Formula One 2025: Plenty to ponder before the final push

The 2025 Formula One season saw 14 action-packed races leading into a well-deserved four-week summer break — the perfect reset for drivers and teams before the final 10 rounds of high-octane action.

As the second half fast approaches, there will be plenty to look forward to — from an intra-team championship fight and a midfield tussle, to looming questions over driver futures and much more.

McLaren’s two-horse race

McLaren’s revival has been steadily building for years, and last season it finally bore fruit with a long-awaited constructors’ championship. Now, the focus shifts to the drivers’ crown, a title the team has not claimed since Lewis Hamilton’s triumph in 2008. That pursuit, however, brings its own dilemma: both its drivers, Lando Norris (front) and Oscar Piastri (back), are in a fierce duel for the crown.

Norris, the team’s homegrown star, has come through ironing out past inconsistencies to keep himself within range of his teammate and rival. The Australian, who holds the championship lead, has showcased his prowess and a rare level of precision. Their battle reflects McLaren’s dominance but also poses the classic test of intra-team rivalry: how to let both drivers flourish without fracturing unity. The question may shift from whether the team can deliver a champion to which of its two young stars will seize the moment.

Red Bull beyond Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen will remain in the Red Bull garage for 2026 — but for how much longer? The Milton Keynes-based outfit has already endured a wave of departures, including design mastermind Adrian Newey and long-serving team principal Christian Horner, among others. The reshuffle marks a new era for the team, yet it is the near future that raises the most pressing questions.

On track, reliability has been a persistent obstacle, undermining Verstappen’s bid for a fifth successive title. He has produced two extraordinary victories, but the reigning champion has fallen adrift of the McLaren pair. Compounding matters, Yuki Tsunoda has yet to make a convincing case for promotion, leaving Red Bull without an able partner for Verstappen — let alone a clear successor. The Japanese driver will need to maximise his last 10 races to keep his seat safe. But the absence of a leader could become the team’s greatest challenge.

Can Hamilton and Ferrari take off?

Ferrari remains stuck in the role of the relentless scrapper — fast enough to threaten, too flawed to dominate. The team is still racing uphill in 2025, despite boasting a line-up that includes seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. The 40-year-old is yet to secure a podium for the Prancing Horse after 14 races, a frustrating run that boiled over before the summer break when he remarked: “The team has no problem. They probably need to change driver.”

Ferrari, last year’s runner-up in the constructors’ standings, is once again holding second place, but McLaren has more than double its points. The second half of the season will be decisive, not just for the team’s points haul, but for Hamilton as well. He will have to salvage something from a faltering debut year in red, giving himself the chance to reset and launch a fresh campaign for 2026.

Rookie revelation

This season has ushered in a wave of rookies, with six drivers starting their first full campaign and one mid-season replacement. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli leads the rookie standings; despite a podium finish, consistency has slipped, but he remains one of the grid’s brightest prospects. Racing Bulls’ Isak Hadjar has impressed by regularly dragging the car into the qualifying top 10, which could soon earn him a senior-team call-up. His teammate, Liam Lawson, has found the RB better suited, scoring his first points this season.

F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto has shown flashes of speed at Kick Sauber, including a sixth-place finish, a result that signalled his potential. Haas rookie Oliver Bearman opened his account early but has since faced tougher weekends. At Alpine, Jack Doohan was replaced by Franco Colapinto, yet neither managed to find rhythm. With a handful of races left, the rookie class faces its chance to prove who truly belongs.

Strategic juggle

Ahead of the 2025 season, much of the debate centred on whether teams should prioritise ironing out flaws in their current cars or shift resources towards the sweeping regulation changes of 2026. Yet, with the dynamic midfield and form swinging from weekend to weekend, every point haul and position carries added weight. Additionally, the arrival of an 11th team, Cadillac, in 2026 will further complicate the landscape.

For the chasing pack, momentum now matters as much as development in the bid to finalise seats for the future. The fight to be ‘best of the rest’ will intensify, while adapting to a 22-car grid will present a fresh challenge for all.

MotoGP: Unstoppable Marc Marquez

It has been a fairytale season for Ducati’s Marc Marquez, who has been in a league of his own in the 2025 MotoGP season.

At the Austrian GP, the 1000th premier-class race in the sport’s history, the Spaniard claimed his sixth consecutive sprint-race win. He followed it up with a stunning double victory at the Balton Park Circuit — the first Hungarian GP in 33 years — for his seventh win on the trot.

The double-header delight meant the six-time champion made it seven sprint-race wins in a row, stretching his championship lead to a commanding 175 points with only a handful of rounds to go.

Published on Aug 29, 2025

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