted a really completely different image.

High factors scorers in closing 12 races of 2024 season (Hungary-Abu Dhabi)

• 1. Charles Leclerc – 206 factors – 2 wins
• 2. Lando Norris – 203 factors – 3 wins
• 3. Max Verstappen – 182 factors – 2 wins
• 4. Oscar Piastri – 168 factors – 2 wins
• 5. Carlos Sainz – 144 factors – 1 win
• 6. George Russell – 134 factors – 1 win
• 7. Lewis Hamilton – 113 factors – 1 win

Having been nearly unbeatable for a lot of the earlier two years in his Purple Bull, Verstappen gained simply twice extra and was solely the third highest-scoring driver from the Hungarian GP onwards

As a substitute it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who prime scored over the ultimate dozen rounds, with Norris a detailed second.

Leclerc scored 206 factors, simply three greater than Norris however 24 greater than Verstappen. In all, the ultimate 12 race wins had been shared between the highest seven drivers with nobody claiming greater than Norris’ three.

Moreover, had the factors been reset from that summer season Budapest race onwards, then 4 drivers – Leclerc, Norris, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri within the second McLaren – would have gone into the Abu Dhabi finale with a shot on the title.

After all, a season’s factors tallies don’t ever reset midway by a season, so it’s a purely illustrative instance of F1’s growing competitiveness – however a tantalising one nonetheless. The narrative heading into the brand new marketing campaign, in fact, has been additional fuelled by mass modifications to the grid’s 10 line-ups, with Hamilton’s transfer to affix Leclerc at Ferrari the headline match-up.

Teenage rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli joins Russell at a new-look Mercedes, with Liam Lawson promoted to the seat subsequent to Verstappen after the struggling Sergio Perez lastly misplaced his Purple Bull drive.

“We’ll see if Purple Bull have recovered their automotive. That is the important thing factor,” urged Brundle on one of many key early questions to come back in pre-season testing.

“If Purple Bull have recovered their automotive and Verstappen’s on kind, he’ll nonetheless be the person to beat for the title as a result of Piastri might take factors off Norris and Hamilton, and Leclerc might take factors off one another.”

The consequence of static rules and the legislation of diminishing returns

The approaching season marks the fourth – and closing – marketing campaign of the present regulation period.

Subsequent yr F1’s technical rulebook is turned the other way up for 2026 in a means arguably by no means fairly seen earlier than owing to simultaneous modifications to each the chassis and engine rules.

Earlier than then, although, and historical past has tended to indicate that the deeper right into a static regulation period F1 goes the nearer the racing will get and the extra aggressive the battle for wins turns into.

“The rules are very mature so we’re not anticipating one workforce to all of the sudden soar forward,” stated Brundle of 2025’s seemingly aggressive image.

“They’re reaching the height on this final season of how these vehicles can carry out.”

With little long-term worth in groups pursuing season-long automotive improvement this time owing to the shortage of carry-over elements into 2026, the flip ought to imply that if 2025 begins as shut as is hoped, then it’s prone to keep that means all by the 24-race marketing campaign.

‘Mega’, ‘epic’ – what the main groups are predicting

Talking to Sky Sports activities at numerous pre-season occasions in latest weeks, workforce bosses at a number of the main outfits have been singing from a really comparable hymnsheet close to what to anticipate within the new season.

Zak Brown, McLaren: “[Lando’s] positively one of many favourites. I might put Oscar in there, Max in there. Charles in there, Lewis in there, George in there.

“I feel Kimi [Antonelli] might be going to win a race or two, although clearly, as a rookie, will probably be powerful to place collectively 24 races with out having just a few rookie days. Liam [Lawson] I am certain will probably be sturdy, and do not rule out Fernando [Alonso]… so I feel it will be an epic season.”

Christian Horner, Purple Bull: “I feel it will be a mega yr. I feel that McLaren had a robust yr final yr, however we nonetheless gained extra particular person races than every other driver, nearly double.

“Max will probably be powerful to beat, however we do not underestimate the opposition.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes: “I feel this yr could possibly be the identical once more that three, 4, 5 groups are actually shut to one another combating – which is sweet information for the game – and on the similar time balancing improvement for subsequent yr. It may be fairly fascinating how the priorities are set.”

When will we discover out extra about the place groups stand?

It’s the three days of testing in Bahrain on February 26-28 that can, as ever, begin to present the primary clues and the hints at an early-season pecking order.

Nonetheless, this yr even then that can simply be the proof of automotive efficiency on a observe which doesn’t stage the primary grand prix on condition that for the primary time since 2020, the primary race of the season will not be additionally in Bahrain.

Australia’s Albert Park – a really completely different observe to Sakhir – hosts the March 16 opener with the Bahrain Grand Prix not happening till the fourth spherical in April.

“It needs to be so shut and whoever wins it’s going to win a fantastic championship,” stated Brundle.

“However till we see the vehicles on observe, and doubtless not till the Saturday of Melbourne, the primary race, the place they’re low gasoline, flat out, recent tyres, giving it every little thing will we actually know the tempo of who’s simply aced it. Then it is about who’s nonetheless quick 30, 50, 60 laps right into a grand prix.

“I feel it’s totally courageous to put in writing anyone off or write anyone right into a championship-winning place.”

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Method 1 season stay on Sky Sports activities F1, beginning with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime