Mercedes driver George Russell thinks the 2025 Formula 1 season might feel a lot like the epic 2021 championship battle. And he’s got a point.
The 2021 season was one for the history books. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton fought an incredible title battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the very last lap.
Now Russell believes we could see something similar next year.
Many experts are picking McLaren as the team to beat in 2025, especially after their impressive winter testing performance. But there’s an interesting twist that could shake things up.
2025 will be the final year under the current rules before a major regulation change hits in 2026.
This creates a fascinating strategic dilemma for teams. Do they pour resources into winning in 2025, or start focusing on the massive rule changes coming for 2026?
We saw exactly this scenario play out in 2021. Some teams stopped developing their cars mid-season to focus on the 2022 rule changes, while others kept pushing updates to stay competitive.
Russell explains his 2025 prediction
"I think when you look at how dominant McLaren were at the second half of last year, without a doubt they’re the favourites going into this year," Russell said at a recent London event.
The Mercedes driver noted that even on their off weekends, McLaren remained competitive throughout 2024.
"And when people had their strong weekends, McLaren were still there or thereabouts. I think we only had a one-off weekend in probably the whole of 2024."
But here’s where it gets interesting.
"Whoever continues to develop will probably win the championship, but you’ll pay the price in 2026," Russell explained.
He pointed to the 2021 season as a perfect example of how things can change dramatically.
"We also saw it in 2021, I think, with Lewis and Max. Mercedes stopped developing and somehow we just fine-tuned the car and the setup and found massive performance in the second half of the year just by unlocking the setup a little bit more."
Despite predicting a competitive season, Russell still sees one team as the clear favorite.
"I still expect McLaren to be right at the forefront," he concluded.
Could we be in for another nail-biting championship battle? With teams juggling 2025 success against 2026 preparation, the stage seems set for exactly that.
