The 2024 Formula 1 season showed, especially in the second part, how close the field has become. This bodes well for 2025, when the regulations remain exactly the same while teams will also be able to focus on the cars for 2026.
2025 marks the last year of the current technical regulations. In 2026, everything will go up a gear with new regulations for the cars and engines. The current regulations have been in place for some time. The engines have not been allowed to be developed for a few years, and the cars are also near the development ceiling, as the rules have been the same since 2022.
During the 2024 season, it became more apparent that the field was getting closer together in terms of competition. Max Verstappen won the world title for the fourth time in a row, but it was not with ease this time around. While Red Bull Racing still seemed dominant in the first five Grands Prix, the picture tilted completely from the Miami Grand Prix onwards and McLaren, Ferrari, and sometimes Mercedes competed for victories.
Why Verstappen and Red Bull lost ground
It is also reflected in the points accumulated during that period. After the Chinese Grand Prix, the race before Miami, Verstappen and Sergio Perez were 1 and 2 in the world championship. Behind them followed the Ferrari's, the McLaren's, and the Mercedes'. In no time, things turned around, and suddenly, the other drivers were scoring a lot of points.
| Place | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Verstappen | 110 |
| 2 | Perez | 85 |
| 3 | Leclerc | 76 |
| 4 | Sainz | 69 |
| 5 | Norris | 58 |
| 6 | Piastri | 38 |
| 7 | Russell | 33 |
| 9 | Hamilton | 19 |
| Place | Team | Points |
| 1 | Red Bull | 195 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 151 |
| 3 | McLaren | 96 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 52 |
Points after the Chinese Grand Prix
Indeed, by the summer break, the picture had turned. Verstappen was still in the lead, as was Red Bull Racing. In the following 10 Grands Prix from Miami, Verstappen had also scored the most points with 167 points, but this time, Lando Norris (141) and Lewis Hamilton (131) were close behind.
| Place | Driver | Points | Points since Miami |
| 1 | Verstappen | 277 | 167 |
| 2 | Norris | 199 | 141 |
| 3 | Leclerc | 177 | 101 |
| 4 | Piastri | 167 | 129 |
| 5 | Sainz | 162 | 93 |
| 6 | Hamilton | 150 | 131 |
| 7 | Perez | 131 | 46 |
| 8 | Russell | 116 | 83 |
| Place | Team | Points | Points since Miami |
| 1 | Red Bull | 408 | 213 |
| 2 | McLaren | 366 | 270 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 345 | 194 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 266 | 214 |
Points in summer break
The Red Bull decline was already evident then, with Perez scoring just 46 points from Miami and plummeting in the standings. That also caused Red Bull to lose ground in the Constructors. Red Bull scored 213 points, compared to McLaren's 270 and Ferrari's 214. However, Perez stayed on at Red Bull, hoping that his good races were yet to come.
Unfortunately, those good races did not come after the summer break. Perez scored only 21 points in the remaining Grand Prix and finished in a disappointing eighth place in the drivers' standings. It cost him his seat in Formula 1 for 2025 and Red Bull Racing the constructors' title. Indeed, with 181 points after the winter break, Red Bull scored the fewest points of the top four teams.
| Place | Driver | Points | Points since the summer break | Points since Miami |
| 1 | Verstappen | 437 | 160 | 327 |
| 2 | Norris | 374 | 175 | 316 |
| 3 | Leclerc | 356 | 179 | 280 |
| 4 | Piastri | 292 | 125 | 254 |
| 5 | Sainz | 290 | 128 | 221 |
| 6 | Russell | 245 | 129 | 212 |
| 7 | Hamilton | 223 | 73 | 204 |
| 8 | Perez | 152 | 21 | 67 |
| Place | Team | Points | Points since the summer break | Points since Miami |
| 1 | McLaren | 666 | 300 | 570 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 652 | 307 | 501 |
| 3 | Red Bull | 589 | 181 | 394 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 468 | 202 | 416 |
Points at the end of the season
Why F1 will be so exciting in 2025
The top team's third place and worst score since the winter break did not come from Max Verstappen. Although Verstappen also struggled to stay in the lead in the second half of the season, Max continued to score points. No one had scored as many points as Max since the Miami Grand Prix, and since the summer break, only Leclerc and Norris had slightly caught up to Verstappen by 19 and 15 points, respectively.
The fact that it was so close in the second half of the season obviously bodes well for 2025. The teams seem as good as out of development under the current regulations and admitted it themselves on several occasions. So, the chances of any team coming up with a big surprise in 2025 now seem extremely slim. Instead, the expectation is that the current trend will continue, with teams also spending a lot of time on the car for 2026 from January 1st 2025. So, good news for the neutral F1 enthusiast in 2025!
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