Formula 1 2025 Season Discussion

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#3441075 7-Dec-2025 17:18

Jaxson:

Yuki giving Max the tow during qualifying is awesome sensible teamwork.

Max really has done all that he can to be in contention, and this is McLarens to lose now.

Though turns out he went quicker without one on his last run 🤪

Interesting to hear one tactic will be for Verstappen will back the field up rather than try and gap it. Guess it makes sense and makes it tricky for McLaren to drop into a window after the pit stops.

Crazy number of permutations, Max, Oscar and Lando could all win it!

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#3441084 7-Dec-2025 17:41

mudguard:

Jaxson:

Yuki giving Max the tow during qualifying is awesome sensible teamwork.

Max really has done all that he can to be in contention, and this is McLarens to lose now.

Though turns out he went quicker without one on his last run 🤪

Interesting to hear one tactic will be for Verstappen will back the field up rather than try and gap it. Guess it makes sense and makes it tricky for McLaren to drop into a window after the pit stops.

Crazy number of permutations, Max, Oscar and Lando could all win it!

Yep

Max will win as did the other 10 poles in the last 10 races here IIRC.

Id like Max to win as he deserves it, but Lando needs to finish 4th, hard to see that, so it comes down to bad luck, bad decisions. also hard to see that

Max and Oscar start from the clean side, Lando wont be going gung ho on turn 1, but others behind him might. Lando has shown his usual cracks under pressure at this circuit. Where he will shine being in the nest car, is "this is slipping away so I have to got for it with zero pressure.

My picks

Max wins

Oscar second

Lando 3rd.

Jaxson

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#3441149 7-Dec-2025 21:18

I can’t wait to read about this season in 5 years time.
I want to know how McLaren were so quick, why Oscar was dominating but fell away as Lando improved; how Red Ball improved, what was so wrong with Ferrari etc.

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#3441198 8-Dec-2025 00:28

Won't be at all surprised if there are some crazy shenanigans in tonight's race. Tsunoda, Hadjar and Lawson to make life difficult for the McLarens, tactical pitstops to get in front of Norris and hold him up. Perhaps a bit of crash-gate action?

No, not really, it's too hard to get away with such stuff these days but just imagine it.

More likely scenario will be some kind of team stuff-up from McLaren that hands the title to Verstappen.

Looking forward to the race, gonna sit up for it, suffer tomorrow.

Jaxson

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#3441200 8-Dec-2025 01:02

Jaxson:

I can’t wait to read about this season in 5 years time.
I want to know how McLaren were so quick, why Oscar was dominating but fell away as Lando improved; how Red Ball improved, what was so wrong with Ferrari etc.

The other thing is whether there was a “ No favourites “ clause in Oscar’s contract given Mark Webber’s history as the ‘number two’ driver at Red Bull. I wonder if there is something like that as it explains McLaren’s excessive attempts to be fair to both drivers. If they fail to have one of their drivers as the WDC that’s really entirely on the teams handling of strategy aspects throughout the year.

Red Bull have not been stretched in this position since Daniel Riccardo was on the scene, so Max has fully benefited from being a 1 driver team with no team mate stealing any point from him, meaning Max takes maximum available points uncontested each race. By contrast, though Max has not had a rear gunner of any effect since Perez.

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#3441201 8-Dec-2025 03:57

What a season really. Genuine 3 way title fight is pretty awesome.

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#3441255 8-Dec-2025 07:40

It was a pretty average race in terms of action but the genuine pressure felt throughout was definitely worth waking up at 2am for. Well done Lando, caps off an incredible season with a WDC.

Max wins the race and IMO the best "driver" of the season, and to do it all pretty much himself. Stoked for McLaren to get a WDC after so many years.

Bring on 2026 and all the changes ahead

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#3441278 8-Dec-2025 08:38

Race was pretty boring, as the only thing that could happen to spice it up is if Lando had an issue

Otherwise, he just needs to run 4th during the race and job done

Benoire

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#3441279 8-Dec-2025 08:47

Competent race strategies from the top players, McLaren was interesting and Norris knew he didn't have to fight Piastri to win but a boring race generally overall. F1TV really needs to do a proper live PIP so that close following / overtakes are seen better at that time rather than replayed later.. Lewis was catching Ocon and then someone screwed up a couple of times due to DRS and then slipped back to 2s behind.. no replays etc. same as with Stroll late on etc.

Well done to Norris - managed not to capitulate the start too badly and the race... Max did well but again the RBR team have chewed up and spat out another driver... I wonder how the factory feels about their bonus this year as that is related to constructors points and they're way off!

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#3441281 8-Dec-2025 08:52

Seems no one wanted Yuki?

Benoire

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#3441282 8-Dec-2025 08:54

tdgeek:

Seems no one wanted Yuki?

Understandable... He was competent in the Racing Bull but even though the hotheadness shone through... He was only really there due to Honda and RBR needed to bring the next generation through... He's the reserve driver now but don't count him out from racing for either RBR or RB next year depending on Lindblad, Lawson or Hadjar...

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Jaxson

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#3441534 8-Dec-2025 14:10

Yuki cost the team another fine in the end.

The Max thing makes for an interesting scenario, in terms of any available points come his way from the team - no fighting over who gets the win etc so Red Bull don't actually want another top driver - they want a road block wingman #2. If McLaren had gone down a favourites path they would have cleared up the WDC a long time back.

Crazy how close it was in the end.
It was a season of periods - Oscar, Lando, Max.
Would love to know why Oscar fell away like he did, minus the conspiracy rubbish. What changed on the car that then favoured Lando. I heard they made a change that returned feeling sensation to Lando in the steering, same story for Liam from memory too.
Red Bull are ruthless, well done to them bringing their driver back into contention.
Race Engineer and Driver in sync there, unlike say Lewis!

Bring on 2026. Looks to be a real change, no DRS and less ground effect design, boost button, bigger mix of ice and electric power ratio etc.

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#3441583 8-Dec-2025 14:30

Jaxson:

Yuki cost the team another fine in the end.

The Max thing makes for an interesting scenario, in terms of any available points come his way from the team - no fighting over who gets the win etc so Red Bull don't actually want another top driver - they want a road block wingman #2. If McLaren had gone down a favourites path they would have cleared up the WDC a long time back.

Crazy how close it was in the end.
It was a season of periods - Oscar, Lando, Max.
Would love to know why Oscar fell away like he did, minus the conspiracy rubbish. What changed on the car that then favoured Lando. I heard they made a change that returned feeling sensation to Lando in the steering, same story for Liam from memory too.
Red Bull are ruthless, well done to them bringing their driver back into contention.
Race Engineer and Driver in sync there, unlike say Lewis!

Bring on 2026. Looks to be a real change, no DRS and less ground effect design, boost button, bigger mix of ice and electric power ratio etc.

they changed their front suspension at Lando’s request and against Oscar’s wishes

RB got better because they sacked Horner who wanted to freeze car development and focus on 2026 like Ferrari did in April. He also overruled Max setup preference siding with engineers instead.

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#3441592 8-Dec-2025 14:45

Jaxson:

Yuki cost the team another fine in the end.

The Max thing makes for an interesting scenario, in terms of any available points come his way from the team - no fighting over who gets the win etc so Red Bull don't actually want another top driver - they want a road block wingman #2. If McLaren had gone down a favourites path they would have cleared up the WDC a long time back.

Crazy how close it was in the end.
It was a season of periods - Oscar, Lando, Max.
Would love to know why Oscar fell away like he did, minus the conspiracy rubbish. What changed on the car that then favoured Lando. I heard they made a change that returned feeling sensation to Lando in the steering, same story for Liam from memory too.
Red Bull are ruthless, well done to them bringing their driver back into contention.
Race Engineer and Driver in sync there, unlike say Lewis!

Bring on 2026. Looks to be a real change, no DRS and less ground effect design, boost button, bigger mix of ice and electric power ratio etc.

Going to be super interesting, the whole spectacle is near 100% variables

Been thinking about the stealing points off each other scenario, not sure I really go along with that. WDC is an individual sport, whether Oscar or Max or George take points off Lando, it's points off Lando as it is for other drivers. As for Lando and Oscar they can protect/insulate each other and IIRC they are the only team that has been able to do that. End of the day, if you are in an individual sport, its about who gets the most points. Bad luck, bad management, good luck, good management probably accounts for more

Unsure how no DRS will play out, as they have active aero now, they will all be on Monaco wings on the turns and Monza on the straight. If any team(s) gets the aero done well, and another team(s) gets the engine done well, could be fun

Jaxson

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#3442049 9-Dec-2025 17:52

Sounds like Helmut Marko is retiring, which at 82 is fair!
He led Red Bull‘s driver development program and was an adviser having been with the team since it started in 2005.

Some reports w race engineer GP may not be in that role next year either.
So potentially quite a change up in Max’s support team there.

edit: Reports he was fired/let go after hiring another driver (instead of Lawson) at Racing Balls next year without approval, which cost the company thousands to backtrack on.

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