{"id":442766,"date":"2025-09-22T07:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T07:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/442766\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T07:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T07:28:09","slug":"formula-one-2025-plenty-to-ponder-before-the-final-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/442766\/","title":{"rendered":"Formula One 2025: Plenty to ponder before the final push"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 Formula One season saw 14 action-packed races leading into a well-deserved four-week summer break \u2014 the perfect reset for drivers and teams before the final 10 rounds of high-octane action.<\/p>\n

As the second half fast approaches, there will be plenty to look forward to \u2014 from an intra-team championship fight and a midfield tussle, to looming questions over driver futures and much more.<\/p>\n

McLaren\u2019s two-horse race<\/b><\/p>\n

McLaren\u2019s revival has been steadily building for years, and last season it finally bore fruit with a long-awaited constructors\u2019 championship. Now, the focus shifts to the drivers\u2019 crown, a title the team has not claimed since Lewis Hamilton\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Norris, the team\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Red Bull beyond Max Verstappen<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Max<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

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Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen will remain in the Red Bull garage for 2026 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

On track, reliability has been a persistent obstacle, undermining Verstappen\u2019s 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 \u2014 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\u2019s greatest challenge.<\/p>\n

Can Hamilton and Ferrari take off?<\/b><\/p>\n

Ferrari remains stuck in the role of the relentless scrapper \u2014 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: \u201cThe team has no problem. They probably need to change driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lewis<\/p>\n

Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

\"lightbox-info\"\/<\/p>\n

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Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

Ferrari, last year\u2019s runner-up in the constructors\u2019 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Rookie revelation<\/b><\/p>\n

This season has ushered in a wave of rookies, with six drivers starting their first full campaign and one mid-season replacement. Mercedes\u2019 Kimi Antonelli leads the rookie standings; despite a podium finish, consistency has slipped, but he remains one of the grid\u2019s brightest prospects. Racing Bulls\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Kimi<\/p>\n

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

\"lightbox-info\"\/<\/p>\n

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Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

Strategic juggle<\/b><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

For the chasing pack, momentum now matters as much as development in the bid to finalise seats for the future. The fight to be \u2018best of the rest\u2019 will intensify, while adapting to a 22-car grid will present a fresh challenge for all.<\/p>\n

MotoGP: Unstoppable Marc Marquez<\/b><\/p>\n

It has been a fairytale season for Ducati\u2019s Marc Marquez, who has been in a league of his own in the 2025 MotoGP season.<\/p>\n

\"Marc<\/p>\n

Marc Marquez.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n REUTERS\n <\/p>\n

\"lightbox-info\"\/<\/p>\n

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Marc Marquez.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n REUTERS\n <\/p>\n

At the Austrian GP, the 1000th premier-class race in the sport\u2019s history, the Spaniard claimed his sixth consecutive sprint-race win. He followed it up with a stunning double victory at the Balton Park Circuit \u2014 the first Hungarian GP in 33 years \u2014 for his seventh win on the trot.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Published on Aug 29, 2025<\/p>\n

More stories from this issue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 Formula One season saw 14 action-packed races leading into a well-deserved four-week summer break \u2014 the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4103],"tags":[149661,4199,997,707,4200,35357,1711,998,27219,1073,1710,4859,25671,1712,226,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-442766","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-f1","8":"tag-ducati","9":"tag-f1","10":"tag-ferrari","11":"tag-formula-1","12":"tag-formula1","13":"tag-kimi-antonelli","14":"tag-lando-norris","15":"tag-lewis-hamilton","16":"tag-marc-marquez","17":"tag-max-verstappen","18":"tag-mclaren","19":"tag-mercedes","20":"tag-motogp","21":"tag-oscar-piastri","22":"tag-red-bull","23":"tag-sports","24":"tag-uk","25":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115246773688424787","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}