The 2025 F1 season is set to produce some exciting intra-team battles during the year. Many teams boast strong driver pairings for this season and the future.
All the attention will undoubtedly be on Ferrari and the battle between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. The Maranello outfit have arguably the strongest line-up on the grid, wit the duo set to test one another throughout the year.
McLaren are in a similar position with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – the Woking squad are the favourites in 2025 but their drivers could cause a headache as they look to get the better of one another and fight for the championship.
| TEAMS | DRIVERS |
| McLaren | Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton |
| Red Bull | Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson |
| Mercedes | George Russell and Kimi Antonelli |
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll |
| Alpine | Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan |
| Haas | Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman |
| Racing Bulls | Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar |
| Williams | Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon |
| Sauber | Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto |
Piastri feels Max Verstappen has an advantage as Red Bull do not have two ‘number one drivers’. Liam Lawson is fully expected to play back-up to the Dutchman as he searches for his fifth consecutive title.
Williams fall in the same category as McLaren and Ferrari with two leaders Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon on board. While they are not in a position to compete for a championship in 2025, signs are promising for the Groeve-based team.
Many believe Williams have taken a step forward from last season as they look firm favourites to fight in the midfield. The competition between Sainz and Albon will catch everyone’s attention – and the outcome will be critical for the latter’s future.
David Coulthard fears it is ‘make or break’ for Alex Albon in 2025
Since joining Williams in 2022, Albon has exceeded expectations. The Thai driver has scored most of the team’s points as he dominated Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant as teammates – but Franco Colapinto threw a spanner in the mix.
The Argentine was instantly on the pace of Albon as he struggled to cope with the pressure from the 21-year-old. Now with a proven race winner alongside him in Sainz, David Coulthard fears it is ‘make or break’ for the 28-year-old in 2025.
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“I think Carlos is mature enough in his career to exploit the Williams opportunity. Williams, there’s just a feeling of growth in that team,” he said via RacingNews365.
“I think Alex has been great at being a benchmark in terms of performance for them and Carlos will be a maturity and experience from a current high-performing Formula 1 team.
“Alex had a taste of that at Red Bull but that was a few years ago. I always kind of gauge, if the two drivers walk into the room, where do people gravitate to?
“And right now they’ll probably gravitate towards Carlos because he’s got more experience. That’s not to take anything away from Alex at all, but I think that’s going to be one of the most fascinating driver pairings to watch.
“Because away from the headline spotlight of they may battle for victories but probably not for the championship, it’s going to be really telling to see… it could make or break Alex’s future if Carlos was to dominate him.
“I don’t think he will, but if he did, that would obviously take a big value away from Alex that he’s built up over the last couple of years.”
What Alpine insiders are saying about Williams’ pace heading into 2025
Harry Benjamin thinks Albon will be under pressure from Sainz in 2025. He faces his toughest challenge yet at Williams and it could spell bad news for his career if he is convincingly beaten.
Jaime Alguersuari feels Albon is on borrowed time next to Sainz. With the team’s progression and future plans, they cannot afford to have one driver lagging behind like Latifi and Sargeant were.
READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties
The general feeling after pre-season testing in Bahrain is Williams are competing to be the fifth-fastest team with Alpine in 2025.
Jolyon Palmer sees Williams as an outsider for podiums in 2025 – Alpine grabbed a double podium in Sao Paulo last year and that feat cannot be ruled out this season.
Sainz topped the timesheets on day two in Bahrain to show a clear sign of improvement from Williams. But Alpine were ‘very dismissive’ about their rivals’ pace, claiming it was ‘just for the sponsors’.
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