Max Verstappen Max Verstappen will be going all out to win the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
Max Verstappen’s ‘surprise’ pole position and victory at Suzuka on Sunday are signs that this season may just be more electrifying than last year, when the winner was decided after the final race.
Red Bull have not been the dominating force the F1 world knew them to be from 2021 through to 2023. Furthermore, the 2025 season is not just about two teams at the top fighting for glory.
There’s now four teams and seven drivers fighting for said glory, but unfortunately for Red Bull, the fight must continue with one hand behind their back.
McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and who would have guessed to be the underdog - Ferrari, stand firmly above the other six teams, each looking to make history this season.
Since Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez was sacked last season for Liam Lawson - who wet the bed on his first two races, Red Bull have been without a second driver and thus, have not had the chance to even think of fighting for a Constructors title.
Lawson was dropped and replaced by Red Bull’s junior team driver, Yuki Tsunoda, who did okayish, if you want to call it that, at his home race in Japan on Sunday with a P12 finish.
Hey, at least he finished ahead of Lawson [P17] in the Racing Bulls car, which is supposedly easier to handle.
But an ‘okay’ result must leave a sour taste in the mouth of Red Bull boss Christian Horner, especially given the amount of money they spend when compared to teams like Haas and Williams.
For now, it looks like putting all of their eggs into Verstappen’s basket is the only viable option, as he hunts down Michael Schumacher’s elusive record of five consecutive World Titles.
That is unless Tsunoda pulls about five rabbits out of six different hats to throw some points on the board and helps the raging bulls fight for the Constructors as well.
Kimi Antonelli’s arrival and performance for Mercedes in his debut season has given Austrian boss Toto Wolff confidence that the young Italian together with George Russell are championship material this season.
Antonelli was the fastest man around the Suzuka circuit, and set a new track record with his 1:30.965, painting a vivid picture of the pace we can expect from Mercedes and the 18-year-old this season.
Russell on the other hand finally seems to be showing he can lead Mercedes, after his P3, P3 and P5 finishes for the first three races of this season.
Russell has been backed by Antonelli’s impressive P4, P6 and P6 finishes, to put Mercedes second on the Constructor standings, 14 points ahead of Red Bull.
Russell will need to sink his teeth into this season and win some races if he ever wants to lift the title at the end of the season, and stand a chance of beating McLaren.
Having two incredibly quick drivers in two highly capable cars has made Zak Brown’s McLaren the favourite racing outfit to win this season.
The demonstration by both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to win the two opening races and secure a perfect finish in China shows the depth and level of communication McLaren have right now.
Although Norris has been touted as McLaren’s lead driver, it's all fair in love and war according to Piastri, who is equally hungry to secure as many wins as he can this season.
Norris, who has significantly more experience than his young Australian counterpart, is on the hunt for his first World Title, and tired of living in the shadow of his friend and rival, Verstappen.
McLaren currently stand head and shoulders above the pack when it comes to the Constructor standings at 111 points, and only a win from Mercedes and a few more from Verstappen will close that gap.
But by the looks of things, neither Norris nor Piastri will be letting off the throttle.
Realistically this may be the only season, since Michael Schumacher’s dominant streak from 2000 to 2004, that Ferrari stand a chance of winning anything.
And Lewis Hamilton is likely to be the one to bring them ‘back to glory’.
Yes, yes, all the lure and history and blah blah blah. Let’s be honest: when was the last time Ferrari looked like a threat before it announced Hamilton was joining the party?
The Ferrari of recent vintage is like watching Tiger Woods play golf nowadays: you know he isn’t going to win, but it’s just cool watching history do its thing.
Sure, Charles Leclerc is a fast driver who has eight wins at Ferrari, but does he have the grit to push the team over the line like we saw Verstappen do at Suzuka?
Nevertheless, the Italian racing outfit is backed abundantly and will spend every penny trying to relive its glory days.
At present, Hamilton and Leclerc have accumulated 35 points after three races, with neither the Brit nor the Monegasque breaking the top five in the Drivers’ standings.
It is going to be a difficult season for Hamilton, who wants an eighth world title, but the 40-year-old has shown the world he’s still got it, and that he’s Ferrari’s new hope for a trophy heading into this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
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