2025 F1 season: 5 key questions heading into the second half

The second half of the 2025 F1 season kicks off in Zandvoort, and this is where the stakes are going to rise. We've had 14 races that have varied from being stunning to dull at different points, but now we're slowly reaching a point where every point starts to mean a little more.

We're going to see the importance of every race rise up a notch as we get closer to the end. As the second half of the season begins, there are, however, a few unanswered questions that are worth exploring. What are they? Let's take a look.

#1 Will the gloves come off in the Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri F1 title battle?

In a statement that should ideally stand the test of time, Juan Pablo Montoya claims that no world champion was a good guy when they were fighting at the sharp end of the grid. Be it Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, or anyone else. These drivers had steely determination, and that shone through whenever it was needed.

In the first 14 races, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been, for lack of a better word, gentlemen. Everything has been above board, and McLaren hasn't been forced into too many interventions.

Could we see the same in the last 10 races when an F1 title is on the line? Well, it would be interesting to see if the gloves come off as the stakes rise.

#2 Can Lewis Hamilton bridge the gap to Charles Leclerc?

It is quite clear that we're reaching a point in the Lewis Hamilton-Ferrari partnership where the driver is starting to feel a bit uneasy. We're 14 races into the season, and the driver is still struggling to get close to Charles Leclerc.

The first few races of the second half of the season are crucial for Lewis Hamilton because he needs to put together something strong to keep the doubters at bay.

#3 Would Max Verstappen be able to hold his composure amidst the Red Bull downturn?

Max Verstappen's comments in Hungary were the first rare sight of a driver who was willing to wait things out as Red Bull goes through a rebuilding phase. This was a rare confession from a driver who has realized that he cannot have the best car on the grid at his disposal every time. There are going to be moments where he'll have to build things up.

While making such statements can be reassuring for Red Bull in general, can Max Verstappen keep his composure if the drop in performance continues and he sees himself slide down the championship standings? It would be interesting to see how the next 10 races are for the driver.

#4 What kind of contract extension would George Russell sign with Mercedes?

If the leaked photograph is anything to go by, Max Verstappen and Toto Wolff are slowly starting to build an alliance that could last for a while. The animosity of the 2021 F1 season is gone now, and it is safe to say that the Austrian is willing to anger his current crop of drivers if it means he'll have a chance at getting Verstappen for 2027.

Amongst all of this, George Russell is stuck in a no man's land. The only leverage he has is if he just walks away from the German team because Toto isn't willing to give him a long-term contract.

At this moment, it all comes down to who will blink first. Will it be George, who seemingly doesn't have anything on the table but is holding out for a longer contract, or Toto Wolff, who has arguably put forward a one-year extension for Russell with the hope that Verstappen comes around soon enough?

The day the George Russell contract extension is announced, and it will be before the end of the season, it would be interesting to see who blinked first depending on the contract length.

#5 Where does Christian Horner's F1 future lie?

Maybe a bit of an outside player at the moment, but Christian Horner is now free from the shackles of Red Bull, as the team has officially let him go, arguably with a handsome severance package. While that is the case, the F1 legend's future is something of a question mark right now, as there is no clarity on what he's going to do next.

There is a high likelihood that Christian Horner will come back to the F1 grid. There's also a set of conditions that need to be fulfilled before that happens.

He's not coming back if he's not a shareholder. At the same time, he's not coming back if the project doesn't have potential. There are two options in Cadillac and Alpine that Christian Horner is keeping an eye on, but what would he choose? Will we have the resolution by the end of the 2025 F1 season? These are the questions that are worth asking as the second half kicks off.