McLaren have claimed four wins from the first five races of the 2025 Formula One season. Lewis Hamilton won a sprint in the Scuderia, while Red Bull waited only two races to make a driver change in the revolving door of a second seat next to Max Verstappen.
With Melbourne, Shanghai, Suzuka, Sakhir, and Jeddah wrapped up, the teams have a short break to regroup before the season resumes with the Miami Grand Prix on May 4.
There are 19 races to go, leaving plenty of time for car upgrades, driver development, and controversy. Even with so long remaining in this gruelling F1 season, there are plenty of things we’ve learned through the first six weeks.
Hamilton Has Work To Do
Hamilton has finished behind Charles Leclerc in all five full-length races. He was 30 seconds off Leclerc in Jeddah after finishing eight seconds back in Bahrain and 13 behind at Suzuka.
The most successful driver in the sport’s history has drifted to +12000 to win the title at FanDuel. While the Ferrari isn’t as competitive as expected after solid times in preseason testing, the gap between Leclerc and Hamilton illustrates how the Brit is finding it tricky getting up to pace with his new team.
It could be a case of getting adjusted to the car or tweaking his setup, but what if this is just Hamilton finally declining?
Piastri is the Title Favorite
Three wins from the first five races make Oscar Piastri the favorite for the 2025 Drivers’ Championship. His lead of 10 points would be even greater if it wasn’t for misfortune in Melbourne.
Where Lando Norris has been inconsistent and seemingly succumbed under the weight of pressure, Piastri is as cool as it gets. Nothing seems to faze the Australian.
After being outperformed by Norris in qualifying last year, Piastri has upped his game on Saturdays, leading to a pair of pole positions. There’s no question he’s the man to beat.
Verstappen’s Uncertain Future
Verstappen and Red Bull’s relationship was on rocky ground 12 months ago amid internal disputes. This season, the issues are about the Red Bull car, which has been difficult to drive and left Verstappen out of contention at multiple races so far this season.
The four-time defending world champion reportedly has an exit clause in his contract if he’s outside the top three in the drivers’ standings at the summer break. There’s a long way to go until then, and the chances of that happening are fluctuating from race to race.
Mercedes and Aston Martin are the two favorites to land Verstappen. Toto Wolff is adamant no conversations have been had, while Aston Martin could look to reunite the Dutchman was Adrian Newey.
Mercedes are in Contention
George Russell has three podiums and has finished in the top five in every race. Kimi Antonelli has been competitive compared to Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. The Mercedes has looked like the second-fastest car for the majority of the season to date.
The high-speed track of Jeddah posed problems for the Silver Arrows, however. Their tyres overheated, resulting in Russell tumbling down the standings and both cars being unable to keep pace with the frontrunners.
Having managed the tyres well in Shanghai and Sakhir, it’ll be interesting to see how the Mercedes copes on high-degradation circuits over the next few races.
Stroll Outdoes Alonso
Like Hamilton, age might be catching up with Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard has admitted he might not score any points this season – his season has begun in ominous fashion with retirements in Australia and China followed by a 15th at Sakhir.
Lance Stroll has outdriven Alonso to date (despite his dud in Jeddah), picking up points in the first two races of the year.
A regular in Q3 last year, Alonso hasn’t made it out of Q2 yet in 2025. The Aston Martin is one of the slowest cars on the grid as they focus on next season, but Alonso’s position will be up for debate if he continues to trail Stroll.
Hadjar is Legitimate Talent
The Red Bull driver program has – to put it mildly – been chaotic over the last half-decade. Lawson was given two races before being demoted this year, and Tsunoda has one top-10 finish since joining the lead team.
It’s not all been negativity for Red Bull, though, with Isack Hadjar excelling after a heartbreaking error cost him his first career start in Australia.
Hadjar has finished above his teammate in all five races, including a dominant showing against Lawson across the triple-header.
Williams are Best of the Rest
Williams finished eighth and ninth in Jeddah thanks to the shrewd use of DRS to keep Alex Albon away from the charging Hadjar. The British team have the most points outside the big four, and Albon is eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Excellent in preseason testing, Williams were quietly optimistic entering the season with a talented, experienced driver lineup of Albon and Carlos Sainz. They have lived up to expectations already with two double points finishes and only one race with no points.
With a pair of reliable drivers and decent pace, Williams are well-positioned to record a top-five Constructors’ Championship finish for the first time since 2017.
Upgrades Could Be Decisive
McLaren’s midseason upgrades changed the course of the 2024 season. Ferrari, Red Bull, and to a lesser extent, Mercedes, need a similar intervention if they are to really rival the papaya team in 2025.
There is a clear gap between McLaren and the rest as it stands. Intra-team title fights can be dramatic – cast your mind back to Hamilton and Nico Rosberg – but it would be an underwhelming outcome after the parity that was expected in preseason.
This could be an all-timer of a season if Leclerc, Russell, and Verstappen are given cars that can regularly compete for race wins. Further down the field, will Aston Martin, Alpine, or the Racing Bulls find enough pace to rival Williams and Haas consistently?
