Next season will see the Formula 1 grid look very different to how it ended in Abu Dhabi on the last day of the 2024 campaign.
A handful of rookies will be handed their full F1 debuts, even Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto are the only confirmed drivers on the 2025 grid yet to take part in a Grand Prix.
Constructors’ Championship winners McLaren are sticking with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, although their nearest rivals Ferrari have pulled out all the stops to bring in Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes.
Red Bull are on the cusp of replacing Sergio Perez meaning Max Verstappen may have another new teammate heading into 2025.
The merry-go-round of drivers within Red Bull and RB continued during the season when Daniel Ricciardo was replaced by Liam Lawson, and the Kiwi appears to be the man preparing to take Perez’s seat next year.
The majority of the teams in the midfield are switching up their line-ups too, with Aston Martin the only manufacturer to stick with both drivers.
Guenther Steiner is all too familiar with how the F1 driver’s market works during his time as Haas team principal.
Steiner has predicted that Norris will win the championship next year, and speaking on Instagram, he’s chosen his favoured line-up if he had to hire two drivers for 2025.
Guenther Steiner would hire Lando Norris and Max Verstappen for the 2025 season
Steiner is asked if he needed to hire two drivers for the 2025 F1 season as a team principal, who would they be.
The former Haas boss said: “Pretty easy decision. Max and Lando.”
Steiner also suggested that Norris will be a world champion before George Russell wins a title for Mercedes or Hamilton breaks the record with an eighth victory at Ferrari.
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It’s not a surprise that Steiner has chosen Norris and Verstappen given they finished first and second in the championship last year.
They’re also very young and would have years ahead of them to continue developing.
Not only that, but unlike many championship rivals, they have a strong relationship and while they’re both ultra-competitive, they may be able to sustain a working relationship together in the same garage.
Max Verstappen has already offered Lando Norris the chance to be his teammate
Verstappen and George Russell have feuded, but the Dutchman’s battle with Norris – despite two contentious races in Austin and Mexico City – has never escalated to that level.
The two are close off the track and while being friends away from Formula 1 rarely translates into anything on the track, they’re likely to be rivals for years to come.
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Verstappen has previously tried to convince Norris to become his teammate which would be by far the strongest pairing on the grid.
Red Bull have had an interest in signing Norris throughout his career, but he’s been very loyal to McLaren throughout his career.
As Constructors’ champions, they are likely to have one of the strongest cars on the grid in 2025 too.
It means without the headstart Verstappen built up before McLaren’s Miami update, he may struggle to hold off the Brit next year.
