F1 2025: Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, McLaren’s title favourite status, Max Verstappen and more ahead of Australian GP | F1 Newsnews24

How is Lewis Hamilton getting on with his first Ferrari? Which teams look like they’re ahead after testing? What could be the surprises of 2025?

There have been plenty of intriguing questions heading into the new Formula 1 season with the countdown firmly on to next week’s Australian Grand Prix and so asked you for ours on the Sky Sports app and website during our live Bahrain testing blog as the new 2025 cars and line-ups took their first full forays on track.

After answering the first round of questions last week, we’re dipping into the mailbag for a second time with pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz this time taking on the mantle to tackle some of the best of the rest with a week to go until opening practice in Melbourne live on Sky Sports F1…

Bethany352 asked: Is Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari going to be better for him than recent Mercedes’? How positive are the first signs from testing?

Ted replies: There are some very positive signs that Hamilton is enjoying the way the Ferrari drives more than the Mercedes.

I think he has got what he wanted in terms of driver positioning within the cockpit. There are no complaints on any side. Crucially, he has identified that the designers and the team behind him are up to championship quality and he recognises that he has everything he needs in the team to develop the car and out-develop his rivals to try and win this year’s championship.

So even if the Ferrari isn’t winning races at the start of the season, Lewis Hamilton is sure that they will be able to win races and catch up with whoever the pacesetter is.

Sanath Kamte asked: What do you think is the pecking order tentatively?

Ted replies: I’m going for McLaren being ahead, then Ferrari/Mercedes or Mercedes/Ferrari – and if you want to push me for a specific order, I’ll say Mercedes and then Ferrari – followed by Red Bull.

Alpine in fifth, Williams in sixth, Haas in seventh – which is optimistic, but they say that they are in decent shape – and Racing Bulls eighth. Then Aston Martin in ninth and Sauber 10th.

Garda asked: How do McLaren feel at this stage compared to last year when they struggled more?

Ted replies: McLaren had a great test in Bahrain and they feel much better at this stage compared to last year.

Yes, there were some set-up issues especially around rear grip, but that’s Bahrain for you, and they think they can dial that out.

But watch out for Mercedes, I think they are going to be close behind.

Ethan asked: Do you think there will be any surprise outliers this season?

Ted replies: I’m not sure whether any of the outliers will be a surprise, but I can certainly see both Williams drivers finishing on the podium. I think everybody has got a soft spot for Williams and would like to see that. Pierre Gasly is also a possible contender for a podium in the Alpine.

I’ve got high hopes for Ollie Bearman as well if the Haas can spring a surprise or two.

Jamie asked: With such a big change in the regulations for next year, how early would teams have been working on the 2026 car?

Ted replies: By regulation, the teams were not allowed to start on their 2026 cars until the first working day of this January, and as soon as they were allowed to do so they started.

The difficult thing for the car designers is working out how they can be quick in a straight line with the moveable front and rear wings we’ll be having in 2026 and how that affects the rest of the car. Will they have to run their car in a different way because they know they’re going to be opening their wings on the straights? It’s a real conundrum.

I think the winners of the rule change will be down to the engine because there’s going to be so much more reliance on the engine to generate electricity because we are doing away with the electricity-generating turbine that runs off the turbocharger for next year. So the only way you can generate electricity for your battery is by using regenerative braking. That’s going to be the biggest change for next year’s regulations.

ABF1 asked: Which of the rookies impressed you most in testing?

Ted replies: It’s hard when some of the rookies are in cars that maybe don’t do their talents justice but, having said that, Gabriel Bortoleto is already one of my ones to watch. He has a good perspective on things and he seems to have a bit of patience, which he’ll need as Sauber inch their way up the grid.

“But watching trackside, Kimi Antonelli was the one who impressed me most. He has a dramatic, aggressive and, to borrow a phrase from Martin Brundle, acrobatic style which I think we’re going to really enjoy watching this year.”

Eddie asked: Does anyone think Lewis Hamilton will win his eighth title this season? Or will Max Verstappen out smart him?

Ted replies: They both know how to win championships. Max is going for five in a row, Lewis is going for his eighth, and they know that consistency is the answer. Consistent points-scoring really does win championships so even if they’re not winning, being on the podium at every race will be enough to be a serious challenger towards the end. Either of them could win.

But what none of the title contenders can really afford is non-score races. You can maybe get away with one or two at most, but certainly no more than that.

Alan Ryan asked: Will Ferrari set up the car to suit Lewis or Charles? Do they both want the same set-up?

Ted replies: We asked Charles Leclerc about this and he said that Lewis likes a similar set-up to him. That helps with the development of the car because the drivers are not wanting different things, something which would just confuse the team.

So that’s one reason why I think that, while Ferrari might not be the quickest at the start of the season, they are going to develop and be giving McLaren a hard time when we get to the European races.

F1Fan94 asked: How do you think the relationship between Lando and Oscar will develop/change if they do have a championship car this season? Will it change?

Ted replies: It’s a really interesting subject the relationship between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. It survived last year through all of the questions about whether or not there was going to be a team leader, and after the switches of lead in the Brazil and Qatar Sprint races, so I think if it survived that, it will survive this year too.

Much will depend on who starts the season strongest and whether either of them have any issues like a DNF or car breakdown, which will prove very costly this year. But they are both so easy going that I can’t really see there’s going to be any trouble between the two McLaren drivers.

Mike asked: Will the cars change design/aero-wise from what we see in testing to the first race?

Ted replies: I would have said that if any team was going to change anything it would be Aston Martin with Adrian Newey, who started at the team on March 3, coming in and drawing up a quick different front wing or something for use but, sadly, I don’t think it’s that simple anymore.

I think we will see some new parts through the grid but they would have been in design and manufacture for quite a few weeks now. Typically, if a team has seen something on another car at the launches that they’ve liked and can make their own, then it will turn up at race two or three.

But, certainly, Red Bull and Mercedes have said that the car that they’ve tested is going to be the car that turns up at Melbourne. I think McLaren have got something coming for the first race, but that’s about it.

Adam asked: Is this the year for Lando?

Ted replies: “He knows there is a lot of expectation on him but all he can do is just try and shut that out because it’s not going to help him.

“He just needs to take every race as it comes, bank the points early, see how the rule clarification at the Spanish GP on front wings is going to affect McLaren, if at all – they say it’s not – and then reserve his energy for what is going to be a decisive second half of the season.”

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime