Formula 1 is back and better than ever after a solid week of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Coming off of a drama-filled 2024 season with grid changes, championship battles, and seven different Grand Prix winners, the 2025 season is bound to bring even more excitement. Ending his 12-year tenure with Mercedes, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton will debut in this upcoming season with Ferrari, demoting Carlos Sainz Jr. to Williams. Additionally, Liam Lawson will be stepping up to occupy Red Bull’s coveted second seat, and six rookie drivers will be joining the grid for their first full-time seasons. With the Australian Grand Prix kicking off the season next weekend, here are some fictional lines to prepare you for racing’s return.
Constructors’ Championship Winner: McLaren +130
F1 is no stranger to rivalries between teams. The 2021 season witnessed one of the most fierce and controversial team rivalries in motorsport history when Red Bull and Mercedes went head-to-head for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. Red Bull emerged on top, though the validity of their win remains a topic of passionate debate. Red Bull carried that momentum forward through two uncontested Constructors’ victories in 2022 and 2023, with margins of 205 points and 451 points, respectively. Last season saw a disruption in Red Bull’s dominance, with McLaren and Ferrari entering the last race of the season only 21 points apart. Despite a strong performance from Ferrari that earned them second and third place on the podium, Lando Norris’s win secured the Constructors’ title for McLaren. During the last three days of pre-season testing, McLaren emerged as clear pack leaders, holding on tight to their World Champion distinction. However, with Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes all putting in some strong times, this year’s title fight will be a close one.
Hamilton vs. Leclerc: Charles Leclerc +400
Since the announcement in February 2024, Lewis Hamilton’s unexpected move to Ferrari that ended his residency at Mercedes has been one of the most anticipated aspects of the coming season. Heading into his nineteenth season in F1, Hamilton is revered as one of the greatest drivers of all time and positioned to butt heads with Charles Leclerc, Ferrari’s long-time poster child. Leclerc has occupied the position of lead driver for Ferrari since 2019. However, it does not seem likely that Hamilton will readily accept a demotion to second driver after serving as Mercedes’ lead driver for over a decade. The question is: Who will emerge on top in the standings? Despite Hamilton’s long history of dominance in the sport, Leclerc has been performing at his peak ability, while Hamilton’s performances have declined in the last few years.
Australian Grand Prix Winner: Oscar Piastri +650
As the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix is bound to deliver a thrilling start. With most senior drivers competing closely during testing, the unprecedented number of rookies on the grid is set to spice things up. Bolstered by McLaren’s strong performance and title of reigning world champion, our pick for the winner of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix is the Melbourne native Oscar Piastri. In just his second year in F1, Piastri achieved his maiden Grand Prix victory in Hungary, closely followed by another win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Considering his consistent performance throughout the 2024 season that landed him fourth place in the standings, Piastri will use his home track advantage to achieve his first Australian Grand Prix win next weekend.
Most Crash Damage: Kimi Antonelli +700
The jury is out for which driver will incur the highest repair costs in the 2025 season as Sergio Perez and Logan Sargeant, the previous crash damage connoisseurs, retire. Perez amassed $4.83 million in damages last year, while Sargeant incurred $4.33 million throughout the 2023 season. Though any of the rookies could be a sound choice for the most crash damage in the 2025 season, we have selected Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli as our first pick. Having been promoted directly from Formula 2 to occupy Lewis Hamilton’s spot at Mercedes, Antonelli has never raced in an F1 Grand Prix and will have a large adjustment to make as he adapts to racing at the highest level. Not to mention, he will become the third youngest driver to start an F1 Grand Prix at just 18 years old.
Drivers’ Championship Winner: Max Verstappen +350
With the 2025 F1 season shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent years, there is no clear favorite for the winner of the Drivers’ Championship. Last season saw an exciting resurgence in both McLaren and Ferrari’s performance, but Max Verstappen could not be denied his fourth consecutive title. Though McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc are bound to put up a strong fight, our money remains on Verstappen to be victorious. Verstappen’s ability to extract the very most out of his car, along with Red Bull’s dependable performance, gives him a strong edge against the rest of the grid in his fight to retain his title as reigning world champion.
Whitney Ford ’28 (wford@college.harvard.edu) hopes that this will be the year she can watch a Grand Prix in person.