2025 F1 World Championship

Will the battle for the 2025 Formula 1 championship be an all-papaya affair? Oscar Piastri heads the table with 186 points, having won five of the nine grands prix so far this season and McLaren team-mate Lando Norris is just ten points behind thanks to a consistent run of results so far: he’s only been off the podium at one race this year, and has stood on the top step twice.

But Max Verstappen‘s bid to defend the title has faltered after the Spanish Grand Prix where, frustrated at a team order to let George Russell past, he rammed the Mercedes driver and was handed a penalty that dropped him to tenth at the finish line. That leaves him 49 points — two grand prix wins — behind Piastri, with no sign of McLaren’s dominance coming to an end.

Time appears to be running out for others to bridge the gap. Russell sits fourth in the table with 111 points and a 75-point deficit to Piastri, who has almost twice the number of points as the lead Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. That’s despite despite glimmers of form for the Scuderia, including Lewis Hamilton‘s win in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint.

Behind them, we are seeing a resurgence in form at Williams and Racing Bulls; the emergence of impressive talent among the F1 rookies; and continuing struggles at Red Bull to find a team-mate who can match Verstappen, with Liam Lawson being dropped to Racing Bulls in a swap with Yuki Tsunoda two races into the season.

At least he’s still on the grid: After starting the season for Alpine, Jack Doohan is now sitting on the sidelines, having been replaced by Franco Colapinto.

With nine races gone in the 2025 season, we look to have a proper championship battle developing and an almighty midfield scrap. Will it be a true classic?