Max Verstappen‘s grip on Formula 1 might finally be loosening, and 2025 is shaping up to be an absolute thriller of a season.
Lewis Hamilton‘s shocking move to Ferrari has turned the F1 world upside down. After 12 incredible years and six world titles with Mercedes, the 40-year-old racing legend is taking on one last massive challenge.
And he might just pull it off, according to former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve.
“Lewis could have a shot at it,” Villeneuve told Action Network. “He finished on a high note.”
The 2024 season wasn’t supposed to be exciting. Everyone expected Verstappen and Red Bull to dominate again after their record-breaking 2023. But something changed after the Miami Grand Prix – Lando Norris and McLaren showed up ready to fight.
That unexpected battle made 2024 way more interesting than anyone predicted. Now 2025 could be even better.
Ferrari’s not being subtle about their excitement for Hamilton’s arrival. They’re already putting him front and center in their marketing, creating massive buzz around the sport’s most famous team signing its most famous driver.
“Ferrari is really pushing Lewis right now,” Villeneuve explained. “There’s a big image happening. Either he’s pushed and it’s amazing. And if it’s not, then it will pump Leclerc up. So basically it’s a win-win for Ferrari.”
But McLaren might have something to say about all this. Norris gave Verstappen his toughest challenge in 2024, but there’s trouble brewing at the British team.
The rivalry between Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri got pretty heated last season. Villeneuve thinks that could be their biggest problem in 2025.
“The way the season ended, I would have put the dice a little bit more on Lando and McLaren,” he said. “But the issue there will be the internal battle between the two drivers. McLaren have not and will not handle that well, and they will eat each other’s points away.”
That team drama might just open the door for Hamilton to make history with that record-breaking eighth world championship – in Ferrari red, of all colors.
