Lewis Hamilton snubbed as Sainz delivers F1 2025 title prediction

In an exciting prediction, Carlos Sainz revealed four drivers he envisages contending for the F1 2025 Drivers’ Championship.?

Those drivers are Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, McLaren’s Lando Norris, Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc – all former team-mates of Sainz’s – plus Mercedes’ George Russell, leaving no space for seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton – who replaced him at Ferrari – in this F1 2025 title prediction.

Lewis Hamilton not an F1 2025 title contender in Sainz’s prediction

Additional reporting by Sam Cooper

Hopes are high for a possible all-time classic Drivers’ Championship battle in F1 2025, as Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all go into a fresh season chasing title glory, with Red Bull’s Verstappen looking to extend his Drivers’ title streak to five in a row.

It was in 2021 that Verstappen rose to F1’s summit for the first time, bringing an end to the Hamilton era, but after swapping Mercedes for Ferrari, Hamilton begins a fresh chapter as his pursuit of a record eighth World Championship goes on.

However, Sainz – who joined Williams after Hamilton took his Ferrari seat for F1 2025 and beyond – does not expect his replacement to be a title contender.

“I don’t know,” Sainz initially replied to SoyMotor when asked for his F1 2025 champion pick. “I think it will be between those first three you have said [Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc].

“If Mercedes make a good car I would put Russell in too. I think he is at a very good level.

“Any of those can beat each other this year.”

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However, while Hamilton did not feature in those Sainz picks, the Spaniard does believe that Ferrari’s title chances have improved with Hamilton’s arrival.

Ferrari were McLaren’s closest rival in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, their battle going all the way to the season finale in Abu Dhabi, while Leclerc – P3 in the Drivers’ Championship – finished 81 points behind Verstappen.

Asked by the media, including PlanetF1.com, after the launch of the Williams FW47 whether Hamilton could bring the title back to Ferrari, the Scuderia on a baron spell since their 2008 Constructors’ title win, Sainz replied: “Honestly, I don’t know.

“I’ve never been team-mates with Lewis, so I don’t know what he’s capable of doing. I’ve never seen his data.

“I’ve seen Charles [Leclerc] and I know how good Charles is, but I’ve never been team-mates with Lewis.

“And the only way you can more or less evaluate a driver is when you’re their team-mate and you see what they’re capable of doing.

“When I judge by results and his background and what he’s achieved, I can only say there is a very high chance that obviously he is going to be competitive at Ferrari.

“But like everything, it will all depend on how well you can adapt to a car, how well you can adapt to a team and in which moment your team-mate is in.

“There are so many variables that it is impossible for me to predict.

“I can only say when I left Ferrari, I did feel the team – both Ferrari and Charles – were ready to fight for a World Championship.

“And with Lewis joining, that chance only got increased.”

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