by Alex Johnston
When Max Verstappen crossed the line to take the checkered flag in the opening race in Bahrain we all rolled our eyes and braced ourselves for a boring, predictable season of Red Bull domination.
Fast forward to round six in Miami…Lando Norris took his first win in F1 and questions were raised - can Norris battle for the title? Can McLaren compete for the constructors…are Red Bull falling apart? It seems the answer to all three seemingly, is yes.
📸 Norris celebrates his maiden win in F1 at Miami.
With round 14 in the history books, Verstappen has won just three races since round six and F1 has seen five others(six including Sainz) win a race this season - the most in a season since 2012 - and has set up a potentially thrilling end of the season when the teams return at Zandvoort. So what are the parts of the season worth talking about?
Star of the season - Oscar Piastri
We knew this guy was good when McLaren picked him up from Alpine but this season this Aussie has really announced himself.
A spate of podiums since his debut got people talking but he’s really established himself as a contender for not just podiums, but wins and pole positions for a thriving McLaren team.
He’s finished every race this season, managing in points in 13 out of 14 races, with four podiums - including a maiden win (controversially) at the Hungaroring - and sits fourth in the drivers championship…if Red Bull’s demise continues and McLaren’s uprise continues - is he a title outsider? I certainly hope the multi junior series champion is.
Surprise star of the season - Nico Hulkenberg
The Haas man has surprised for two reasons this year - firstly, being announced as a 2025 driver with the Sauber/Audi setup and secondly, but most importantly his incredible form.
The German finds himself P11 in the drivers championship - fairly lofty for Haas’s standards. He’s taken a season best finish for the team with sixth places in both Austria and the UK, his best finish since a fifth for Renault in 2019.
Highly impressive by the experienced former super sub - now a permanent fixture in F1 once again.
Quietly doing a very good job - Yuki Tsunoda
He may not be a quiet driver at times but the job hes doing for RB seems to have gone relatively unnoticed by a lot.
For the early part of the season the Japanese driver dominated by comparison to his experienced teammate Ricciardo and still finds himself ahead of the Aussie in the standings despite Ricciardo’s recent performances improving.
Despite this, he’s likely to be overlooked for a shot at a drive for the top team.
Underperformer of the season - Sergio Perez
I don’t think many would disagree with this or really have much to say about it.
Crashes, poor qualifying, poor race performances and seventh in the standings with less than half the points his championship leader teammate - many are surprised to see him continuing in that seat for the next part of the season.
Best moment - Bearman makes F1 debut
Very much the ‘feelgood moment’ for many, Ollie Bearman made his F1 debut this season…FOR FERRARI.
The first to do so for the Prancing Horse since the mid-70’s and the yougest to do so for the team, Bearman started his weekend in F2 - sticking his PREMA on pole before being called up to replace Carlos Sainz who had pulled out due to appendicitis.
Bearman qualified 11th and ended the race seventh - a race result that practically sealed a seat for him in 2025 with Haas.
Shock moment - Sainz wins in Melbourne
On the heels of the aforementioned appendicitis, Sainz took a stunning win at Albert Park on his return, taking advantage of engine gremlins for pole sitter Verstappen.
Sainz capitalised and converted for an unlikely win, and put to bed any questions over his fitness, as well as sparking the rumour mill with multiple suggestions over where he’d end up for 2025 - now confirmed to be Williams.
📸 Image credits: Sky Sports, ESPN, Formula Motorsport Limited.
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