10/08/2025

theSun on Sunday AUG 10, 2025

SPORTS 13

F1 mid-season awards

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri (front), Lando Norris (centre) and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in action. – REUTERSPIC

As Formula One rolls into the four-week break, here’s the half-time prizes after an action-packed campaign so far

BY KIERAN JACKSON

FOURTEEN down, 10 to go. The 2025 F1 season is in full swing and it’s neck-and neck at the top of the world champion ship. After Lando Norris’ victory in Hungary following a thrilling finale, holding off a late charge from Oscar Piastri, the Australian’s lead in the driv ers’ standings is now just nine points. Away from the McLaren title fight, Ferrari are second in the constructors’ standings but have not won a race – with star signing Lewis Hamilton yet to secure a top-three finish – while Red Bull (twice) and Mercedes (once) have managed to finish on the top step of the podium. As F1 rolls into the four-week break, with the next race in Zandvoort on Aug 31, here’s a look at the most memorable

nadir, with Hamilton at his most despon dent in the media pen afterwards, describing his performance as “useless” and even mooting that Ferrari should replace him. That won’t happen. Team principal Fred Vasseur has signed a new deal and both parties are desperate for improve ment, with focus firmly shifted on 2026’s new regulations. Yet for a team that nar rowly missed out on last year’s construc tors’ title, and a driver desperate for an eighth title, it has been the most painful of struggles for the 40-year-old in red. Most improved team: Sauber Former Red Bull chief Jonathan Wheatley’s arrival in April has coincided with a dramatic revival for Sauber, who were firmly rooted at the bottom in 2024. Since round eight in Monaco, Sauber have scored points in every race with both rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg regularly in the top-10, with the team now a respectable sixth in the constructors’ standings. Best moment: Nico Hulkenberg’s podium The dramatic round of applause in the Silverstone media centre spoke volumes for the feel-good story that was the 37 year-old’s first podium in Formula One, after 239 races. And what a podium it was, storming from 19th on the grid, perfecting every

a million miles off Verstappen’s near perfect team in 2023. A lot of credit should go to chief designer Rob Marshall (formerly of Red Bull), who has carved out a car light years ahead of the rest of the field for Piastri and Norris. And with two genuine No 1 drivers, it has been rare for McLaren not to capital ise on their superiority. The team’s 200th win on Sunday in Hungary is indicative of an outfit revitalised in a way not seen since the Ron Dennis era. Biggest disappointment: Lewis Hamilton

energy drink outfit’s foray into an F1 jug gernaut, Horner was out as F1 CEO. Perhaps inevitably, the embattled team boss finally lost the long-running power struggle within the upper echelons of the team. Not long after, Verstappen commit ted his future to the team for 2026. Best rookie: Isack Hadjar Out of the five (six if you include Liam Lawson) rookies on the grid this season, Racing Bulls’ Hadjar has impressed the most. Sitting 13th in the standings, with just Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli ahead of him in the rookie race, the 20-year-old Frenchman’s most impressive statistic is that he is yet to be eliminated in Q1 on a Saturday. His raw pace in a field of the world’s best comes as a surprise and he may well be thrust into the second Red Bull seat next year as a result. Biggest farce: Liam Lawson axe The poor New Zealander was hung out to dry by Horner and Red Bull, dropped to the sister team after just two rounds of the 2025 season. The shortest full-time seat stint in F1 history, it’s perhaps understandable that Lawson has struggled for consistency at Racing Bulls in the weeks since. What is more indicative of Red Bull’s struggles – and proves that Lawson was far from the issue – is Yuki Tsunoda’s poor results in the RB21. Best race: Australian Grand Prix Melbourne’s first wet race in 15 years meant the 2025 campaign started with high-octane drama. Norris claimed an impressive victory ahead of Verstappen, after Piastri slid off the racetrack to the dismay of the home fans. Hamilton, in a sign of things to come, was audibly frus trated with his Ferrari team as a poten tial podium slipped through his fingers. If nothing else, with nearly half a million fans attending throughout the weekend, it proved that Albert Park should return as a permanent host of the first race of the season over Bahrain, which it is at least for 2026. Worst race: Monaco Grand Prix No surprises here. Monaco’s attempted rejig with two compulsory pit stops was futile in the end, as Racing Bulls and then Williams manipulated the rules – and the circuit’s “no-overtaking” configurations – to slow down cars behind, creating a gap where both cars could score points. Back to the drawing board for the sport’s traditional crown jewel event. – The Independent

There can be no sugar coating it. Without a podium, let alone a win, in his first 14 races for Ferrari, it has been a dismal start to life at the Scuderia for the seven-time world champion. The last race

moments so far. Best driver: Oscar Piastri It shouldn’t be forgotten

that Norris was the clear favourite at the start of the season, ahead of a campaign where McLaren’s superior ity was widely fore seen. Yet Piastri’s consis

in Hungary – beyond the dis qualification in China – was per haps the new

tency in just his third F1 season – he has been off the podium just once since the season-opener in Australia – means he leads the world champion ship and deservedly so, regularly outshining his senior teammate. Six go to George Russell, who has eked out the maximum from this capricious Mercedes car, with one win and six podiums to his name. Max Verstappen‘s wins in Japan and Imola were also mighty. Best team: McLaren What a job team prin cipal Andrea Stella has done at the papaya-clad team, alongside CEO Zak Brown. In the space of a year, wins, 12 podiums – it’s been immensely impressive. Other shoutouts

decision in a chaotic wet race and holding off a charging Hamilton to take third place. A real win for one of F1’s most consistent performers – and more momentum for the out fit morphing into Audi in 2026. Biggest shock: Christian Horner’s exit A few days on from Silverstone, a departure many would have antici pated at the

Oscar Piastri. – REUTERSPIC

start of last year came with a rap idly penned statement from Red Bull’s par ent com p a n y . T w e n t y years on from spear heading the

McLaren have overtaken Red Bull and overseen a period of dominance not