What to look forward to in the second half of F1 2025

Formula 1 returns from its traditional summer break this weekend at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix with drivers and teams recharged and ready for the final 10 rounds of 2025.

McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are clear in the fight for the drivers’ title and will be hard to overcome if past races are anything to go by, though Max Verstappen will be hungry to give his adoring home fans a victory in F1’s penultimate race on Dutch asphalt.

But with so much of the season still to go, our writers look forward to the stories they are waiting to unfold between now and the Abu Dhabi finale in December.

The papaya protagonists parlay for McLaren’s first drivers’ title since 2008 – Jake Boxall-Legge

After travelling in excess of 44,000 miles around the world in the first half of the year to compete in 14 races, Piastri and Norris are nonetheless separated by just nine points. This wafer-thin margin, one less than the gap between first and third at any given grand prix, could very well persist throughout the final 10 races given the drivers’ respective form before the summer.

In those four races before the break, Austria was a key Norris win, while Belgium was Piastri’s victory. But Norris found a slice of luck in the swing states, pouncing on Piastri’s Silverstone penalty and risking a Hungary one-stopper to reel in his team-mate. 

On balance, Piastri has been the more solid performer throughout the opening 14 races, while Norris has faced the greater dips in form. And, since there’s a mix of circuits, their respective results could – and should – ebb and flow throughout; Piastri appears to perform at the circuits with higher-speed corners, while Norris seems to enjoy greater form around the slower circuits. Example: Zandvoort might suit Norris more, but Monza should be a chance for Piastri to counter. 

Most (if not all) will want to see a closely fought battle. There is the risk that one of the two could break away from the peloton but unless dire luck, befalls either driver, it feels like they’ll stay in the same postcode throughout. A further instance of contact between the two might not be entirely out of the question either…

Will Verstappen deliver another Brazil 2024 masterclass? – Filip Cleeren

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, celebrates on the podium

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

As Jake says, it will be intriguing to see how our first intra-team title fight since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2016 will play out, in vastly less acrimonious circumstances. For now.

The fact that neither McLaren driver has the clear upper hand is making the lack of competition up front a lot easier to bear, but as a neutral you’d still rather avoid a scenario where the papaya squad just runs away with the next 10 races.

There are some reasons to suspect McLaren won’t get it all its own way, though. While Hungary was always going to be a McLaren lockout, there are other tracks coming up where it won’t be the clear favourite. Mercedes dominated last year in Las Vegas, for example, and George Russell’s win in Canada earlier this year suggest that might well be the case again this year. Charles Leclerc and Ferrari can be in the mix at the occasional race too.

But perhaps our best hope for some variety at the top step of the podium is the usual suspect: Verstappen. Witnessing the Dutchman’s majestic wet-weather masterclass in Brazil was a standout moment of the 2024 season, and I’m eager to find out if we will get some more Max magic over the next 10 races.

Having said that, Red Bull is finding itself in the precarious position where even Verstappen’s best efforts are often not enough anymore, and while rain should be the great equaliser McLaren’s advantage on tyres has clearly extended to wet conditions as well.

So, I’m not asking for much. Just… magic.

Can Hamilton and Ferrari finally start to click? – Haydn Cobb

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

In football there’s a cliche about positive beginnings to new partnerships being the honeymoon period – something Laurent Mekies is experiencing right now as Red Bull team principal – where everything is exciting and nothing can go wrong. That time is never indefinite and comes crashing down earlier and earlier as club chiefs grow impatient for instant and unwavering results.
 
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari did have a honeymoon period, remember the fresh start feeling at pre-season testing and even a sprint race win in China to toast the marriage, but those joyous early days are a distant memory. The seven-time world champion went into the summer break labelling himself “useless” and that Ferrari should “change driver” after his Q2 elimination at the Hungarian GP, while team-mate Leclerc stormed to pole position. The mid-season breather came at the right time as it was an opportunity to switch off, recharge and reset.
 
Now, the real work begins, as Hamilton must find a way to connect with Ferrari, his engineering team and the SF-25. While fighting for victories and pole positions will be a tall order, reaching the stride length of Leclerc and getting into a rhythm will be vital for driver and team before that all-important 2026 overhaul arrives.

The crucial race that remains invisible (for now) – Ronald Vording

2026 Formula 1 rules

Photo by: FIA

The most obvious answer – and the main aspect to look forward to – is the battle between the McLaren drivers. A first for both, at least in F1, and that with the pressure ramping up in the closing stages of this season.

But equally interesting is a battle behind the scenes, one that we cannot see yet: the development race for 2026. Its results will only be revealed in January – or perhaps not even then, as the first days of winter testing in Barcelona will be behind closed doors.

Nevertheless, the months ahead are critical in shaping F1’s new era. With the budget cap and Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions in place, teams are forced to prioritise. For most – if not all – factories that means full focus has shifted towards the 2026 regulations by now, although Haas has announced to bring another upgrade to its current challenger in Austin.

This unseen work is arguably the most fascinating factor in the upcoming months; a point Hamilton has also alluded to. Teams and drivers face many challenges for 2026 – with drivers complaining about a “completely different feeling” in the simulator – and the same applies to the FIA. The governing body is still refining the rules to avoid a repeat of 2014 – when Mercedes’ hybrid advantage sparked a seven-year run of dominance – and to prevent what Nikolas Tombazis has called “unnatural things” on track.

At the same time, some PU manufacturers are very secretive and not sharing much data with the FIA. It makes 2026 a major step into the unknown. Even though fans won’t witness it directly, much of that step will be defined in the upcoming months. Maybe F1’s most important race in the remainder of this year is an invisible one behind the scenes…

Who will make the best case for Red Bull’s second seat? – Ben Vinel

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team

Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images

As it stands, Red Bull is yet to find a solution to its second-car problem, which may be a bigger headache than ever.

For over six years now, Verstappen’s team-mates have failed to match or even get close to him, from Pierre Gasly to Yuki Tsunoda via Alex Albon, Sergio Perez – who admittedly was the closest of all but still eventually collapsed – and Liam Lawson.

The crux of the issue is the very specific behaviour of Red Bull’s F1 cars, with clear oversteery tendencies, which suits Verstappen just fine but not every driver can easily adapt to.

So far, nobody has stepped up as a clear favourite to claim the second Red Bull seat next year. Tsunoda has qualified half a second slower than Verstappen on average – his deficit was 0.864s over his first five sessions and 0.439s in the latest eight – and has scored a dismal seven points in 12 grands prix. Lawson has struggled to match rookie team-mate Isack Hadjar since his demotion to Racing Bulls, although the last few rounds before the summer break were better for the New Zealander.

And Hadjar, well, is inexperienced; historically, Red Bull hasn’t done so well with sophomores in that seat, and the rookie himself is aware a promotion might be more of a curse than a blessing.

In other words, Red Bull’s drivers have all to play for – assuming the team doesn’t go for a left-field option, which would have to be very left-field and/or quite unexpected as F1’s top drivers are locked in (or set to be, as far as the Mercedes pair is concerned).