The drivers under most team-mate pressure in F1 2025

The brand new Components 1 season is now simply across the nook, with the 2025 marketing campaign anticipated to be a continuation of final season’s unpredictable battle proper throughout the grid. With McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all seemingly on track to deliver battle to the nonetheless nearly frontrunning Purple Bull squad, it might even rival 2021 as a narrative-stuffed yr.

Whereas the title challengers will take the headlines, as ever there are fascinating subplots throughout with the sphere as compressed as it’s. Given Sauber‘s late-2024 beneficial properties, if issues are nonetheless as tight as the brand new season begins then there is a robust argument to say F1 has no backmarker squads for the primary time in recent times. This implies each workforce has one thing to battle for, which in flip provides stress to their drivers.

Beating your team-mate is the primary job for any racer, however in F1 this yr the shut preventing provides an additional edge, as any underperformance will go away a workforce uncovered. Therefore why Purple Bull has lastly acted in dropping Sergio Perez, given how far he was ending from the continued successes of Max Verstappen.

The motive force market should not be fairly as turbulent this time round, as groups will need stability heading into the 2026 guidelines reset. However notion rapidly turns into actuality in world sport and so the intra-team battles will likely be no much less essential even with this in thoughts, as how the drivers fare in 2025 might properly develop into essential additional down the road.

Right here then, is how we expect the stress stacks up forward of 2025 for every driver, given the competitors from throughout their respective garages and within the context of their careers and reputations up to now.

Alonso’s place at Aston Martin is rock stable and can see him into the brand new guidelines period in 2026

Photograph by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Photographs

He is acquired not less than a two-year contract having re-signed with Aston Martin final spring, which implies Fernando Alonso will likely be competing with Aston Martin as F1’s newest new guidelines period will get underway subsequent yr. How lengthy he stays with the inexperienced workforce past that is still to be seen, with there being a better likelihood of a break up if Aston cannot climb up the pecking order subsequent yr.

However Alonso clearly has the least stress from his team-mate given his robust document towards Lance Stroll within the metrics that basically matter – with 38-8 and 29-5 scores from their qualifying and race head-to-head counts from the final two years.

And, as we’ll come onto, given the shortage of stress from the danger of line-up disruption general at Aston given Stroll’s place, the mix means he ought to take the bottom spot on this rating for 2025.

Aston is adamant the latest speculation about a future place for Verstappen at the team is nonsense and if the opposite superstars keep locked up elsewhere, it is arduous to see how even the approaching Honda period means any extra stress on Alonso’s place. Not that that issues proper now.

19. Lance Stroll

Stroll’s place at Aston Martin is just not below risk given his father’s possession of the workforce

Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs

Alonso’s clear superiority within the intra-Aston battle means Stroll should line up under him on this train, however his place because the proprietor’s son implies that issues little or no.

Stroll’s place is safe so long as he and his father Lawrence need to proceed on the high-profile F1 path, which to date has yielded three podiums and one pole from 166 race begins since 2017. Stroll is, nevertheless, but to take any silverware or pole stats below the Aston banner.

There have been occasions in 2024 when he was capable of outpace Alonso in qualifying, however they proved to be short-lived.

Following his glorious finish to 2024 and with an under-pressure rookie coming in alongside him, Gasly is just not anticipated to face an enormous risk at Alpine

Photograph by: Alpine

Pierre Gasly had a wonderful 2024 season when he had a team-mate that pushed him extraordinarily shut. Esteban Ocon was really a fraction faster on common in qualifying and held sway in the course of the early a part of the yr when the Alpine was chubby, however after that and their Monaco crash, it was actually all Gasly. Even Ocon’s wet-weather brilliance in Brazil wasn’t sufficient to overtake his team-mate’s factors haul by the yr’s finish.

With Ocon now at Haas, Gasly will likely be on acquainted floor from his AlphaTauri days in working with a rookie in Jack Doohan (not less than for now). Given the Australian’s lack of expertise bar that Abu Dhabi cameo – the place he certified and completed 14 and eight spots respectively again on Gasly – there’s little actual stress of a battle between them at this stage.

If that had been to develop and Gasly performs a mentorship function and sustains workforce concord as he did so properly final yr, that’d really be a plus.

17. Max Verstappen

Verstappen had Perez completely lined, however Lawson’s arrival brings a brand new dynamic

Photograph by: Purple Bull Racing

If he nonetheless had Perez as a team-mate, Verstappen would take the least-pressured spot on this record – and comfortably so given every little thing that F1 witnessed over the past 4 seasons. However now Liam Lawson is aboard the opposite Purple Bull, there’s at least a crack of new doubt for the world champion.

Verstappen stays the most effective driver of this period, nevertheless, and so it is solely how the unknown provides into logical considering which means he should climb just a few spots greater than may later be the case if that beforehand stable 0.3s tempo hole over Perez is sustained with Lawson.

The questions over his long-term future with Purple Bull proceed in 2025, however any likelihood of an exit rests solely on his personal decision-making.

Tsunoda’s future arguably doesn’t rely on how properly he performs relative to Hadjar

Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool

Yuki Tsunoda is definitely in a relatively awkward profession place. Purple Bull denied him the possibility of a promotion for 2025 when it ditched Perez and its emotions in the direction of Tsunoda are unlikely to vary given how lengthy it is had him on its books and competing on the high stage.

Due to this fact, it is all about what may occur with Aston, Alonso and Honda that might determine Tsunoda’s future, not how he fares towards new team-mate Isack Hadjar in 2025. Tsunoda’s appreciable backing from Honda may enchantment to Aston commercially from 2026 onwards, however one can hardly anticipate Andy Cowell and Adrian Newey to contemplate such a swap an improve on Alonso.

At this stage, it stays unknown how Hadjar will fare at this stage. However based mostly on the shortage of cool he so commonly confirmed over the Components 2 airwaves – a cost that may be levelled at Tsunoda at F1 stage that may have shaped a part of Purple Bull’s late-2024 selection – proper now a lopsided Racing Bulls outcomes returned needs to be anticipated.

That is firmly in fifth-year F1 driver Tsunoda’s favour.

15. Esteban Ocon

Ocon was picked out by Haas to steer its new period and team-mate Bearman remains to be discovering his means in F1

Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs

Ocon is one among 4 drivers experiencing a distinct type of stress in 2025: a longtime star settling in at a brand new squad.

He is been handpicked by Haas boss Ayao Komatsu to successfully lead its contemporary period and by all accounts, he is been happy by what he is seen to date at his new workforce. At Haas’s latest Jerez TPC check, Ocon was stated to have been impressed by simply how environment friendly the squad – much reworked for 2025 in terms of its trackside make-up – labored.

He’ll have (half) rookie Oliver Bearman as his team-mate and is subsequently anticipated to be the intra-squad frontrunner. Ocon’s fame as a formidable team-mate additionally pushes a few of the stress in the direction of Bearman. There’s unlikely to be a lot quarter given from his VF-25.

However Komatsu has made it clear he will not tolerate them crashing and so Ocon should be cautious he cannot be too feisty in the event that they do find yourself scrapping over the identical bits of asphalt as soon as the yr will get going.

Bortoleto is within the enviable place the place his junior pedigree buys him grace towards Hulkenberg

Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs

Given there is no proof to go on for a few of the 2025 rookies – a sure contradiction at play for half of the six given Doohan, Bearman and Lawson have began a handful or much less of races – particular issues each separate and group them on this record.

Bortoleto is among the three but to make an F1 bow, however his junior pedigree provides him a level of consolation.

The final three drivers to have secured back-to-back F3/GP3-F2 titles are Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri – high-quality peddlers, all. To some, this may increase the stakes, however I am selecting to view it at present as an indication of extra good issues to return for a driver stated to even be a completely good man.

He is racing towards veteran Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber. He will not supply any handouts, however Haas insiders say he warmed to Bearman over their two weekends as team-mates in Baku and Brazil final yr.

Hulkenberg had an excellent 2024, so Bortoleto getting overwhelmed by him this yr could be no disgrace. And, if it is the reverse, in spite of everything, all’s the for the Brazilian.

Antonelli’s robust assist from Wolff means he begins his F1 profession with little stress

Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs

Grouped with Bortoleto as a result of he too is but to begin an F1 race, however what retains Antonelli so removed from the stress scorching seats can be what introduced him to F1.

That is Antonelli’s shut private relationship with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, to whom he has to thank for his speedy profession development from all these Components 4 and Components Regional titles in 2022 and 2023.

Wolff is alleged to have come to grasp that giving Antonelli a house F1 weekend debut in FP1 at Monza was a mistake, however how forcefully the Austrian went out to bat for his cost within the press convention after that shunt reveals the power of assist Antonelli will get pleasure from at Mercedes.

In fact, there’s stress in being Lewis Hamilton‘s Mercedes substitute, and Wolff’s assist will not go on Stroll-style endlessly if Antonelli cannot hack in F1. However that he is acquired this far so quick suggests he ought to.

12. Nico Hulkenberg

Hulkenberg loved an excellent 2024 at Haas, however as he adapts to rejoining Sauber will need to keep away from being overwhelmed by rookie Bortoleto

Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs

The expectation will likely be for Hulkenberg and his 227 F1 race begins to blow away Bortoleto in 2025. However the German can be discovering his toes once more at Sauber, 11 years after he final raced for the Swiss workforce.

There are different parts to contemplate in relation to intra-squad stress on this case.

One is that Hulkenberg, though armed with a multi-year contract to absorb the beginning of the approaching Audi period from 2026, was employed by earlier workforce administration topped by former workforce CEO Andreas Seidl. Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley had been signed afterwards as CTO/COO and workforce principal respectively, with skilled sport affected by examples of stars being ultimately ousted on account of such conditions.

Hulkenberg was a qualifying star when he was reborn in F1 at Haas, however each occasions he was paired with Bearman in 2024 the Briton produced an ideal document of outqualifying him (thrice in complete factoring within the Brazil dash weekend).

That raises one other crack of uncertainty Bortoleto might be able to exploit with comparable gorgeous tempo. And with Sauber needing constructive outcomes after a dire 2024, Hulkenberg will discover the stress rising if that does develop into the case.

11. Oliver Bearman

Bearman has two race begins for Haas already below his belt, however is aware of new arrival Ocon will not give an inch

Photograph by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Photographs

It is Bearman’s team-mate and his feisty fame that amps up the stress for the still-started-three-races rookie in his first marketing campaign with Haas.

Having spoken to Bearman just lately, I do not worry he is below any illusions in relation to how arduous Ocon may make it – “everybody tells me that he is very fast” and “I do know he’ll be robust” statements telling. And, certainly, Ocon will not be fairly as keen to scrap as arduous towards Bearman in his first yr with a brand new workforce after every little thing that beforehand occurred with Perez, Alonso and Gasly at his former squads.

However Ocon is severely speedy and in contrast to Hulkenberg, has a observe document of silverware success on the highest stage. That alone means Bearman’s job is hard in 2025 and a poor return towards Ocon would stunt the momentum he is constructed up quickly as a junior and enriched additional with that calm cameo in his Ferrari Jeddah debut final yr.

Bearman might nonetheless very present properly, nevertheless, and given workforce boss Komatsu is iron-clad in his belief in the 19-year-old, a powerful 2025 stays seemingly too. One factor he might look to take advantage of is how Ocon’s race tempo too typically got here in a lot adrift of Gasly for Alpine in 2024.

10. Isack Hadjar

Tsunoda is a confirmed power in F1, and Hadjar won’t have lengthy to impress with Lindblad respiration down his neck

Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool

Once more, the shortage of F1-level knowledge means we’re leaving the door ajar for the Frenchman, who might excel amidst the thrill of an surprising promotion to the highest stage a la Franco Colapinto.

However the Argentine is exactly the explanation Hadjar will likely be below stress as if it weren’t for Colapinto’s many crashes as his Logan Sargeant-replacement stint wore on late in 2024, then Purple Bull might properly have gone via with its plan to signal him from Williams.

Similtaneously this was being severely thought via by RB‘s benefactor, Purple Bull insiders had been suggesting Hadjar had little likelihood to make it to F1 even along with his F2 title problem final yr.

However circumstances swung his means and he deserves a good crack now he is arrived on the high stage. The pressure-increasing drawback is that Purple Bull offers its junior drivers so little time as of late (see Nyck de Vries) and the forms of radio outbursts Hadjar displayed in F2 will not go down properly.

Tsunoda, within the different RB, demonstrates this. And he gave Daniel Ricciardo an almighty problem – extra of which has the potential to make Hadjar’s F1 stint brief if he cannot step up as he’ll be hoping.

Then there’s Purple Bull junior Arvid Lindblad beginning out in F2 this yr, already possessing some momentum inside Helmut Marko’s fiefdom. If he goes properly, that will increase stress on each present RB drivers.

Sainz and Albon are anticipated to be simply matched at Williams in 2025

Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs

Now on his fifth F1 workforce, Sainz begins 2025 attending to know Williams.

Some might marvel if he’ll battle to deal with racing a lot additional down the pack – Russell blamed these 2020 early race-offs on the shortage of downforce he wasn’t used to from racing additional down the grid for a similar workforce because it began its rebuild. And there is a suggestion a driver might battle when all of the sudden not racing for normal podiums. However Sainz is way too intelligent for any of this to use.

And he is so good general – simply fractionally off Leclerc on pure tempo final yr and displaying so fearlessly towards him in battle. Being badly overwhelmed by Albon would, nevertheless, considerably alter his hard-work-won F1 profession notion and so therefore this rating spot. I simply do not see it occurring.

8. Oscar Piastri

Now a confirmed F1 race-winner, Piastri wants to cut back his qualifying and race tempo deficits to Norris for McLaren to defend its constructors’ title

Photograph by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Photographs

Once more, expertise stage is on Oscar Piastri’s aspect in relation to how stress can construct inside F1 team-mate partnerships. Given how a lot he is already achieved, it is easy to overlook that 2025 will likely be simply the Australian’s third season in grand prix racing.

However his McLaren squad now has a constructors’ crown to defend, with extra stress coming from the very actual chance that one among its drivers actually can win their championship this time too.

Right here is Piastri’s twin drawback. In 2024, he was a lot improved on race tempo in comparison with his rookie yr, however on common was nonetheless 0.4s slower than team-mate Lando Norris – based mostly on my calculation of common race tempo from final yr.

And Piastri is aware of he was typically undercooked in qualifying too, the place Norris usually excelled. These decrease grid spots have a knock-on impact within the ongoing period of fragile tyres and soiled air, when it then involves race tempo averages.

Piastri has the potential to be an F1 nice however should take two large steps on that path this yr, with a driver who has extra expertise of championship difficult and racing the dominant power of Verstappen wheel-to-wheel nonetheless as his direct comparability.

Albon has a stern check with Sainz arriving at Williams, elevating the prospect of him now not being its primary

Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs

Two issues safe Albon this spot in comparison with the drivers forward.

He is safe in his place at Williams – the workforce simply loves him, his angle, his pace and his nous. Plus, he virtually definitely will not need to cope with the extra exterior stress of racing for wins and titles, given the place Williams nonetheless is in its rebuilding section.

However he now has a correctly top-rated team-mate for the primary time since his painful Purple Bull days. That might spell hazard for his personal hard-won glorious standing.

Albon nonetheless has a fame for being a tad too good and Sainz confirmed final yr how arduous he is ready to race a team-mate when he has little to lose. This extends to scrapping within the midfield pack as of late.

I fear a contact for a way Albon might fare general given he did all of the sudden look a bit uncovered towards Colapinto late final yr. However he is pulled off so many profession surprises that the potential for his defeating Sainz simply can’t be written off.

6. Charles Leclerc

With Hamilton coming into the equation, now could be the possibility for Leclerc to show himself a real Ferrari nice

Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photographs

Now we’ll see precisely how glorious Leclerc is in F1. Okay, he is nonetheless but to supply a full-season title tilt – about which new team-mate Hamilton is aware of every little thing – however his 2024 season was the decide of his seven years to date at this stage. He noticed off a waning Sebastian Vettel, defeated Sainz’s impressively close-run cost, now he comes up towards statistically F1’s greatest-ever driver.

Leclerc has lots on his aspect given he is been a Ferrari star for almost a decade – he is aware of the workforce and the political Maranello ambiance very properly. And Hamilton is sort of not the motive force he as soon as was on the peak of his powers for Mercedes in 2018 via 2020.

It is win-win in a way for Leclerc, as that time will likely be introduced up if he does defeat Hamilton. However Leclerc nonetheless has to truly do this first, within the full glare of F1 fan curiosity. It isn’t for nothing that Hamilton’s first Ferrari laps this week have generated headline after headline…

Leclerc is greater than only a one-trick qualifying star – his 2024 outcomes confirmed that and he is stopped crashing when the stress is on in qualifying. However with Hamilton alongside him in purple, it is instantly his most intense intra-team season since he joined Ferrari in 2019.

5. Liam Lawson

The stress of being team-mates with Verstappen wants no clarification, and Lawson may have nowhere to cover

Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool

Like Hadjar, the stress comes from throughout the Purple Bull empire for Lawson, as Marko, Horner and co will dispense with any underperforming driver if they do not construct up appreciable credit score like Perez did along with his defence on Verstappen’s behalf at Abu Dhabi in 2021.

Earlier than that, the Dutchman’s team-mates in Gasly and Albon had been quickly dropped. And that was with Purple Bull but to get again to title-challenging standing pre-2021. Now, any repetition of Perez’s factors haul in comparison with Verstappen might price the workforce a 3rd constructors’ title in 5.

That each one stated, Lawson does appear to be fearless. On his ‘rookie return’ in Austin he instantly incurred Alonso’s wrath along with his gutsy driving. Then, he had the arrogance to offer Perez the finger in entrance of the Mexican’s dwelling followers amidst their battle every week later.

The mixture of the 2 elements lined to date means Lawson’s season is already assured to be fascinating. However Verstappen’s fame as team-mate breaker stands alone in elevating the stress thought-about right here on the New Zealander.

4. Jack Doohan

With the notoriously impatient Briatore signing Colapinto and Hirakawa as reserves, Doohan has no scope to drop the ball

Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs

One other one the place the stress is basically coming from elsewhere within the workforce, however how Doohan stacks up towards Gasly will likely be what’s most readily cited if he’s dropped early in his F1 stint.

Alpine’s determination to rent Colapinto as reserve has already been interpreted as a sign that it has serious doubts about Doohan, which implies he is acquired a sort of team-mate stress that’s fully distinctive on this record. And he lacks junior automotive racing titles to boost confidence stakes in comparison with a few of his fellow rookies.

That stated, Alpine workforce boss Oliver Oakes insists “he’s getting his fair crack at it next year”. However he additionally claims, “It simply retains everybody trustworthy by way of how they’re performing and provides us choices”, which contradicts the primary assertion considerably.

And when Motorsport.com sources counsel Toyota World Endurance driver Ryo Hirakawa has also been hired as an Alpine reserve with the promise of a potential 2026 seat, that too highlights simply how a lot stress will pervade on Doohan because the 2025 season begins.

3. Lewis Hamilton

All eyes will likely be on Hamilton at Ferrari, the place he will likely be anticipated to shrug off a tough 2024

Photograph by: Ferrari

He is successful the low season along with his slick arrival at Ferrari, however that counts for nothing as soon as the true motion will get going. And Hamilton is heading into 2025 off the again of a poor 2024, general.

Sure, he returned to successful methods with that emotional record-extending win at Silverstone, however too typically he was off Russell’s tempo in qualifying and he struggled to manage greatest with Mercedes’ fluctuating kind. Primarily based on latest historical past, extra of this needs to be anticipated for Ferrari.

Maybe extra tellingly is that on race tempo averages final yr, Hamilton was marginally slower as properly (0.01s down, the truth is) in comparison with Russell. This needs to be of alarm given how tyre administration and race execution stay Hamilton’s greatest strengths.

And in Leclerc, he now has F1’s quickest qualifier as a team-mate. This may massively amp up stress throughout the Ferrari storage on Hamilton – if he is commonly lining up behind Leclerc (see the race tempo caveat above for Piastri too).

However Hamilton has all these 356 begins, seven titles, 105 wins and 104 poles. He has achieved precisely what Leclerc remains to be dreaming of, as they each hope 2025 is the yr Ferrari is totally again in championship rivalry. His enduring class might but win out.

Each workforce and driver have uber-illustrious reputations on this case. However for Hamilton, a defeat to Leclerc after that inflicted by Russell final yr would imply extra injury created.

2. Lando Norris

Norris ended 2024 on high, however Piastri has already offered glimpses that he can take factors off his team-mate which might be pricey in one other battle with Verstappen for the drivers’ title

Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photographs

Norris needs to be a title challenger from the off this time, given how McLaren was going as 2024 concluded. And he took that masterful, pressure-filled walk-off win in Abu Dhabi to ship its first constructors’ title in 26 years.

However his excessive rating right here is all to do along with his team-mate. In that Monza transfer, which ultimately price them each the race win to Leclerc, Piastri confirmed precisely how robust he may be in reaching his personal glory at Norris’s expense.

Piastri will certainly be even higher in 2025 and Norris was nonetheless making tiny errors whilst his sixth F1 season got here to an in depth (his Brazil dash quali slips and lacking the Qatar yellow flags, for instance).

He simply have to be good within the face of what’s in all probability probably the most intense intra-team scrap on the grid this time round.

1. George Russell

Russell ended 2024 strongly with Las Vegas win, however new risk of Antonelli will have to be handled

Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs

One factor elevates Russell above Norris on this record: how defeat to Antonelli might go away him weak to a sudden Mercedes exit.

Sure, it requires different unsure shifting components – in that absolutely solely Verstappen has an opportunity of shifting into the squad for 2026 if he does determine to power his means out of Purple Bull early in spite of everything. However Wolff simply would not cease wooing him for therefore lengthy final yr…

Therein lies the hazard for Russell. If Antonelli defeats him this yr, that will likely be an embarrassing reputational hit for the delightfully outspoken GPDA director. And if Verstappen is certainly out there, then Wolff can all of the sudden match the racer he clearly views because the Dutchman’s potential successor as the pre-eminent F1 driver with the present one, who he missed out on signing from F3 in 2014.

In what appears like a flash since his Mercedes promotion again in 2022, all of the sudden Russell is the Silver Arrows driver with most to lose. However he in contrast so properly to Hamilton of their three years collectively, that alone needs to be an enormous confidence booster.

Russell has probably the most to lose, however robust performances relative to Hamilton will give him confidence

Photograph by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Photographs