2025 F1 Predictions: How each intra-team rivalry will play out

The first driver in F1 that one has to beat is the teammate. They have the same machinery, they have the same facilities, and in all fairness, it is as close to a level playing field as it could get. If you're beating your teammate, then depending on how highly he is rated, your perception gets better.

In F1, when it comes to curating driver lineups, there are two kinds. The first is where a team picks two drivers that would be given equal everything, and then whoever comes out on top is up to the two of them. The second is where there's a clear bifurcation between who the team leader is and who is the second driver.

As we look forward to the 2025 F1 season, how do we expect the different driver pairings to actually evolve? Let's take a look.

---

Predicting how F1 intra-team rivalry plays out

McLaren

The '20-4' drubbing in qualifying that Lando Norris gave Oscar Piastri was a statement of sorts in 2024. There is, however, one caveat, though, and that is the fact that the gap between the two was within two-tenths.

For the 2025 F1 season, Piastri could potentially take another step and maybe start beating Norris more frequently. Having said that, if we have to make a prediction, the gap would be narrower between Piastri and Norris in 2025, but the latter would continue to have the edge.

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc vs. Lewis Hamilton can go many different ways at Ferrari, but there are far too many things going against Hamilton in 2025 that Leclerc should be given the edge.

It's not only a new team for Lewis; it's a new car, a new language, and a new culture. He'll take time to bed in even on his best days. Expect the younger driver to have an edge in 2025.

Red Bull

This one is somewhat predictable. Max Verstappen is the team leader at Red Bull, and everything is oriented towards his campaign being a success.

The best-case scenario for Liam Lawson is if he makes it to 2026, as 2025 is going to be an uphill task for him.

Mercedes

There would be weekends where Kimi Antonelli would make Toto Wolff tear his hair out. There would be others where he shows why he's been fast-tracked, and even George Russell won't have an answer for it.

Through all of this, though, experience would shine through as Russell would continue to be the team leader at Mercedes.

Aston Martin

There's not going to be much of a battle at Aston Martin, and it's going to be more of the same where Fernando Alonso continues to dominate Lance Stroll, who continues to occupy a seat he probably doesn't deserve at this stage.

Alpine

The first 5-6 races will have Pierre Gasly teamed up with Jack Doohan, and one has to lean towards the Frenchman considering the pressure the Aussie is under. Expect Doohan to be decently close to Gasly when given the chance, but unfortunately he would be replaced by Franco Colapinto.

Colapinto is going to be much closer to Gasly, and there would be quite a few weekends where the Frenchman draws the short end of the stick.

Haas

If Esteban Ocon is expecting to be the dominant figure at Haas, then he's mistaken. Ollie Bearman is a brilliant F1 talent, and he's already shown he doesn't take much to adapt.

For the 2025 F1 season, expect moments of gold from Ollie as he finds his ropes within the team.

For the 2026 F1 season, expect Esteban Ocon to have an edge over his teammate, but the gap would continue to shrink as the year progresses.

Williams

We're expecting Carlos Sainz to have an edge over Alex Albon overall. This does come from the appeasement program that James Vowles is seemingly running right now at the team.

It's going to be close, and it does appear that the pedigree is more on Sainz's squad with this one.

Racing Bulls

If Isack Hadjar ends up having an edge over Yuki Tsunoda in 2025, rest assured he might get promoted to the Red Bull seat for the 2026 F1 season. It does seem unlikely though as Yuki is no pushover and Isack is not looked at as admirably as possibly a few others by Helmut Marko.

Sauber

Gabriel Bortoleto would prove that he deserves to be in F1, but at the same time, Nico Hulkenberg would just be a step ahead because of the experience that he's already accrued in the sport.