In 2023 Purple Bull have been so dominant they’d have received the constructors’ championship as a one-car staff – offering the automotive was pushed by Max Verstappen.
However final 12 months their rivals have been a lot nearer and instantly the gulf in efficiency between Purple Bull’s two drivers price them dearly. Verstappen clinched the drivers’ title once more however the staff 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 Purple 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 staff now has the strongest line-up of driving expertise? That’s so that you can determine on this week’s ballot.
Purple Bull
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson
Perez slumped to his worst end in 4 years at Purple Bull final season, the staff 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 staff 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 recommended 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 the junior ranks plus his quick promotion to a front-running staff made that inconceivable.
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Ferrari
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton turns into the newest in an extended line of a number of champions to pursue the dream of successful a title for Ferrari. In his case, in fact, it could be a record-breaking eighth. However his remaining season at Mercedes was lower than stellar, whereas Leclerc produced certainly one of his finest performances final 12 months at Ferrari.
McLaren
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
McLaren’s drivers ran one another too shut for consolation at occasions final 12 months, inflicting strained moments on the Hungaroring and Monza. The staff 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 have been unable to entice him. Doohan subsequently turns into the primary member of their junior staff to make his F1 debut for them (Piastri and Zhou Guanyu having performed so for different groups).
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Williams
Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jnr
Williams pulled off a coup by attracting Sainz to hitch 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 Purple Bull.
Racing Bulls
Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar
Having been handed over for promotion to Purple Bull, Tsunoda goes into his fifth season at Racing Bulls. Hadjar arrives in F1 with out a junior sequence championship to his title, although he led the Formulation 2 standings final 12 months and suffered some poor luck on his approach to the runner-up spot.
Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
The final two groups have utterly 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 performed the Leclerc/Piastri/Russell trick of successful F1’s high two feeder sequence in consecutive seasons.
Haas
Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon
Haas will likely be Ocon’s fourth completely different staff since he made his F1 debut in 2016, and his first time sharing a staff with somebody considerably much less skilled than himself. Bearman significantly impressed Haas on his appearances for them in observe periods and instead.
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I say
Whilst you can’t low cost high skills 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 staff has fashioned 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 probably the most profitable driver in F1 historical past creates a formidable line-up. The times of this staff not wanting ‘two roosters in the identical hen home’ are lengthy gone.
However one fascinating query within the upcoming season will likely be whether or not Mercedes’ religion in Antonelli is vindicated. If he’s actually nearly as good as they suppose he’s, their squad may very well be a severe drive.
You say
Which staff has the strongest driver line-up for 2025? Solid your vote under and have your say within the feedback.
Which Formulation 1 staff has the strongest driver line-up for 2025?
Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto (0%)
Racing Bulls: Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar (0%)
Williams: Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jnr (0%)
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan (0%)
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll (0%)
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (29%)
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (71%)
Mercedes: George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli (0%)
Purple Bull: Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson (0%)
Whole Voters: 31
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