F1 teammates bust-up? Volatility predicted in 2025 garages

Formula 1 drivers know the golden rule is to beat their teammates.

This has led to some iconic rivalries and some bust-ups which will live long in the memory.

Only last year, Alpine saw Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon clash in Monaco. It was the first step to Ocon leaving the team.

Fernando Alonso has had plenty of problems with previous teammates, including Ocon.

F1 in 2025 features some high-profile and new-look driver duos and that could mean fireworks inside the garages as they jostle for No 1 status.

Our writers have picked out the F1 teammates who they expect to clash in 2025…

Lewis Larkam: McLaren feels like the obvious answer here, but I’ll go a little bit left-field…

I reckon we could see some agro at Williams.

Alex Albon has been unchallenged as the de facto team leader at Williams and has comfortably had the measure of his teammates for a long time.

That will change this year when a highly-motivated Carlos Sainz joins.

I expect some fireworks as the pair push each other to assert their superiority.

Connor McDonagh: I don’t see the Ferrari drivers falling out given the temperament of both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

The Monegasque is less abrasive than some of Hamilton’s former teammates, such as Nico Rosberg or Fernando Alonso.

If Oscar Piastri is able to up his game considerably and become a genuine match for Lando Norris then potentially that could cause some issues.

Lewis Duncan: The Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri relationship was tense at points in 2024.

The various team order scenarios didn’t sit well with either driver, though this was managed well by McLaren overall.

The problem they’ll have for 2025 is that both drivers start off on a more equal footing.

Yes, Norris has the experience and did fight for the title last year. But Piastri stood on his own two feet in 2024 and was a major part in McLaren winning the constructors’ championship.

If McLaren starts the year off with the best car, then Norris and Piastri are likely to be close to each other from the off. This could lead to tensions flaring again, perhaps even to a point where McLaren can’t manage the situation.