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Based on this excellent video by Mr V's Garage, that asks what the history of the sport would be like if the World Driver's Champion was banned each year, like in Formula 2. Last year in 2024, Oscar Piastri won the championship with 622 points (92.41% of the theoretical maximum), winning 20 out of 24 races in the year, losing out in Miami, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. The championship really isn't a competition, but the fight for 2nd very much is. Up till the last race in Abu Dhabi, the 5 drivers from 2nd to 6th in the standings are separated by only 8 points, but Yuki Tsunoda takes 3rd with Alpine's Pierre Gasly coming in 2nd, who is surely destined for a championship fight next season. Which brings us to 2025. Mercedes are fielding a car for the first time since George Russell's 2022 title, bringing in exciting rookie Kimi Antonelli. Redbull make a return as well after Alex Albon's 2020 win, promoting Liam Lawson, which fans see as a snub to Yuki Tsunoda who drove very well last season. Yuki himself is joined in the VCARB by F2 runner up Isack Hadjar, who's title rival Gabriel Bortoleto takes Zhou Guanyu's seat as the only Sauber on the grid. Haas decide to sign Oliver Bearman full-time, and field a second car driven by former Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, who has been replaced by Australian Jack Doohan. Lance Stroll remains the sole Aston driver, surprising no one. But what is surprising is Williams' withdrawal from the sport. This makes Franco Colapinto teamless, despite his impressive rookie record, having taken 4 podiums in his first four races. But with the stage set, the season is underway in Melbourne. Kimi Antonelli qualifies 7th, and the Formula 1 fanbase lets out a collective sigh of relief that Mercedes hasn't built an utterly dominant car. This relief is short lived, as Kimi wins anyway leading Lance Stroll by 7 seconds. Esteban Ocon adjusts nicely to his Haas and wins the second race in China, while Yuki Tsunoda picks up the sprint, making the fan demand for his promotion to Redbull even louder. Kimi does come second in both however. And in the next race in Japan, Tsunoda's home race, Redbull oblige, booting Liam Lawson back to VCARB. Yuki can't do much however, qualifying 6th and finishing 4th, while Antonelli picks up the win. Bahrain sees Pierre Gasly come back to his 2024 form, winning the race while the Mercedes places 5th. Despite the 5 races so far having 4 different winners, the general sentiment is that Kimi Antonelli, who leads by 27 points over Esteban Ocon should have the title locked down. Which is further cemented by him winning the next two races in Jeddah and Miami. This is what the standings look like before Antonelli's home race in Imola https://preview.redd.it/mon4c5sx8h9g1.png?width=2090&format=png&auto=webp&s=3516e3baf93d1e23635195156e0473341b58fc86 But its heartbreak for the young Italian, as an engine failure results in a DNF while Isack Hadjar takes his first career win. This turns out to not just be a momentary speedbump for Kimi however, as he's the last classified car in Monaco and DNFs again in Spain, both of which are won by Isack Hadjar, who takes the lead of the championship with 152 points to Antonelli's 143. For the first time since 2021's scrap between Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, we have a title battle. The Mercedes comes back swinging in Canada and takes the win while Hadjar can only manage P8, but a string of 2 DNFs in Austria and the UK puts them neck and neck at 168 and 166 respectively. The month of the summer break seems agonizingly long for the fans itching to see more of this action, and the next race in Belgium makes the gap even tighter with neither contender doing well, finishing 10th and 8th. 172 Antonelli, 173 Hadjar. In Hungary, they're 4th and 5th. 184 Antonelli, 183 Hadjar. https://preview.redd.it/tuijxlhyah9g1.png?width=2090&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2183c47a54c1cb40b60ef4c3fcfd50229af1615 The Dutch Grand Prix releases the tension as Isack Hadjar leaves Kimi Antonelli in the dust, taking the top step while the latter can only manage P9. A string of strong performances from Antonelli, second first and first, nets him a 4 point lead on Isack Hadjar going into Austin, who finished third fourth and third in the last 3 races. Neither driver does well in the United States, finishing 5th and 7th, but a podium in the sprint race allows Kimi Antonelli to extend his lead to 12 points. But its at this point that Isack Hadjar crumbles. Perhaps burdened under the season's similarities to his F2 campaign last year, his form dips. Finishing 6th in Mexico while his rival stands 2nd on the podium. On Saturday in Brazil, Kimi wins the sprint while Isack finishes just off the podium in 4th, and history repeats itself the next day as both contenders finish identical to the sprint. Hadjar has a return to form in Vegas, where he hunts down his rival all the way through the race, but Kimi hangs on and they place first and second. Kimi Antonelli now leads by 45 points, at 347 to Hadjar's 302. The Qatar sprint comes and goes, with Antonelli's 2nd extending his lead by one more point. Things are looking dire for the young Frenchman. He needs the Mercedes driver to DNF to even have a chance. There are only 10 drivers on the grid, finishing outside the points is impossible. Finishing 8th once or finishing 9th twice would guarantee him the title on countback, Kimi has 9 wins at this point while Isack only has 4. Kimi needs only to do the absolute bare minimum to lock in his title, no risks needed. So what does he do at Lusail? Takes pole with his rival in second. A DNF would keep Isack Hadjar in this, and he gets one, in the worst way possible. A tire puncture two laps from the end relegates him to the back of the grid, while Kimi Antonelli wins the race and the championship with it. Heartbreak yet again for Isack Hadjar. The final race in Abu Dhabi is won by Esteban Ocon, which reminds me… there's more than two drivers in this sport aren't there? For the sake of not overloading the main post, I'll put the rest of the season in the comments, but here are the final standings.
https://preview.redd.it/qal3pne3sh9g1.png?width=1983&format=png&auto=webp&s=e79fc0a468ee9dbe0d1bcffea34290707592ed50 Which brings us to the 2026 season. New regulations and familiar faces. Kimi Antonelli exits the sport as the first rookie champion since Lewis Hamilton (ironic considering that's who he replaced in our reality), and Mercedes once again takes a hiatus from the sport. Isack Hadjar is promoted to the Red Bull team, being replaced by prospect Arvid Linblad in the VCARB. Yuki Tsunoda ends his Formula 1 career with a best finish of 3rd in 2024. Bortoleto, not to be outdone by his F2 rival's promotion, is driving for the new Audi team which is taking over Sauber. Despite the fresh injection of talent in 2025, the sport is shrinking. There will only be 9 full-time drivers next season, driving for only 6 constructors. Despite there being 11 eligible teams, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Williams, arguably the four most storied teams in the sport's history, will all be sitting out this season. Cadillac, despite being granted a spot in the sport, will not take part in 2026, choosing to wait for Colton Herta to prove himself in F2 first. submitted by /u/Des014te |
