Villeneuve’s bold predictions for the 2025 Formula 1 season
F1 NewsThursday, 16 January 2025 at 08:00
As the 2025 Formula 1 season fast approaches, excitement is building around the dramatic changes in driver line-ups. One of the sport’s most outspoken figures, Jacques Villeneuve, shared his predictions for the upcoming season.
Speaking to The Action Network, 1997 F1 world champion Villeneuve outlined his views on everything from championship contenders to potential surprises and disappointments, providing a comprehensive forecast for the final year of the current generation of F1 cars.
When asked about the 2025 F1 World Championship, Villeneuve warned that expectations for the upcoming season are soaring high, especially after an unexpected and thrilling end to the 2024 season.
Villeneuve said: “It’s dangerous because the expectations are so high for this 2025 season. We had such an amazing second half of the season in 2024. And it was surprising. It was not expected. How all the forces converged to give us an amazing end of the season."
Looking ahead, Villeneuve predicts that the 2025 season will continue the momentum seen in the final races of 2024, but with a key focus on 2026: the year when new technical regulations will overhaul F1. According to Villeneuve, the 2025 season will likely be an evolution of 2024, with teams not reinventing the wheel due to the constraints imposed by the budget cap.
“2025 should be a continuation of that because a lot of efforts and resources will be put into 2026 and 2025 should be an evolution of 2024. I don't see a team reinventing the wheel just for one season,” Villeneuve explained.
Villeneuve: Winning in 2025 means you can afford to have a bad 2026
One of the central dilemmas facing F1 teams is whether to concentrate on securing success in 2025 or to focus their efforts on building for 2026.
Villeneuve believes that for some F1 teams winning in 2025 could be worth the risk of a less successful 2026: “Winning in 2025 means you can afford to have a bad 2026. It’s still a championship. It’s not a silly way to go either. If you think that every other team will focus on 2026 and you'll be the only one that’s putting all your balls into 2025, then why not?”
This approach would offer a chance for teams to capitalise on a potentially less competitive 2025 grid, while taking the long-term view of 2026.
When it comes to predicting the 2025 F1 World Champion, Villeneuve’s view is surprising, with no mention of reigning World Champion Max Verstappen: "The battle will likely come down to a thrilling rivalry between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
“The way the season ended I would have put the dice a little bit more on Lando and McLaren. But the issue there will be the internal battle between the two drivers. McLaren have not and will not handle that well and they will eat each other's points away. So even though they probably should be the champion, they might not be,” Villeneuve predicts.
Hamilton at Ferrari
However, Villeneuve is not ruling out Hamilton, whose strong finish to the 2024 season could carry him into 2025 with a genuine shot at the title. He also highlighted the internal dynamics at Ferrari, where the team is placing significant pressure on Hamilton to perform.
“You see what's come out in the media at the moment, Ferrari is really pushing Lewis right now. There's a big image happening. Either he's pushed and it's amazing. And if it's not, then it will pump Leclerc up. So basically it's win-win for Ferrari right now,” Villeneuve remarked.
While McLaren might seem the natural challenger, Villeneuve noted that the internal rivalry between Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri could undermine their chances.
“Lando should be the natural one fighting for the championship. But the internal battle and the fact that McLaren doesn't seem to handle this internal rivalry in a very positive way, then it might fall more into Lewis’s hands, seeing how Ferrari ended up last season,” Villenueve added.
With Piastri and Norris locked in a potentially contentious rivalry, Villeneuve was asked whether the Australian might leave McLaren if he feels sidelined in favour of Norris.
Who's the boss at McLaren Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris?
Villeneuve chimed in on the McLaren duo: “Piastri did some good races, but he did not do a season right now that deserves every team wanting him yet. He still needs to prove that he's a constant contender. The first question to ask is how many teams want which drivers?”
Piastri has shown flashes of talent, but as Villeneuve points out, his consistency over an entire season is yet to be proven.
Villeneuve believes the Constructors’ Championship will be a tight contest between Ferrari and McLaren, despite the internal rivalry within the McLaren team. He noted that while McLaren’s drivers might cost each other points, it’s the team’s overall performance that will matter most in the title race.
Villeneuve continued: “It should be a battle between Ferrari and McLaren for the constructors title. The McLaren drivers won't cost the team points, they will cost the driver points.
"But who remembers the constructors? Everybody remembers that Verstappen was the champion with Red Bull this year. So ultimately Red Bull is the champion. That's the perception," added the 53-year-old Canadian.
Villenueve: Sainz to surprise, Aston Martin to disappoint
One of Villeneuve’s more intriguing predictions is that Carlos Sainz, who will move to Williams for 2025, could surprise the F1 world by revitalising the struggling team. Villeneuve expressed optimism after Sainz’s impressive initial tests with Williams, suggesting the Spaniard could lead them to a significant improvement.
“His first tests were impressive because the car went faster than it had been before. And he's generally been a team builder, everywhere he's been. So in a team that really needs it, let's see what the effect is. It could be an amazing step forward which is the biggest surprise of the year,” Villeneuve anticipates.
While many are expecting big things from Aston Martin in 2025, Villeneuve is not so sure. Despite the team’s signing of Adrian Newey, Villeneuve believes the expectations placed on the team are unrealistic, particularly from the media and fans.
“Aston Martin will be the biggest disappointment of 2025, not because they will do a bad job but because people are expecting them to start winning with Adrian Newey there. But, he hasn’t had time yet to have an effect on the team. The expectations from outsiders and fans will be misplaced,” Villeneuve predicted.
He continued, “It takes time to build the people around you. It takes time to design a car. It takes time to do everything. So, 2025 is not the year. It doesn't happen like that.”
Alonso’s Future: Will 2025 be his final season in F1?
Villeneuve was also asked about 43-year-old Fernando Alonso and how long he can continue competing at the highest level. He acknowledged that Alonso’s ability to still perform at an elite level is crucial to Aston Martin’s future success.
“Alonso knows what he needs to do now to show that he's still a step above,” Villeneuve said, recalling Alonso’s defiance in the face of challenging machinery in his earlier career. “If he keeps doing that, then they'll keep him. Because that means the day the car can win, he's there.”
However, Villeneuve speculated that if Alonso were to leave, Lawrence Stroll would need a driver with a strong mental attitude to replace him – someone with the potential to lead the team forward.
With so many changes on the horizon, 2025 is shaping up to be a season full of uncertainty, excitement, and opportunities. Villeneuve’s predictions highlight the delicate balance teams must strike between short-term glory and long-term planning, and he’s keeping a keen eye on the emerging drivers who may shape the future of F1.
As the countdown to the 2025 F1 season continues, a couple things are clear: first Villeneuve’s insights and predictions could come back to haunt him, whatever the case its going be an intriguing season packed with sideshows.
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