Finger pointed at Lewis Hamilton as 2025 F1 champ - but not everyone agrees

The 2025 F1 season is set to be spectacular, with several drivers in the mix to win grands prix and even the championship.

It is the final season of the current regulations which means no team, and no car, is likely to streak miles clear of their competitors.

With Formula 1 brains focused on the new regulations which begin in 2026, the field is expected to converge even further this year, creating some epic racing.

It means the competition for Max Verstappen’s drivers’ title is fierce.

Our writers have their say on who will be crowned 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ champion…

Lewis Larkam: Lewis Hamilton. Go bold or go home, right?

Granted, Hamilton is coming off the back of one of his worst seasons in F1, but he will be rejuvenated following his blockbuster move to Ferrari.

Linking up with Fred Vasseur, who he knows well from his junior days, will help Hamilton’s transition and I think he will be firing on all cylinders and hungry to prove his doubters wrong.

Ferrari seem to have got on top of the operational weaknesses which previously hampered them and have a fast car - let’s not forget they almost won the constructors’ championship last term.

What a story it would be if Hamilton could end Ferrari’s title drought and move clear of the legendary Michael Schumacher in the process.

Connor McDonagh: Lando Norris has proven he has the speed and ability to perform at world champion level.

The key to him winning the championship over Max Verstappen will be tidying up a number of weaknesses, which he did in the latter part of 2024, such as poor positioning on the opening lap or mediocre wheel-to-wheel moments against his rivals.

Lewis Duncan: Red Bull faced its toughest challenge last year, as the form of its car dropped away in the second half of the season. Max Verstappen has been public in his warnings to his team that it cannot win the championship again in 2025 if the car is at the same level.

The threat McLaren poses is formidable, but Red Bull was able to course correct a little in the back half of the campaign.

Verstappen revealed over the winter that feedback he’d given about the car led to planned post-Monza upgrades being completely scrapped.

Clearly, Red Bull needs to find a bit more pace, and will be doing so in 2025 with technical guru Adrian Newey out of the picture.

But when the car was strong, Verstappen was able to dominate in the first half of the season, before locking down into consistent points scoring results when his machinery let him down.

The Red Bull only has to be a bit better than it was at the end of last year for Verstappen to do what has so far won him four world titles.

The fact Lando Norris was also largely an outside title contender means he hasn’t suffered the immense pressure of a close championship battle.

That is very much something a hard-charging Verstappen can exploit.

The other factor that will help Verstappen in 2025 will be the growing tensions in the McLaren camp, with Oscar Piastri clearly not going to play the supporting role if he carries on his 2024 form.