The 2025 title race is set to be one of the most fascinating in recent years in Formula 1 after all teams converged last year.
This year’s main story is Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari, with the seven-time world champion looking to add to his tally with an unprecedented eighth.
It will be a real test for the Briton as he goes up against Charles Leclerc, one of the best qualifiers on the grid, an area that Hamilton was often criticising towards the end of 2024.
Peter Windsor thinks Leclerc will beat Hamilton to the title because of his one-lap pace, even though the latter demonstrated a better race pace compared to George Russell last year.
Discussing whether Ferrari will be competitive next year with RacingNews365.nl, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde explains why they should be considered contenders for the title.
Giedo van der Garde believes Ferrari will make key changes to their car for 2025
Ferrari will unveil their 2025 challenger on the 19th February, a day after the official F1 75 launch in London.
It is expected to be an evolution of last year’s car but with a significant tweak that will put them on par competitively with McLaren and Red Bull according to Van Der Garde.
“He will also be there this year, but my gut feeling just says that Ferrari will be very strong. I think they have already put out that they have a completely new front suspension, also a bit like the philosophy of a McLaren and Red Bull,” said Van Der Garde.
“It also has to be a bit on the Ferrari side, now that they have brought in Lewis Hamilton and with Charles Leclerc also have a very good one.”
Karun Chandhok backs Lando Norris for 2025 title
Last year, Lando Norris came very close to snatching the Drivers’ Championship away from Max Verstappen after a few on-track skirmishes.
At the races where Norris won, the Briton was dominant and often won by over 20 seconds to the nearest car in a display that mimicked how Red Bull and Verstappen often take victories.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
Karun Chandhok expects Norris to be the title favourite for 2025 on this basis, given that McLaren is also expected to have the strongest package.
Ferrari is likely to be the next best car after they finished second in the Constructors’ Championship, and showed a lot of promise after their final car upgrades introduced at Monza.
