The 2024 Formula 1 has only just ended but excitement is already building ahead of next year’s campaign.
All eyes are on whether Max Verstappen can match Michael Schumacher’s record of winning five consecutive Drivers’ Championships.
After snatching victory from Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season in 2021, Verstappen had his toughest campaign to date to win the title again this year.
Red Bull’s advantage over the rest of the field deteriorated as the season went on, eventually finishing behind McLaren and Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.
Every team faces a conundrum this winter when it comes to knowing how much time to spend on developing next year’s car, and how much of their efforts should be concentrated on the 2026 car when the sport’s new regulations begin.
Red Bull also have to decided their driver line-up for 2025, with Verstappen potentially set to be joined by a new teammate after the winter break.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit are in a particularly difficult situation as they know how serious Verstappen’s demands are and how they can’t really afford to have an off-year, especially if they end up not being the dominant force the following season.
Jos Verstappen hasn’t hidden his desire for Max to leave Red Bull, particularly if they’re no longer the fastest team on the grid.
It means some of Red Bull’s rivals could take advantage in 2025 and finally nick the Drivers’ Championship off Verstappen.
Guenther Steiner predicts Lando Norris to win the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship
Speaking on Instagram after the 2024 F1 season had concluded, Guenther Steiner was asked to make several predictions heading into next year.
Steiner was asked who he thinks will be the world champion in 2025 and simply replied: “I think, Lando Norris.”
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However, Steiner also believes that Charles Leclerc will win the British Grand Prix, suggesting that he thinks Ferrari will be strong next year as well, although interestingly, he doesn’t think Hamilton will secure a record 10th win at his home race.
Speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer agreed with Steiner and also predicted Norris to come out on top next year.
Norris suggested after winning in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season that the 2025 title is his next ambition.
However, he may face arguably the most competitive grid in the sport’s recent history to try and achieve that feat for the first time.
Who are Lando Norris’ biggest rivals for the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship
There are four teams who will hope that they’re in the mix to win both championships next year: McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.
Unless George Russell is given a significantly quicker and more consistent car or rookie Kimi Antonelli shows the same potential as Hamilton in his first F1 season, neither driver is likely to be in the mix next year.
It’s impossible to count out Verstappen as this season has proved, given he rarely had the fastest car on the grid for the second half of the year.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
Alongside Verstappen, Norris’ most likely challengers are going to be Ferrari’s pair of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton and his own teammate Oscar Piastri.
Piastri won’t be instructed to help Norris next year like he was in 2024 when it became clear the Brit was McLaren’s best chance of catching Verstappen.
However, the biggest threat may arrive from Maranello, with Leclerc desperate to prove a point alongside the most successful driver in the sport’s history.
