Nico Rosberg and the rest of Sky Sports’ Formula 1 pundits have made their predictions for the 2025 season. The new campaign gets underway next weekend with the Australian Grand Prix.
In the video, they were each asked for one particularly bold take. Martin Brundle said Lewis Hamilton would win multiple races for Ferrari, though opinion will be split on whether that meets that criteria.
Max Verstappen believes McLaren are the only title contenders right now, and the consensus after testing is that they have clearly the fastest package. But as they themselves proved last year, an early lead can be overturned in the development race.
Red Bull looked like they were cruising to the constructors’ title after the first five rounds, and ended up finishing nearly 80 points behind in third. A lot can change over the course of a 24-race season.
Given that it’s the final year of the ground-effect ruleset, logic dictates that the teams should converge. That means there’s the potential for a surprise world champion.
After Max Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races, the remaining were split between seven different drivers. If that’s a template for this year, it may be that the champion only needs three to four victories, so long as they’re consistent elsewhere.
Nico Rosberg thinks Liam Lawson can shock everyone at Red Bull in 2025
Rosberg didn’t make a bold prediction per se, but he specifically named Liam Lawson in response to the question. He clearly thinks the new Red Bull signing can be a surprise package this season.
Lawson will start alongside the reigning world champion in just his 12th F1 race. It’s extremely unlikely that he beats Verstappen on a consistent basis, but staying close would be a mighty feat.
It’s worth remembering that the New Zealander was quick at the outset in both his stints at the de facto junior team. Indeed, while Yuki Tsunoda beat him, he was perhaps closer than expected given the gulf in mileage.
Lawson and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli are the big unknowns in the fight at the front this season. Most will predict them to finish seventh and eighth in the championship, but they may benefit from slipping under the radar.
“Liam Lawson, perhaps,” Rosberg said. “I think it’s going to be a thrilling season. I can’t wait to find out who comes out on top.”
Liam Lawson received surprise text message from Daniel Ricciardo after Red Bull move
Lawson has been the subject of jokes in the F1 paddock, with one Red Bull rival suggesting the RB21 looked fourth-fastest in his hands, and a world-beater when Verstappen was at the wheel. There’s been less excitement around his promotion than one would ordinarily expect.
Perhaps that’s because three successive drivers have now suffered serious reputational damage alongside Verstappen. Karun Chandhok fears Lawson could ‘burn out’ this year.
| CATEGORY | VOL. |
| Races | 11 |
| Laps | 650 |
| Points | 6 |
| Best finish | 9th (x3) |
| Best grid | 5th |
| DNFs | 1 |
Red Bull have a reputation for impatience. But that might be changing, with Sergio Perez given four years (during which he very rarely got close to Verstappen) before he lost his drive.
In a recent interview, it emerged that only Daniel Ricciardo congratulated Lawson when he got the seat. That’s a testament to the Australian’s character – he doesn’t hold any grudges over what happened last September.
Leave feedback about this