In modern times the F1 season is longer than ever. In the 2025 campaign there will be 24 races, stretching from mid-March right through to the finale on the 7th of December in Abu Dhabi. With pre-season testing it means the sport is virtually a year-round endeavour, with teams working relentlessly and fans always having something to get involved with.
Formula 1 does, however, take a summer break, with supporters of the sport not having a race to watch between the Hungarian Grand Prix on the 3rd of August and the Dutch GP on the 31st of the month. That 28-day hiatus can seem like a lifetime for fans, although we are already almost halfway through it.
Though this break can feel a little like half-time in the F1 schedule, we are actually well past that stage in the season in terms of races. The GP at the start of August at the famous Hungaroring was the 14th of 2025. That means we have just 10 races left in the second “half” of the season.
In this article, we will take a look back on the first 14 races of the campaign and see who the winners and losers were. Perhaps more importantly, we will then look forward to how things might play out during the last 10 races of 2025.
Current Driver Standings
With almost 60% of the season’s Grands Prix consigned to the history books, we have a really good idea of how things are shaping up. Here is the current table for the World Drivers’ Championship, and as we can see, it is looking like a two-horse race, and one that could go right to the wire.
| Rank | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 284 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 275 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 187 |
| 4 | George Russell | 172 |
| 5 | Charles Leclers | 51 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | 109 |
| 7 | Kimi Antonelli | 64 |
| 8 | Alexander Albon | 54 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenburg | 37 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | 27 |
Back in March, before the season began, Lando Norris was the favourite for glory, with Max Verstappen not too far behind. Charles Leclerc was also right up there, with many F1 betting experts fancying he could be the one to stop Verstappen. That said, based on the odds, it was felt that Lewis Hamilton had a decent enough chance, while Oscar Piastri was respected but not really confidently expected to challenge.
Current Championship Odds
The current standings show us what anyone who has watched the first half of the campaign would know: Ferrari and Hamilton in particular have underperformed very badly. The current championship odds look very, very different to how they did just five or so months ago:
- Oscar Piastri – 4/6
- Lando Norris – 7/5
- Max Verstappen – 66/1
- George Russell – 250/1
- Charles Leclerc – 500/1
Many respected F1 voices were tipping Leclerc for the title but he is now way, way out at 500/1. Hamilton attracted much media attention after his performance in Hungary, when, after qualifying 12th he declared himself “absolutely useless”, saying “it’s me every time” and that the team “probably need to change the driver”. That might have been an emotional overreaction from the frustrated Brit, but the bookies fundamentally concur, rating him a 1,000/1 shot for the drivers’ title.
As we said at the start of this piece, it very much looks like a two-horse race right now. The odds-on favourite is the man who currently leads the way. Aussie ace Piastri was the least fancied of the five realistic contenders before a single race had been driven but that has all changed now.
The 24 year old McLaren driver has been hugely impressive, and the title looks set to be a 10-race shootout between him and McLaren teammate Norris. The Bristol-born 25 year old trails by just nine points and neutrals will be hoping that we see a genuine title race, with only limited team interference.
World Constructors’ Championship Standings
With those two dominating it is no surprise that McLaren are racing away with the Constructors’ Championship. It is almost inconceivable that the team can be caught now, which means that the Norris and Piastri may be given a little more freedom to slug it out. While we don’t expect a total free-for-all and dangerous attempts to overtake each other, we expect that team orders will be less influential than might have been the case if the constructor battle was more open.
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 559 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 260 |
| 3 | Mercedes | 236 |
| 4 | Red Bull | 194 |
| 5 | Williams | 70 |
The 14 Races So Far
McLaren’s dominance is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that they have picked up seven 1-2s in the 14 Grands Prix thus far. Even more worryingly for their opponents, that includes four in a row up until the summer break, and five of the last six.
Between them, the McLaren duo have won 11 of the 14 races thus far, Piastri edging it by six to five. In contrast, Verstappen boasts two wins, with Russell the only other man to have stood atop the podium in 2025.
| Round | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | Lando Norris |
| 2 | China | Oscar Piastri |
| 3 | Japan | Max Verstappen |
| 4 | Nahrain | Oscar Piastri |
| 5 | Saudi Arabia | Oscar Piastri |
| 6 | USA | Oscar Piastri |
| 7 | Italy | Max Verstappen |
| 8 | Monaco | Lando Norris |
| 9 | Spain | Oscar Piastri |
| 10 | Canada | George Russell |
| 11 | Austria | Lando Norris |
| 12 | Britain | Lando Norris |
| 13 | Belgium | Oscar Piastri |
| 14 | Hungary | Lando Norris |
10 to Go
It is impossible to see anyone overhauling the McLaren duo, with the Surrey-based team clearly boasting the best car. At the start of the season the team were priced at even money for the constructor award and that looks like a steal now. Ferrari were the only team really fancied to give them a run for their money but while Leclerc has outperformed Hamilton, and both have been reasonably consistent, it is clear they just are not good enough this year.
In 2024 Norris was second to Verstappen, with Piastri fourth, some way back. Choosing which of them will prevail in the final 10 races of the campaign is incredibly tough. However, on balance, we would suggest that Norris may just have what it takes to overcome his slightly younger teammate. Let’s just hope they are allowed to really fight for the title.