Who should do better in 2025?
LB: Aston Martin admitted it did not do enough with its 2024 car, finishing a solitary fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with just over a third of the points it managed the previous year. Billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll has invested heavily in the team over the past few years and will demand even better next season.
CM: There are a lot of candidates here and a few months ago I was sure I would have written Alpine out, but the turn in form on Pierre Gasly’s garage side shows that they are a team that is already starting to do better. And while you might think of Sauber, they feel like a team in a sort of holding pattern until 2026, while Aston Martin still have to wait for Adrian Newey’s arrival next year. So I’d go with Williams. There was so much potential in this year’s FW46s, but they were late and overweight, and the spare chassis situation in Australia caught up with them. But they certainly have the drive in Sainz (a massive coup) and Alex Albon to deliver results. Now they must show further signs of progress. The end result in 2025 is less important, but 2026 could be a real opportunity for Williams to develop himself and some of the rebuilding work being done by James Vowles should start to come to fruition next year to provide the platform. It will. To take advantage of the new regulations.
Year-end report: Williams – mid-season driver change, plenty of crash drama and a true test of determination
WB: 2025 is extremely exciting because not a single team has room for improvement in the offseason. The same goes for almost every driver except the champion, who gave me the best performance he has ever shown. But as he improved his skills each week, the bar for those hoping to beat him continued to rise. But the biggest one is Lance Stroll. Aston are giving everything they have in their fight for the title and should show solid improvement next year after a sub-par performance in 2024.
DT: The simple answer is everyone. Because that’s how racing works. But let me say McLaren specifically. By their own admission, they will have to work extra hard during the all-too-short off-season to ensure they are in a position to strongly challenge for both the World Drivers’ Championship and the World Constructors’ Championship in 2025. They pushed very hard. Having achieved the former this year and the latter for the first time in 26 years, we are in a better position than anyone else to assess what needs to be done to improve further, including Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. Strange suggestion? you’re welcome. The moment you feel tempted to take the glory in this game by achieving a cherished goal, your rivals are already stealing your progress. Zak Brown, Andrea Stella and their boffins are too adept to fall into that trap.
AJ: Boat driver in Montreal. Also Aston Martin, but fortunately they have signed Adrian Newey so they will improve quickly after a disappointing campaign.
