2025 F1 season (second half): Preview and Predictions

The second half of the 2025 F1 season will kick off in Zandvoort, and this is the point where the stakes are raised. We have a title battle on our hands, but we also have key battles up and down the grid.

The first half of the season has been interesting, with 4 different race winners, 5 different pole sitters, and 5 different teams with their drivers on the podium. We've also had major developments when it comes to drivers and team personnel.

Christian Horner is no longer the face of Red Bull, and at Alpine, Jack Doohan has been replaced by Franco Colapinto. You add it all up, and the season has had quite a few developments that we would not have expected, and it promises an interesting second half of the season.

With that being said, what can we expect from the next 10 races? Let's take a look at our preview of the second half of the season.

2025 F1 season (second half): Preview

Key Storylines

#1 The Lewis Hamilton-Ferrari stint

Lewis Hamilton went into the F1 summer break with a lot of doubt and confusion about his future. The driver is not entirely clear on how he's going to pursue his future as he continues to struggle against Charles Leclerc.

The summer break is going to be a decent breather for the legend, but it is also a point where he reflects on how he approaches the final phase of his career. His form is a serious concern, and the first three races after the summer break are going to be crucial in terms of where the driver stands in the scheme of things at Ferrari.

#2 Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri and the dynamics?

For lack of a better word, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have maintained a gentlemanly conduct with each other in a title battle where the two are separated by less than 10 points. McLaren maintains that this is essentially how it wants the rivalry to be, where the two battle hard but don't cross the line.

As the two chase the prize they've wanted throughout their careers, could this be the point where they started picking things up a notch? The last 10 races will have the biggest spotlight that either of the two has had in their entire career. How they handle it is going to be very interesting.

#3 George Russell (and Kimi Antonelli's) contract extension at Mercedes

It's safe to say that both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are going to race for Mercedes in 2026 unless something drastic happens. However, neither of the duo has had their contract extended or had an announcement of the same. While paddock rumors have suggested that the young Italian's announcement could potentially be made in Monza, it's not entirely clear what's going to happen with George.

With Toto Wolff spending more and more time with Max Verstappen on his summer break and the Dutch driver possibly available from 2027, questions are raised on whether Russell is being kept for just one more year before he makes way for Verstappen. The details of his contract extension are going to reveal a lot about where the chips are going to fall in the end.

Form Guide

In Form

We've had Charles Leclerc as the driver of the season so far, and the reasoning behind it has been his ability to extract whatever is on the table in that Ferrari and sometimes sneak results that are just not on the table.

Be it the P4 in Suzuka, the podium in Barcelona, or even the pole position in Hungary, leading to further heartbreak on Sunday, the Ferrari driver is hitting peak form this season.

The driver did declare after the F1 Hungarian GP that he didn't expect any other track where Ferrari could pose a challenge. It would be interesting to see, however, how the car goes at tracks like Zandvoort and Singapore.

Out of Form

After a strong start, young Kimi Antonelli has had a rocky ride of late. The driver has had quite a few zeroes next to him in recent races as George Russell has continued to pick up the results.

The young Italian first turned heads of the F1 world by dominating a FRECA wet race in Zandvoort. Could the Dutch GP be the inflection point for his season? It would be interesting to find out.

Driver with the biggest spotlight

Lewis Hamilton's subtle F1 retirement suggestions with his very cryptic final interview before the summer break were an indication that not everything is working at Ferrari. The Brit's honeymoon period is over now, and things are starting to get serious.

The second half is crucial for Lewis Hamilton, as he would be hoping to be more competitive against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.

2025 F1 season (second half): Predictions

Who wins the championship?

We've often said this in so many of our previews that when it comes to the battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, it comes down to the mini-battles. Both are rapid and consistent and rarely make mistakes.

But the one area where one tends to pull away from the other is winning the mini-battles. Be it the final qualifying lap, the starts, or the crucial overtake, Piastri has the edge over Norris.

When things get tough, that's where we once again expect Piastri to pull away as Norris struggles, and hence our pick to win the 2025 F1 world title is the Australian.

Biggest surprise? (Team)

Sauber was last in the standings in 2024, and it has rocketed up the pecking order in 2025. Sure, Nico Hulkenberg's performances have played a role, but the car has also improved.

It's not a backmarker anymore, and young Gabriel Bortoleto is dragging impressive results out of it. Another podium pick might be a bit of a stretch, but we're picking Sauber to finish 5th in the F1 standings for 2025.

Biggest surprise? (Driver)

F1 rookies have had their moments to shine, but Kimi Antonelli has had more downs than ups lately. Mercedes reverting to the old suspension gave the young Italian a little more confidence, but what we're looking at in the second half of the season is a more mature driver who now has had half a season to digest what it means to drive at the front.

We're going to see the real Kimi in the second half of the 2025 F1 season, and he is going to show glimpses of talent that Toto Wolff has already seen.

Biggest disappointment? (Team)

With Christian Horner gone, Red Bull is now looking at a rebuilding phase. What it often means is that things would change, structures would be different, and when such a thing happens, the median operational performance also takes a dip.

To add to this, we might be looking at Max Verstappen suffering a drop in intensity as well in his performances as the car's competitiveness continues to lag. Expect teams like Mercedes and Ferrari to be a more prominent presence on the podium alongside the McLaren boys as Red Bull gets ready for its worst finish in F1 since 2015.

Biggest disappointment? (Driver)

This might come as a surprise to many, but the biggest disappointment for the second half of the 2025 F1 season might be Max Verstappen (yes, we're going bold with this one). The Dutch driver has assured Red Bull of his commitment in 2026, but at the same time, is seen spending the summer break with Toto Wolff.

There are many theories behind it, but the biggest of them all appears to be the fact that the Dutch driver was contractually unable to wiggle his way out of Red Bull and is hence just waiting things out to see how the field is in 2026.

With no title in the picture, a changed management, and a possible drop in competitiveness, Max Verstappen could potentially suffer a drop in motivation, and we might see drivers like George Russell and Charles Leclerc beating the Dutch driver in the F1 championship standings by the end of the season.