The Official F1 2025 silly season *contains speculation*

[hondajack85]

We have seen all the cars at F1 launch panto,so I feel fully qualified for bold predictions.
I expect a battle for team trophy between Ferrari and Mclaren. Mercedes and Red Bull squabbling for 3rd place.
Drivers is harder to judge as they will all be taking points from each other apart from Red Bull master/slave combo.

[DanielSan]

hondajack85 said:

We have seen all the cars at F1 launch panto,so I feel fully qualified for bold predictions.
I expect a battle for team trophy between Ferrari and Mclaren. Mercedes and Red Bull squabbling for 3rd place.
Drivers is harder to judge as they will all be taking points from each other apart from Red Bull master/slave combo.

None of those cars were the real thing though, even the pictures released by the teams are carefully edited renders

[vaud]

hondajack85 said:

We have seen all the cars at F1 launch panto,so I feel fully qualified for bold predictions.
I expect a battle for team trophy between Ferrari and Mclaren. Mercedes and Red Bull squabbling for 3rd place.
Drivers is harder to judge as they will all be taking points from each other apart from Red Bull master/slave combo.

It was a livery launch. Wait for testing and the first race.

[trackdemon]

And, as demonstrated by McLaren in recent history, you can start the season with a backmarker and finish with the (or one of the) fastest cars on the grid. Much like trying to predict football, we're unlikely to have a picture of how it'll play out until the halfway mark - especially as you'd expect the cars up front to have converged to within a tenth or 2 of each other depending on circuit and upgrades.

[KobayashiMaru86]

All the external fluff and nonsense aside, I can't wait for this season to start. It should be the closest ever.

[ThingsBehindTheSun]

I am also very happy that all the dead wood (apart from Stroll) have been told their services are no longer required and they have all been replaced with youngsters.

Antonelli to be fast, but crashy, will no doubt have a coming together and falling out with George at some point.

Jack Doohan to be hopeless and replaced by Franco Colapinto mid season

Really hope Hamilton is on the pace immediately and as quick as Leclerc.

The unknown is Liam Lawson, Max has destroyed a lot of careers, is this going to be another one?

[andburg]

I expect it will be very tight at the top

Rumours of half a second found at McLaren and a second at Ferrari should see them neck and neck.

[Gareth Mallory]

How long do we think Doohan has before Briatore shove Colapinto in the car?

[vaud]

6 races apparently according to rumours.

[Alfa numeric]

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

The unknown is Liam Lawson, Max has destroyed a lot of careers, is this going to be another one?

What are the chances of a Lawson/Tsunoda swap mid season?

[vaud]

Gareth Mallory said:

How long do we think Doohan has before Briatore shove Colapinto in the car?

For once I agree with Briatore. Colapinto is pretty quick and important for the South American market. He deserves a good run of races in a stable car (the Williams was very edgy apparently)

[asfault]

Alfa numeric said:

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

The unknown is Liam Lawson, Max has destroyed a lot of careers, is this going to be another one?

What are the chances of a Lawson/Tsunoda swap mid season?

Rb should have made this year an audition year. Yuki.first 3rd lawson second 3rd and hadjar third 3rd. Gives hadjar time to get used to f1.

[Muzzer79]

asfault said:

Alfa numeric said:

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

The unknown is Liam Lawson, Max has destroyed a lot of careers, is this going to be another one?

What are the chances of a Lawson/Tsunoda swap mid season?

Rb should have made this year an audition year. Yuki.first 3rd lawson second 3rd and hadjar third 3rd. Gives hadjar time to get used to f1.

Yuki has had his audition for the last 4 years and he hasn't cut it in RB's eyes.

Lawson is auditioning now. If he fails, Hadjar will be brought in, if Hadjar appears to be doing better.

If everybody fails, they'll have a facsimile of last year with a prime seat and no-one decent enough to fill it.

Unless Arvid Lindblad, who a lot of people think is the one they're really waiting for, pulverises F2 in his first season and they give him a shot.

[asfault]

Muzzer79 said:

asfault said:

Alfa numeric said:

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

The unknown is Liam Lawson, Max has destroyed a lot of careers, is this going to be another one?

What are the chances of a Lawson/Tsunoda swap mid season?

Rb should have made this year an audition year. Yuki.first 3rd lawson second 3rd and hadjar third 3rd. Gives hadjar time to get used to f1.

Yuki has had his audition for the last 4 years and he hasn't cut it in RB's eyes.

Lawson is auditioning now. If he fails, Hadjar will be brought in, if Hadjar appears to be doing better.

If everybody fails, they'll have a facsimile of last year with a prime seat and no-one decent enough to fill it.

Unless Arvid Lindblad, who a lot of people think is the one they're really waiting for, pulverises F2 in his first season and they give him a shot.

yeah but i meant in the main team. give him his shot. then play musical chairs the rest of the year.

[Muzzer79]

asfault said:

Muzzer79 said:

asfault said:

Alfa numeric said:

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

The unknown is Liam Lawson, Max has destroyed a lot of careers, is this going to be another one?

What are the chances of a Lawson/Tsunoda swap mid season?

Rb should have made this year an audition year. Yuki.first 3rd lawson second 3rd and hadjar third 3rd. Gives hadjar time to get used to f1.

Yuki has had his audition for the last 4 years and he hasn't cut it in RB's eyes.

Lawson is auditioning now. If he fails, Hadjar will be brought in, if Hadjar appears to be doing better.

If everybody fails, they'll have a facsimile of last year with a prime seat and no-one decent enough to fill it.

Unless Arvid Lindblad, who a lot of people think is the one they're really waiting for, pulverises F2 in his first season and they give him a shot.

yeah but i meant in the main team. give him his shot. then play musical chairs the rest of the year.

Why? If Yuki couldn't cut it at VCARB, he's not going to at RBR.

If Lawson does well, they're not going to pull him out of the car to give someone else a try. They'll just stick with something that's working.

[Hustle_]

Muzzer79 said:

Why? If Yuki couldn't cut it at VCARB, he's not going to at RBR.

He did cut it at VCARB though. He beat Ricciardo and he beat Lawson.

The reason Tsunoda doesn't get promoted is not his actual driving.

[Muzzer79]

Hustle_ said:

Muzzer79 said:

Why? If Yuki couldn't cut it at VCARB, he's not going to at RBR.

He did cut it at VCARB though. He beat Ricciardo and he beat Lawson.

The reason Tsunoda doesn't get promoted is not his actual driving.

Red Bull think he didn't cut it.

The reasons may be debatable, but the point is that there's no point in giving him an 'audition' in the main team when they've already decided that he doesn't have it.

[marine boy]

KobayashiMaru86 said:

All the external fluff and nonsense aside, I can't wait for this season to start. It should be the closest ever.

Agree 100%

My 24th year working in F1, novelty well worn off but I'm genuinely excited

Next years new rules will spread out the grid massively, this year should see the closest racing in many years

[Alfa numeric]

Hustle_ said:

Muzzer79 said:

Why? If Yuki couldn't cut it at VCARB, he's not going to at RBR.

He did cut it at VCARB though. He beat Ricciardo and he beat Lawson.

The reason Tsunoda doesn't get promoted is not his actual driving.

Agreed- he's certainly not the next Verstappen but he's no worse than some of the other drivers that have been given the second RB seat. He's a Honda driver rather than a graduate of the RB academy, and that's why Lawson got the nod over him.

[rallycross]

Alfa numeric said:

Agreed- he's certainly not the next Verstappen but he's no worse than some of the other drivers that have been given the second RB seat. He's a Honda driver rather than a graduate of the RB academy, and that's why Lawson got the nod over him.

I think give Lawson a bit of time to show what he can do and based on some of the battles he had with Alonso and Yuki he will show he’s a great choice to partner max let’s see what happens. This year shaping up nicely for some great close racing across the grid.