Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, test, Circuit de Catalunya, 2025

Which F1 drivers will beat their team mates in 2025?

Debates and Polls

Posted on

| Written by

There are eight new team mate pairings on the Formula 1 grid this year as all bar two teams have signed at least one new driver.

So which drivers will prevail over their closest competitors? In a season where Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both have new team mates, and five newcomers arrive, there’s potential for surprises all the way down the grid when the season starts next month.

McLaren: Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris’s pursuit of the world championship last year was occasionally hindered, and sometimes helped, by his precocious junior team mate. But Piastri is consistently improving and Norris can expect an even closer fight this year.

Which McLaren driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Oscar Piastri (23%)
  • Lando Norris (77%)

Total Voters: 239

Loading ... Loading ...

Ferrari: Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton

You can’t accuse Lewis Hamilton of picking soft options. Charles Leclerc is a multiple grand prix winner, seriously quick over a single flying lap and knows Ferrari intimately having belonged to their junior team before starting his now seven-year stint in their F1 squad. This should be good.

Which Ferrari driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Lewis Hamilton (27%)
  • Charles Leclerc (73%)

Total Voters: 240

Loading ... Loading ...

Red Bull: Max Verstappen vs Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson, Max Verstappen

Liam Lawson is next to take on the ‘hardest job in F1’. But with rumours Max Verstappen could be the next big name to join the exodus from Red Bull, he may have joined at just the right time.

Which Red Bull driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Liam Lawson (4%)
  • Max Verstappen (96%)

Total Voters: 240

Loading ... Loading ...

Mercedes: Andrea Kimi Antonelli vs George Russell

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has long been ‘the chosen one’ on Mercedes’ young driver programme, but just how good is he? George Russell, who had to serve a three-year apprenticeship at Williams before getting his chance, showed up well against Hamilton last year and won’t be a pushover.

Which Mercedes driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Andrea Kimi Antonelli (4%)
  • George Russell (96%)

Total Voters: 237

Loading ... Loading ...

Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso vs Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll edged slightly closer to Fernando Alonso at times last year, but the gap between the two-times world champion and the son of the team’s owner remained wide.

Which Aston Martin driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Lance Stroll (3%)
  • Fernando Alonso (97%)

Total Voters: 237

Loading ... Loading ...

Alpine: Pierre Gasly vs Jack Doohan

Pierre Gasly, Jack Doohan, Alpine, Yas Marina, 2024

Some believe Jack Doohan is being set up to fail at Alpine, and is merely keeping a seat warm for Franco Colapinto. He’ll have to put in a good showing against Pierre Gasly to avoid that fate.

Which Alpine driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Jack Doohan (4%)
  • Pierre Gasly (96%)

Total Voters: 239

Loading ... Loading ...

Haas: Esteban Ocon vs Oliver Bearman

On paper, Haas’s all-new driver line-up looks potentially combustible. Esteban Ocon has a track record of clashes with his team mates and Oliver Bearman seriously impressed Haas (and backers Ferrari) on his trio of appearances as a substitute last year.

Which Haas driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Oliver Bearman (38%)
  • Esteban Ocon (62%)

Total Voters: 238

Loading ... Loading ...

Racing Bulls: Isack Hadjar vs Yuki Tsunoda

The first thing F1 newcomer Isack Hadjar can learn from Yuki Tsunoda is that if he’s not a Red Bull driver by mid-season he probably never will be. This is Tsunoda’s fifth year at Red Bull’s second team, having been overlooked for promotion in favour of Lawson at the end of last season.

Which Racing Bulls driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Isack Hadjar (11%)
  • Yuki Tsunoda (89%)

Total Voters: 235

Loading ... Loading ...

Williams: Alexander Albon vs Carlos Sainz Jnr

One of the most fascinating line-ups of the new season. Alexander Albon has had things all his way over three seasons at Williams, but now faces a multiple grand prix winner.

Which Williams driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Carlos Sainz Jnr (88%)
  • Alexander Albon (12%)

Total Voters: 237

Loading ... Loading ...

Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg vs Gabriel Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto has a similar pedigree to race-winning talents like Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri, having won F1’s top two feeder championships back-to-back. Nico Hulkenberg had one of his best seasons for a long time last year, but shouldn’t underestimate his new team mate.

Which Sauber driver will beat his team mate in the championship?

  • Gabriel Bortoleto (11%)
  • Nico Hulkenberg (89%)

Total Voters: 239

Loading ... Loading ...

Last year’s result

We held the same poll before last season began. Our readers correctly predicted how seven of the 10 team mate battles would turn out:

A RaceFans account is required in order to vote. If you do not have one, register an account here or read more about registering here. When this poll is closed the result will be displayed instead of the voting form.

Debates and polls

Browse all debates and polls

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

63 comments on “Which F1 drivers will beat their team mates in 2025?”

  1. The only one I felt unsure of was Lewis and Charles.
    I think if that Ferrari really suits him, then Lewis might surprise a lot of people.
    I voted Charles though as that does seem the more likely outcome I think.

    1. I really think Lewis might be the guy to beat if Ferrari get it right.

      Of course, I’ve been wrong about many things before, and I may regret this comment in a few months time. But like you, I think there is potential there to surprise a couple of people.

    2. One of the most interesting aspects of this season – if they can fight for the championships, it might be a very close battle indeed.

  2. Most seem pretty predictable.

    Ocon and Tsunoda should have the edge, but their new teammates are no slouches.

    Leclerc and Hamilton will obviously be the most interesting. And potentially consequential, too.

    1. I agree. The only one I really hesitated on was Bearman/Ocon. But I went for Ocon.

  3. NOR
    HAM – (unpopular view, but I think he could finally find his mojo again, so I try my luck)
    VER
    RUS
    ALO
    GAS
    OCO – (I see he’s received fewer votes, but I think experience will ultimately prevail)
    TSU
    SAI
    HUL

    The rest are pretty straightforward under normal circumstances.

    1. Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
      2nd February 2025, 10:40

      Exactly same as me and my thoughts on it all.

    2. I don’t think (hope..) it will be as straightforward as this! The season might spring some surprises – for example Norris versus Piastri. If McLaren can fight for the championship from the start of the season I wouldn’t be surprised if Piastri will be better equipped to deal with the added pressure.

      1. @streydt RE: Piastri, that’s my feeling, less susceptible to pressure; also last year he was semi-smothered by the papaya rules mushy orangeness.

      2. Totally agree with both of you here. However Norris is still more experienced in tyre management and undoubtedly scintillating quick in qualifying. Brazil in the wet convinced me of this. Small mistake from Oscar in Q3 otherwise it was looking like it might be his weekend. I always rated DC quite highly but Hakkinen just always seemed to have the edge in qualifying. Hoping Oscar can re group and reinvigorate his steely tenacity and make it an epic battle. Just let them race. No mushy formation finishes to well into the end of the season.

    3. I’ll join the pile – on.
      Same from me too.
      @jerre (I like your creative caption too)

  4. Bortoleto vs Hulkenberg will be an interesting team battle as well. My bet is on Bortoleto to win this one, maybe he might struggle in the first couple of races but I think he will catch up quite quickly. I am also very curious if this season will be any better for Sauber or if the season will be as dire as last year – will Audi be more involved and or will they even be in F1 next year.

    1. My unreasonable bet too. Hulkenberg is quite accustomed to bad cars though, he will be difficult to beat.

    2. @streydt Surprised this one is sitting at 90/10 in Hulk’s favour as I type. I did go for Hulk, but could see this going either way. If the car is uncompetitive, it also could be a lottery of who scores the freak result.
      Would’ve thought this poll would be closer, especially since Ocon/Bearman is around 60/40 split at the moment. I guess Bearman has a couple of races of F1 experience, but shouldnt be too much of an advantage over an outright rookie in a 24 race season, and I thought Bortoletto would be higher rated based on junior results.

      1. Hulkenberg had trouble against Bearman. You might expect him to have even more against Bortoleto. I’m not at all sure, but I’ll go for Bortoleto. Ocon will beat Bearman. Hadjar and Tsunodo might also be hard to predict. Depends on how many races it takes to get up to speed. I think it will be harder to close that gap for Hadjar.

        1. Agree with you, if Bortoleto are able to show the same learning curve levels, consistency and maturity he showed on F3 and F2 he would be tough to beat in a full and long F1 season. I voted for Bortoleto too.

  5. Every team, but for Haas, has a clear nr 1 driver this year. That should make things rather interesting or dull? Not sure actually.

    1. El Pollo Loco
      4th February 2025, 4:06

      Ferrari has a clear number 1?
      Williams has a clear number 1?
      RB has a clear number 1?

      It’s even a stretch to say teams like Mercedes, Sauber and McLaren have a clear number 1. They have drivers who are expected to lead the team, but are unlikely to be ordering the new guy to sacrifice their race to help their teammate. The same applies at McLaren too until/unless Norris takes a sizable lead in the points.

      If anything, I’d say only one team has a classic 1-2 driver pairing. Unless by number 1 you mean a driver who is expected to do better than their teammate, Red Bull is the only team where it is clear there is one driver who will be both expected and formally contracted to play a supporting role.

  6. PIA (expecting a Piastri upgrade)
    HAM (the most difficult to predict as I rate both extremely high, should be intense, but LH has more to prove)
    VER (it’s in the contract effectively, not that Lawson would get anywhere near anyhow)
    ANT (breakout rookie prediction)
    ALO (kind of obvious)
    GAS (as a fan of PG)
    OCO (more a meh for Bearman)
    HAD (I don’t see Tsunoda reacting well to being overlooked yet again)
    SAI (should carry over last season’s level)
    BOR (another breakout rookie prediction)

    1. “HAM (the most difficult to predict as I rate both extremely high, should be intense, but LH has more to prove)”

      Totally agree again. Hope it lives up to the anticipation. Many have said he just hasn’t adapted to the ground effect cars and the same problem is just going to be transferred across to the new team. Sincerely hope this is not the case and the clouds part and the sun shines through on his new journey. Charles like Lando is very quick!

      1. I think Hamilton’s biggest challenge will be trying to out-qualify Charles.

        If Hamilton isn’t competitive in qualifying.. he’ll immediately be on the back foot in races, won’t get the ideal strategy calls/timing, Charles will have a better chance to move ahead in the early phase of the season, and will be better placed to get preferential treatment if there’s a championship fight in the latter parts of the season. Lewis outqualifying Charles will be critical to his success.

    2. “VER (it’s in the contract effectively”

      Sure, show me the contract.

      1. Robbie1, well, you could ask Doornbos for a copy of the contract, since he seems to have seen it and indicated that it does have terms that specify preferential treatment for Verstappen.

        That said, it hardly matters when we have public statements from Horner and Marko stating that “Verstappen is our lead driver”, with Horner then going on to confirm that means Red Bull will not give equal support to their drivers.

    3. There is absolutely 0 reason why red bull should say: the number 1 driver must always be named verstappen; as verstappen is one of the best drivers of all times, this is very unlikely, but if a driver came up that is better than him, he would take his place as the number 1, having said that lawson is not that driver, he’s proven it already.

      1. Red Bull never openly admits they have a number one even though they’ve always run their team with a dedicated number one. Webber’s “Not bad for a Number 2 Driver” remark didn’t come out of nowhere, after all.

      2. @esploratore1 That’s a naive take, it’s not how it works. The issue isn’t that Verstappen wouldn’t beat most drivers at Red Bull over a season, I recognised as such in my remark (Lawson wouldn’t win anyhow). It’s the fact that teams have a choice of signing two almost equally competitive drivers, which may improve team results but may also cause internal disputes and actually hamper each of their drivers from winning the title if other teams are equally strong, or they back an unequal pairing with a lead driver and a support driver. Even a total Verstappen fan like Peter Windsor recognizes that scenario (and approves of it: he thought Norris-Piastri and Hamilton-Russell were counterproductive combinations).
        I said ‘effectively’ in the contract, not literally, meaning that Lawson was signed as a second, support driver, clearly. It’s implicit but he knows that. Actual contract wording and behind the scenes discussions and pressure points (see what happened when Pérez did try to take on Verstappen and the internal backlash that provoked from the Verstappen clan) are other issues.

        1. @david-br actually, Horner has been pretty explicit that Lawson was hired to be a supporting second driver to Verstappen.

          His argument was that, at other teams that have two stronger drivers, the team has to back both drivers and split their resources between them, before saying that Red Bull “does things differently” (i.e. strongly indicating they don’t provide equal support to their drivers, and don’t want to have two drivers that may be close enough to each other that they might compete for resources). To that end, Lawson’s role was to “complement” Verstappen, with the hope that he might sometimes be somewhat close to Verstappen, but not too close to potentially cause any friction between Verstappen and Lawson.

          1. @ anon, exactly, there seems to be a combination of the Red Bull team preferring one clear lead driver and the strength of the Verstappen entourage ready to ‘protect’ Max’s interests. Clearly they want an improvement on Pérez, given they lost the constructors’ title last season, but not too much of an improvement.

    4. This is a list I really disagree with, not all, but more than any other list I’ve seen:
      1) norris will destroy piastri
      2) leclerc might or might not beat hamillton, but dare I say it’s more likely than not
      3) antonelli isn’t the next verstappen and russell will beat him
      4) I think bearman has higher potential than ocon, from what he showed in f1 so far
      5) tsunoda beat every team mate he had since gasly and hadjar isn’t highly rated
      6) hulkenberg is a pretty good midfield driver, and even if bortoleto did a good job in f2 he still has everything to prove in f1, beating hulkenberg is no joke

      1. @esploratore1 Well sure, it’s great we have different opinions and imaginings of what will unfold. I take that as kind of the point of this exercise! All your points are plausible, sure, except for the first, Norris will ‘destroy’ Piastri. Destroy, really? Maybe. Do you mean on pace? Or race results?

        1. @david-br

          Do you mean on pace? Or race results?

          Most likely both. Piastri is miles off Norris’ pace.
          I get it, you don’t rate Norris. But his head-to-head qualifying results against Piastri are similar to those against Ricciardo, and that’s not likely to change.
          A slower driver doesn’t suddenly get fast, but a fast driver can cut out mistakes. Look at Verstappen as an example.

  7. All the Rookies have received a few votes, kind of acknowledging their chances and their past performances etc.
    Heck – even Liam has votes despite the fact he is under orders not to beat Max.

    So, I find it hilarious that as I type this, not one single person has given Lance a chance.
    Not one vote – LOL ;)

    1. “Heck – even Liam has votes despite the fact he is under orders not to beat Max.”

      Which orders?

      Please provide us with actual evidence.

      1. I don’t have links etc – but I thought it was common knowledge and had been reliably confirmed?
        If I get chance I will search for my proofs.

    2. Just be patient til the BIG3 get it on!
      Lance & Checo in a brand Neweymobile
      WDC & WCC there for the taking!!!

      (Unfortunately they don’t take it/them)

    3. Hey, I’ve given Lance a vote.
      The car will be a dud and Nando will go “Nope, not again” and quit after 4 races well out of the points. Somewhere along the way Stroll will luck into a higher position than Alonso.
      GO LANCE!

    4. I don’t really see why red bull management should tell lawson: go slow, don’t beat verstappen.

      Do you think red bull is happy about perez’s recent performance?

      If not, wouldn’t it make sense to tell lawson to go as fast as possible, knowing he can’t beat verstappen for performance related reasons anyway?

    5. Ah, also, now it’s been a few days the votes won’t change much any more, stroll still wins the “lowest votes” award, but he got some votes, 3% compared to antonelli and lawson 4%, for example.

    6. Forgot doohan, he also got 4%, these 4 are the most 1-sided, which is probably unfair on antonelli.

  8. Jack Doohan needs a James Vowles not a snake oil salesman!

    1. I think it’s deplorable what Alpine has done with Doohan but not surprised with Briatore being involved !!!!

  9. Bortoleto will destroy Hulkenberg and Hadjar is my favourite vs Tsunoda.
    I’m not sure if Sainz is that much better than Albon. That one will be interesting.

  10. Piastri against Norris is tough to call. Piastri is still getting into his stride but could end up having the measure of Norris much like how Verstappen took a little time to get on top of Ricciardo

    And Hamilton against Leclerc is another tough one to call. 2017-2021 era Hamilton I think would ultimately come out on top, but these last few seasons have been difficult to gauge if it’s just Hamilton not being in the right head space due to the combination of 2021 and Mercedes subsequent drop in form, or if he’s just no longer got the edge he once did

    1. On top of that, now leclerc is making less mistakes.

      2019 leclerc already was fast enough to compete with hamilton when the car was there, he just made more mistakes.

      1. @esploratore1 I think the mistake you and other commenters are making is assuming that if a driver doesn’t make mistakes when he fights just for podiums and lucky wins, he won’t be making mistakes when he fights for a championship.

        Leclerc was consistent in 2024 when stakes were low. When stakes were higher, he was all over the place in 2022.

        Also, his pole to win conversion is something we should not forget.

  11. Sorry, but I don’t see Hamilton beating LeClerc. Age, not familiar with car, LeClerc not being a slouch etc…However I do see Ferrari win the WCC. Very unsure about WDC. Verstappen? Norris, Russell?

    1. It would be crazy to think anyone but verstappen is winning the WDC, it can only happen if red bull is significantly behind mclaren\mercedes\ferrari.

      1. Verstappen has a very low chance of winning the WDC this year. He won’t be as calm in 2025 as he was in the second half of 2024 because he won’t have the big points advantage cushion in place.

  12. It’s hard to vote for Doohan, Hadjar, or Lawson; I’d rather see a poll about which “rookies” will make it to mid-season. Andrea (I’m not using Kimi, that’s taken) and Bearman are probably safe. I’m less sure about Bortoleto.

    1. @nanotech who would Bortoleto be replaced by, given that Sauber/Audi don’t have any other drivers in their pipeline with which to replace him? If any driver is going to be pushed out of their current team, it would probably be Doohan in favour of Colapinto and the potential sponsorship that he can bring to the team.

      1. Indeed, in fact unless he impresses he WILL be replaced by colapinto soon, the signs are there.

    2. I dare say the rookies article will come in time. Antonelli and Bortoleto are the ones who people will be watching with most interest while I don’t think much is expected from Doohan or Hadjar, though wouldn’t be wise to underestimate them either.

  13. Leclerc vs Hamilton will be a close one and the maximum points difference will be between Verstappen and Lawson.

  14. Over 70% for Leclerc…

    It will be great to go back to this post in a few months time. Although I am pretty sure everyone who voted for him here will quickly forget about it ;)

    1. Yeah, it’s a bit much. It’s one point off the Norris-Piastri number, which for two years has been a pretty one-sided affair in Norris’ favour. But, we’ll see soon enough.

      I suppose Leclerc must be expected to have the early advantage, so it’s probably best to wait at least half a dozen or so races before drawing any conclusions. And even then it’s still a long season in which much can happen. After all it won’t just be Hamilton learning about Ferrari, Ferrari will also learn how to best work with Hamilton. Those things need a bit of time.

  15. Hamilton’s transfer is most addition to 2025 intrigue.
    Result of vote Lec Vs Ham is strange.
    But the final result will be even more interesting.

  16. If Leclerc can’t beat past prime Hamilton what’s he doing in F1 really?

  17. 2 surprises for me:
    – Antonelli only receiving 4% of the votes, I thought the hype around him would be higher. That’s the same % as Lawson who is IMO less promising and facing a better teammate.
    – Ocon with “only” 61% of the votes, I guess people rate Bearman’s potential higher than me.

    1. Yes, what bearman showed points to him being a better driver, but will he be consistent? That’s the big question.

    2. New drivers won’t be consistent because how could they? There is a huge difference between going to a single F1 GP between F2 appearances and being an F1 driver for a full season.

      Take Lawson and Bearman for example. Their single GP appearances were successful because they could focus on them 100% without any big psychological cost. You can’t maintain 100% week-in week-out. And then comes the experience factor which they lack.

  18. PIA – Lando proved last year he was a bottle merchant, with another year under his belt Piastri will be on terms with him which will pressure Norris into more errors.
    LEC – I think this will be a super tight battle. Leclerc will shade Hamilton in qualifying, but Hamilton still showed he has great race pace last season despite being completely washed up according to the media. On balance and given Hamilton will still be bedding into the team in the first few races, I’d say Leclerc will just get the job done.
    VER – No brainer.
    RUS – Antonelli will give him a hard time, but he’ll also drop a lot of points with rookie errors.
    ALO – No explanation required.
    GAS – Gasly is such a polished midfield runner now he will easily edge Doohan or Colapinto.
    OCO – Same as Gasly and Russell, he’s a seasoned campaigner and his team mate will no doubt drop some points due to errors.
    TSU – Tsunoda is too good these days to be worried by Hadjar, but he’ll still have to earn his wages on circuits Hadjar has experience of.
    ALB – For pretty much the same reasons I had Leclerc edging Hamilton. It’ll be tough for Sainz to come back down the field initially, so if points are there on offer I’d back Albon to grab them.
    HUL – Points are going to be thin on the ground for Sauber this season, it’ll take a cool, experienced head to take the few opportunities available to score them.

  19. For me it’s easier than last year. Only one I really thought of as 50/50 is Ocon vs Bearman. Went with Ocon on the basis that although Bearman is a much more exciting talent than Ocon, experience will really count at this stage of their careers. Then 4 others not certain but with clear preference for Leclerc, Norris, Hulkenberg and Sainz over their respective team mates. The other 5 are pretty much a done deal.

  20. I think my two outside choices are Albon and Piastri. But most importantly Lance has 3% of the vote – hope springs eternal.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All comments are moderated. See the Comment Policy and FAQ for more.
If the person you're replying to is a registered user you can notify them of your reply using '@username'.