As the 2025 Formula 1 season draws closer with car liveries revealed at the F1-75 event in London and testing quickly approaching in Bahrain, it is time to think about the top contenders for the championship.

After ‘silly season’ shuffled the drivers around the teams on the track, along with the introduction of six rookies and Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari, it seems this year will be one for the ages. Beginning in Australia with a track that offers intense braking zones, incredibly fast straights, and technical corners that call for a well-sorted chassis, this race will certainly reveal which cars are on the road to success.

Each driver starts with zero points on their tally, and only time will tell how well-versed their machinery is for this year. Now, let’s take a look at the top five drivers to keep an eye on for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Lewis Hamilton

After shocking the world last February with the news of his move to Ferrari, it seems Sir Lewis Hamilton is more motivated than ever to achieve his dream of winning his 8^th World Drivers’ Championship in the coveted red racing car. Hamilton will certainly hope to utilise his decades of experience behind the wheel to bring glory to Ferrari.

His teammate and Ferrari golden boy Charles Leclerc put in times almost as fast as Michael Schumacher while testing the 2025 spec at the Fiorano circuit, which seems promising for Hamilton to rise to victory this year.

Max Verstappen

No one can deny the talent that Verstappen holds after winning his fourth World Drivers’ Championship last season, and it looks like there is no stopping him. Red Bull appears to be ever-evolving to Verstappen’s every need and want in his car, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that means another dominant year for the Dutchman.

Verstappen has broken countless records in his career such as most wins in a season, most podium finishes in a season, and most wins from pole. If this season turns out anything like the past four, get ready to sing along to the Dutch national anthem every weekend – you should know the lyrics by now!

Lando Norris

Off the back of almost lifting last year’s Drivers’ Championship trophy, I expect Lando Norris to be relentlessly focused on victory this year. In recent interviews, his demeanour has been relaxed while vocalising that he has every confidence in his team for the coming season.

The only hurdle that may impede his success is McLaren’s so-called ‘Papaya Rules’. According to Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri, these rules mean “hard but clean” racing between both drivers. McLaren refuses to select a main driver and has vowed to keep both drivers level on the priority scale. This only means Norris will need to work ten times harder to reach success over his teammate this season.

Carlos Sainz

Since moving to Williams after Lewis Hamilton took his seat at Ferrari, Sainz is less in the running for a Driver’s Championship win this year. He has offloaded his expertise from his time at Ferrari onto Williams Racing, however, which has allowed them to fight for more points in the midfield this time around.

Sainz is known for his astonishing defence tactics and as the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in the 2023 season, earning the nickname of ‘El Matador’, or ‘The Bull Fighter’ in English. William’s team principal James Vowels is elated to have a driver of such high calibre, and hopefully, Williams are in for a podium finish for the first time since 2021.

Oliver Bearman

The young British rookie is set to make waves in the 2025 season with Haas. Bearman has the most experience out of the six rookies on the grid this year, having completed three races in the 2024 season.

In his debut race for Ferrari, subbing for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, Bearman went on to score seven points and impress team bosses and viewers across the globe. While Bearman is not in contention with the Drivers’ Championship this year, he is certainly set to put on a show in the midfield and is a driver to watch as he progresses in his career.

With over a quarter of the drivers on the grid this year being rookies, we have an interesting dynamic of well-established drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso sharing the track with young’uns like Isack Hadjar and Kimi Antonelli. As we have seen in previous years, it is hard to predict the outcome of a championship when the grid is so saturated with raw talent and expertise.

We will only know who comes out on top at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. Until then, keep an eye on the action as the lights go out in Australia next month.