The 2025 Grid: F1’s biggest shakeup yet?

With over half of the seats still left unclaimed, the 2025 Formula 1 season is looking like it could provide one of the biggest grid shakeups yet. There are potentially new rookies on the scene, drivers who have already lost their current seats, and one or two who unfortunately still haven’t found their feet. So without further ado I present to you my 2025 grid predictions albeit sprinkled with some wishful thinking (because a girl can dream…)! 

Red Bull

1. Max Verstappen 
2. Daniel Ricciardo – I know what you’re thinking… But Riccardo has showed signs of improvement in the past couple of races, and it is undeniable that he would respect team orders regarding a prioritisation of Verstappen. He also has plenty of experience under his belt and has worked closely with the team in the past. However, if I were to give Ricciardo the Red Bull seat, I would likely attach a performance-based quota to the deal stating that should he underperform in the early parts of the 2025 season he will be swapped with one of the two RB drivers (most likely Tsunoda, who has been on top form this season, but potentially lacks the experience to go straight up). 

Ferrari 

1. Charles Leclerc 
2. Lewis Hamilton 

Mercedes

1. George Russell 
2. Carlos Sainz – Sainz has already been offered an Audi deal but is holding out in the hopes of a Red Bull or Mercedes offer. He has been impressive in the Ferrari so far this season, so he is likely to have caught the attention of Toto Wolff. Other options for Mercedes include F2 protégé Kimi Antonelli, however rookies are expensive as they are more likely to cause damage and so Wolff might opt for a more experienced driver in Sainz. 

McLaren 

1. Lando Norris
2. Oscar Piastri 

Aston Martin 

1. Fernando Alonso 
2. Lance Stroll – While Stroll isn’t officially confirmed for 2025, he has a rolling contract with the team and is pretty much guaranteed his seat for as long as Lawrence Stroll remains in charge.

Williams 

1. Alex Albon 
2. Kimi Antonelli – Antonelli’s performance in F2 has been promising, and he is a favourite to gain a seat in 2025. He is currently part of Mercedes’ feeder programme; however he is likely to start off in Williams first (much like George Russell). In addition, Williams have put in requests to the FIA for Antonelli to drive in a couple of FP1 sessions, thus increasing the likelihood of him signing a contract with them. 

Alpine 

1. Pierre Gasly – Alpine have struggled with driver dynamics over the past couple of years and are therefore unlikely to keep both of their French drivers. However, Gasly has frequently performed better than Ocon and is generally considered to be more popular with fans meaning that he is more likely to hold on to his seat. 
2. Valtteri Bottas – Bottas is openly talking to other teams, suggesting that he is looking to leave the Sauber team. He is a strong racer and given he has already been linked to Alpine there is a good chance he could be racing for them in 2025. 

RB 

1. Yuki Tsunoda – Tsunoda has been particularly impressive so far this season, regularly scoring points and placing in the top 10. He definitely deserves to keep his seat in RB and could potentially drive for Red Bull as well depending on if Horner elects for experience or boldness. 
2. Liam Lawson – On Lawson’s F1 debut in 2023 he outperformed all Red Bull and RB drivers, proving he is absolutely worthy of a seat on the grid. Whilst there is a possibility for Horner to take Lawson straight to Red Bull, as previously discussed rookies can be expensive and I would argue that Lawson would need to prove himself on a larger scale before he could be promoted above both Ricciardo and Tsunoda. 

Haas 

1. Ollie Bearman – Bearman’s debut for Ferrari earlier this year was incredibly impressive, and certainly marked him as one to watch in the coming years. Haas is generally considered to be an unofficial feeder team for Ferrari and so he is likely to be offered a seat here for his rookie season, with the potential for driving for Ferrari in the coming years. 
2. Sergio Perez – Perez has proved time and time again that he is an experienced, reliable driver. However, his current pace is not matching that of Verstappen and so he will likely lose his seat at Red Bull. Nonetheless he is a strong talent which will undoubtedly be snapped up by the likes of Haas. 

Kick Sauber (Audi in 2025)

1. Nico Hulkenberg 
2. Esteban Ocon – Ocon taking this seat would mean Zhou loses his position on the grid. However, Ocon has frequently outperformed Zhou and with Audi taking over the team for 2025 it could be that they are after a complete fresh start. 

A note on drivers who would not be racing in 2025 under my predictions: 

1. Kevin Magnussen – Magnussen has acquired ten penalty points in the opening races of 2024, meaning he is only two away from receiving a race ban. A race ban hasn’t been given out since Grosjean in 2012, suggesting that Magnussen is a potentially unreliable driver who is therefore unlikely to be offered a seat next year. 
2. Zhou Guanyu – Whilst it is very unlikely that he will stay at Sauber, Zhou has reportedly been in talks with Haas, so in the event that Perez keeps his Red Bull seat, or is offered one elsewhere, we could see Zhou racing for the American team in 2025. 
3. Logan Sargeant – Unfortunately I don’t think Sargeant has performed at the level required to keep a seat in F1. Having only ever scored one point in the Drivers’ Championship he has already been outperformed by the likes of Lawson and Bearman and therefore there is good reason to suspect he will lose his seat to the new generation of rookies. 

The competition of new rookies could certainly present a dilemma for drivers currently out of contract, however all we can do is speculate as we wait for news of driver transfers. F1 is unique in that its fans are often split between supporting a driver no matter where they drive, or a team no matter who drives for them. This adds an extra dimension to the driver market, and I for one am looking forward to watching it all unfold.