WE. ARE. BACK.
With the 2025 Formula One season officially underway this weekend, it is time to preview what the opening Grand Prix will look like, and to maybe give a prediction or two. With so much unknown heading into 2025, we will finally get a first glimpse of who is living up to the hype, who is not, and who might surprise us this season. One thing is for sure though... 2025 could be one of the closest and most competitive seasons the sport has ever had.
With that, let's get right into it!
Alpine
The main goal for Alpine this weekend is to get off to a better start than they did last year. After what could be considered a disappointing season in 2024, despite coming P6 in the Constructors' Championship, Alpine feels they figured out what caused such a slow start last year.
With a mix of experience (Pierre Gasly) and youth (Jack Doohan) coming into 2025, it will be interesting to see how big or small the gap will be between Gasly and Doohan. A lot of people are already writing Doohan off, which I think is unfair, but it cannot be ignored that Alpine had better options to pair alongside Gasly. Don't get me wrong, I wish Doohan all the best and hope he proves everyone wrong, but when you sign a guy like Franco Colapinto to be your reserve driver (for now), the pressure could not be higher for the 22-year-old Austrailian in his home race.
In terms of expectations, I expect Alpine to compete amongst the midfield, and ultimately feel better after this weekend than they did after race one of last year.
Prediction:
Ceiling: 8th-11th place finish for Gasly and 12th-15th place finish for Doohan
Floor: 14th-16th place finish for Gasly and 17th-20th place finish for Doohan
Aston Martin
Coming into 2025, Aston Martin has made it clear that they intend to use this season as a rebuilding year. With new Technical Director, and legendary mind Adrian Newey joining the team officially this seaosn, Aston Martin is putting as much as they can into making their 2026 car a championship-winning level car.
With that said, it is tough to tell where Aston Martin will be this weekend. Fernando Alonso is still, even at age 43, one of the best drivers on the grid and able to make something out of nothing. However, Lance Stroll is still an extreme liability to the team, and has yet to prove that he truly belongs in the sport.
If I were to guess, I don't think Aston Martin will be as bad this weekend as I believe they will be as the year goes on, but I also see them struggling to get points this weekend, considering how much quicker the top 4 teams, as well as the likes of Williams and RB, look compared to Aston Martin.
Prediction:
Ceiling: 10th-13th place finish for Alonso and 13th-15th place finish for Stroll
Floor: 15th-17th place finish for Alonso and 18th-20th place finish for Stroll
Ferrari
Ferrari might be the most interesting team coming into the opening weekend of the season. I was expecting them to show a little more pace than what they have shown thus far, however, what we have seen thus far in Bahrain Testing and the first Practice Sessions is far from indicative of what they could do in Australia this weekend.
Even with the team being a wild card this weekend, I still expect Ferrari to fight for the win. Charles Leclerc has been outstanding in qualifying for years now, and his teammate, who so happens to be the most successful driver of all time in Lewis Hamilton, is no slouch either.
I do think Leclerc will pick up where he left off last season, but I also believe it will take Lewis a few races to get to the form he is expecting to be. Switching to a new team after spending twelve years on the same one is a huge adjustment, even for someone like Hamilton.
Could I be horribly wrong and Hamilton does well? Absolutely. However, I would not be surprised if it takes Lewis some time to get used to the car, at least for the first couple of races.
Prediction:
Ceiling: Race win for both drivers
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for Leclerc and 5th-7th place for Hamilton
Haas
It is definitely not an ideal start to the weekend for Haas. An Oliver Bearman crash in Free Practice One (FP1) resulted in him missing all of FP2. Bearman now only has one more practice session before qualifying.
Is this ideal? No, definitely not. With every team still learning about the car and gathering data on where the car is compared to the rest of the field, these practice sessions are crucial not only for the team, but for the drivers as well. Mistakes like this, especially so early, can set your team back severely as the year goes on.
From what we did see on track, I was not overly impressed with how Haas looked, but then again, it is only practice. Haas still has a very solid driver lineup in Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, so it will be interesting to see if they can get the best out of the car. Just...keep the crashes to a minimum!!
Prediction:
Ceiling: 10th-12th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 15th-17th place finish for both drivers
Kick Sauber
In terms of previewing what Sauber can do this weekend, it is once again tough to put them in the midfield tier.
With a brand new and improved lineup of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoletto, I do not think it will be the absolute dumpster fire of a start that it was last year, but at the same time, I also would not bet on Sauber surprising anyone.
Prediction:
Ceiling: 16th-18th place finish for both drivers
Floor: Bottom two finish
McLaren
It is quite clear around the paddock that McLaren are the favorites to not only repeat as Constructors' Champions, but to also dethrone Red Bull's Max Verstappen and winning the Drivers' Championship.
If anyone can end Max's streak, its these two drivers for McLaren. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri not only have the talent, but the upper edge in terms of car performance. This is something we have not seen in a while, probably since 2021, so it is crutial that McLaren get off to a good start in Austrailia.
The only thing holding me back from believing that McLaren are the clear favorites this weekend is the weather. Norris and Piastri historically have been inconsistent when it comes to wet weather, and since the expectation is that it will rain during the race, it might hinder their chances of executing a result they are hoping to have. I do think they will do well, however do not be shocked if McLaren struggle in the race.
Prediction:
Ceiling: Front row lockout (1st and 2nd)
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for both drivers
Mercedes
Mercedes, as always, in impossible to predict when it comes to the beginning of seasons. They do a better job than anyone at hiding their progress, and not giving anything away in terms of expectations. However, as a Mercedes fan myself, I have faith in this team.
With that said, I do think the gap between George Russel and 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli will be noticibale in Austrailia. Antonelli is young, extremely raw, and maybe a little too aggressive right now. He is going to need time to adjust to being in an F1 car, and I think that will show this weekend. George on the other hand could absolutely fight for a podium this weekend. As the new team leader, expectations are exptremely high, but I think George will rise to the occasion.
Prediction:
Ceiling: 2nd-5th place finish for Russell and 6th-8th place finish for Antonelli
Floor: 6th-9th place finish for Russell and 11th-13th place finish for Antonelli
Racing Bulls
I think Racing Bulls are a little hard to read, especially as we open the season. We all know Yuki Tsunoda's talent, and the contracversary of Red Bull choosing his former teammate Liam Lawson over him to be Max Verstappen's teammate. I think this is a huge year for him, and prove the people at Red Bull that they made the wrong decision.
Yuki's teammate this year, Isak Hadjar, will also be driving with a chip on his shoulder. Very few expected him to get an F1 seat this season, which I think is testament to him being underrated. I think the chips both these drivers have on their shoulder will give them all the motivation needed to perhaps outperform the car and provide a solid result among the midfield.
Prediction:
Ceiling: 10th-12th place for Tsunoda and 13th-15th for Hadjar
Floor: 14th-16th place finish for Tsunoda and 17th-19th place finish for Hadjar
Red Bull
For the first time in basically 4 yaears, Red Bull are not opening as favorite to win the Drivers' or Constructirs' Championship. This is uncharted waters for Red Bull, as the team, led by Max Verstappen, has dominated the sport for so long.
We finally saw the armor crack last season with Red Bull only coming third in the Constructors'. Luckily for tehm, Verstappen's lead in the Drivers' Championship was enough to get him his 4th world title in a row. Will that be the case this year? Yes and no.
Verstappen himself told the media that he does not expect to compete for the race win this weekend, however, what he may not not known is the weather prediction for the Grand Prix. Verstappen is elite in the wet condiditons, and has proved multiple tomes that he can outperform a poor car performance. Will we see that again this weekend? I would not be surprised, that is for sure.
As for his new teammate, Liam Lawson, I would not expect too much from him. He, like the other five rookies on the grid this year, will need some time to adjust before they perform at the level we expect him to. I think points are absolutely in the cards for Lawson, however you never know with the rain.
Prediction:
Ceiling: Race win for Verstappen and 4th-6th place finish for Lawson
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for Verstappen and 10th-12th place finish for Lawson
Williams
Williams, in my opinion, is by far the biggest wildcard this year. Despite their intention on focusung on the development of the car in 2026, they have looked extremely solid in testing and practice sessions.
I think Williams could absolutely surprise us this year, starting this weekend in Australia. Their driver lineup is elite with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, and their pace, from what we have seen thus far, is very promising. The biggest factor that I believe will help Williams the most this weekend is the experience of the drivers. Besides Aston Martin, every midfield team (Haas, Racing Bulls, and Alpine) has a rookie driver, while Williams does not. Albon has been with the team for years, while Sainz continues to be the most underrated driver in the sport. Their talent, alongside the promise the car is showing, is what I think will allow them to compete for solid points this weekend.
Prediction:
Ceiling: 7th-9th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 11th-14th place finish for both drivers
Stay tuned for more F1 content, and be sure to check out fansonlysportz.com for more sports media content posted daily.
Catch you next time!
-Matt Hylen