Brundle expectes "in-fighting" at some teams to blow 2025 wide open
F1 News
After a hugely competitive 2024, a season that many thought would be quite a one-sided affair, the upcoming Formula 1 season has everything to be a stunning year. As many as four teams are considered capable of competing for Grand Prix wins and perhaps world titles. But who will be the strongest in this campaign? Martin Brundle has his say and predicts what the front of the grid will do.
McLaren and Ferrari the constructors' favourites?
Although the drivers' championship had some good battles between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris throughout 2024, becoming a far more competitive title battle than many thought, a few mistakes from the McLaren driver, along with some stunning results from the Dutchman, resulted in Verstappen's fourth World Championship being sealed at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
However, Norris and McLaren were able to bring some joy to the British team, with a fine drive at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sealing the constructors' championship for McLaren, their first since 1998. Coming into 2025, Brundle believes that it is McLaren who will be the team to beat yet again: "Well, I think that’s a really interesting point in terms of, yes, the Constructors’ Championship, I think McLaren probably start favourite in that."
But the British pundit and former F1 driver also is not discounting the combination of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to challenge the papaya-coloured team: "Ferrari have got a great line-up, of course, with Hamilton and Leclerc."
Red Bull and Mercedes to have more chance at the drivers' title?
For Red Bull and Mercedes, they will have the chance to challenge McLaren and Ferrari, but the inexperience surrounding the two teams may hinder their consrucotrs' championship chances. Liam Lawson, after just 11 Grands Prix, will race alongside Verstappen after replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull, while over at Mercedes, 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been challenged with replacing Hamilton at the German team, joining forces with George Russell.
With that inexperience around the premier class of motorsport, Brundle seems less enthusiastic about the chances of the Austrian and German teams: "Red Bull, and to an extent, Mercedes, will be a one-horse team. [They have] George Russell there, but because they’ve got Kimi Antonelli, who we know is expected to be spectacularly good, but he’ll make mistakes as a new 18-year-old."
At Red Bull, it is expected that Verstappen will be "all dominant" in the internal battle, Brundle continued: "I think Liam Lawson will be strong in the head and strong enough to be a credible number two driver, but you’re right, Red Bull and Mercedes will, I think, for the Drivers’ Championship, be one-horse teams."
However, as we saw from McLaren during parts of the 2024 season, in-team battles on the track could result in points dropped and lost, which we could also see at Ferrari, benefiting Red Bull and Mercedes in the tight title battles: "“Ferrari and McLaren will have some in-fighting going on. They might start taking points off each other," concluded Brundle.
This article was created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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