What’s left to play for in F1 2025?

There is already a big tick on the checklist for the current 2025 Formula 1 season – mclaren Tied up the Constructors’ Championship in a beautiful bow with a 3-4 at the Marina Bay Circuit at the Singapore Grand Prix.

From a financial perspective, this is a big problem. However, the drivers’ title comes with a lot of prestige, and the final quarter of the campaign will decide which oscar piastri, lando norrisOr max verstappen Will hold the trophy at this year’s FIA awards ceremony in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Considering that they are all history lovers, they will be looking forward to a day trip to discover the blue-domed Timurid-era architecture…

There are still more prizes to play for in the remainder of 2025, particularly in the Constructors’ Championship. Each placement has its own reward, with a difference of about $8-9 million in Column B payouts.

The caveat is that wind tunnel time and CFD computing capacity is reduced, but try telling sponsors that you would prefer to deliberately reduce the standings for an extra few hours of simulation time. Every single employee in F1 is a competitor, and wants to finish the year on a high.

Thankfully, there remain plenty of key battlegrounds to keep things interesting across the grid – some with some going to be more hotly contested than others.

fight for the other

Major Competitors: mercedes (2nd, 325 points), ferrari (third, 298 points), Red Bull (fourth, 290 points)

As things stand, second-placed Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship has a 27-point advantage over Ferrari. george russellvictory and Andrea Kimi AntonelliFifth in Singapore widened the gap between the two teams, as the Silver Arrows moved ahead of the Prancing Horse after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

After a series of mediocre races and no podium finishes since Belgium, Ferrari looked to be slipping back; The instability of its SF-25 has been a recurring problem and there is a feeling among both drivers that the team is failing to make the most of its opportunities in races. Recent inertia and lack of progress compared to Mercedes and Red Bull has left it in a precarious position; Ferrari has fallen behind Mercedes and Red Bull is only eight points behind. Maranello’s best performance needs to be successful if it wants to defeat any team convincingly.

In the case of Red Bull, its current form has come at exactly the right time. Although Verstappen has scored all but 17 of the team’s runs while effectively operating as a one-car team, Red Bull has recently entered a thoroughly unexciting vein of performance with its RB21; Recent updates and a new approach to simulation and set-up have allowed it to open its weekends with the car operating at a higher baseline. Less time has been spent dialing the car through FP1 and FP2, meaning it can use the Friday sessions for refinement.

Mercedes have also performed well in recent races with Baku podiums and Singapore wins, but Austin will provide a litmus test for its W16. Short, sharp corners on the two recent street circuits have highlighted its vulnerability to rear tire overheating – even in the intense Singapore heat – and thus Austin’s combined approach to clutch long-radius corners should give the team more of a challenge in managing rear tire temperatures.

battle of the sixth

Major Competitors: Racing Bulls (6th, 72 points), Aston Martin (7th, 68 points)
Outside Bets: Sauber (8th, 55pts)

Carlos Sainz’s podium in Azerbaijan definitely held Williams Just a little bit out of reach, as the Grove squad looks to capture their best Constructors’ finish since 2017. It could still be vulnerable, if Racing Bulls or Aston Martin profit from the mixed conditions to achieve surprise podium finishes – à la alpine in Brazil last year – but Williams’ 30-point advantage may still have been too much in a congested midfield battle.

Nonetheless, sixth place would be a solid achievement for either Racing Bulls or Aston. While the VCARB 02 has been the better all-rounder, Aston Martin has made a strong start to competing for the leading constructors’ position. one could argue that fernando alonso He has collected his share of points by making the most of the AMR25’s strengths on slower circuits, regardless of the machinery at his disposal, although he has often been the lone voice of frustration against some of the team’s tactical calls. lance stroll Has enjoyed strong days even in adverse conditions, but usually suffers in races with limited variation.

Meanwhile, Racing Bulls have offered a platform isaac hadjar He went on to demonstrate his worth for the senior Red Bull team, and his podium at Zandvoort capped off an impressive performance in the Netherlands. If the laconic Frenchman can continue to get into Q3 and maintain his composure in his final qualifying laps, he is capable of garnering some more hefty pay days. And, when the car is working well, Liam Lawson Could also make the top 10 – when he qualifies well, he usually finishes among the points, but on Saturday he was hit-or-miss. Sauber can still play its part in the fight, although it is currently 17 points adrift of sixth place.

fight for the eighth

Major Competitors: Sauber (8th, 55 points), Haas (46 points)
(Very) Outside Bets: Alpine (10th, 20pts)

After a disappointing 2024, Sauber has thankfully started shooting neon green shots of recovery as it looks to end its pre-Audi lifespan with a solid season. Its progress in the early third of the year, through implementing a series of floor updates to broaden the C45’s working range, produced a bumper harvest of points (and even a podium) through the European phase of the year, although since the summer it has been out of the blocks at a slightly more leisurely pace.

Azerbaijan and Singapore were not entirely profitable, but a return to more traditional circuits should provide a little more opportunity. But Haas cannot be ignored, and the American team is planning one final update for Austin, with the hope of turning it into a successful final run-in. oliver bearman He appears to have found his groove and is consistently scoring points – although many of his performances have resulted in results outside the top 10 – while esteban ocon Have struggled for recent qualifying form.

If the new update can give Ocon a little more confidence on a lap, he should be a more attractive prospect for a top 10 finish. Sauber, meanwhile, will be hoping for an impressive performance gabriel bortoletto Could resume its topical forays in Q3 – and pull off Nico Hulkenberg With him in the top 10 on the grid.

Alpine may be in last place in the Constructors’ Championship and have no hopes of challenging for the points, but no one can forget Sao Paulo’s heroics last season. The French team’s 2-3 finish, as well as a series of updates at the end of the season, provided the springboard needed to catapult it from ninth to sixth in last year’s Constructors’ Championship. After the Mexico race he was 32 points behind sixth-placed Haas, so a 35-point gap to Sauber this time is not entirely impossible.

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– Autosport.com Team