The goal of auto racing is very simple — reach the checkered flag first. In both NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) and Formula 1, there are multiple teams that field the cars on tracks. These teams sign drivers to race in the cars and assign other members to different areas such as building the cars and testing them. These drivers will then race the cars and look to be the first driver to complete all of the laps before everyone else.
Over a full season, each driver will gain points for each finish they get. The one with the most points at the end of the season is the champion. There are some differences between NASCAR and Formula 1. The main two differences are that NASCAR is a stock car league and is a national series that runs 35 races in the U.S. and one race in Mexico. Formula 1 is an open wheel league that runs all its races around the globe.
By late March, NASCAR is six races into the season. The biggest championship contenders this season will be the drivers of the “Big 3.” Since 2017, Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Team Penske are the only teams that have claimed the championship. Team Penske has claimed the last three championships. The drivers of these teams are Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell. These drivers are easily the top six choices for who will win the championship this year.
Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are both Team Penske drivers and have collectively won the last three championships (Logano won in 2022 and 2024, Blaney won in 2023). These two drivers collected seven wins in 2024 and are always up front, especially in the season finale at Phoenix.
Kyle Larson and William Byron are both Hendrick Motorsports drivers and collected nine wins last year. Larson has been the best driver since the insane 2021 season where he won the championship and claimed 11 wins on the season. Byron has not won a championship but has been fighting for wins on a consistent basis. Byron also won this year’s Daytona 500 and Larson won at Homestead-Miami.
The last two contenders are Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. Bell has been close to a championship in each of the last three years but has not been able to put it all together. He has won three races this year already in the first six races and is easily becoming the top dog at Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin, 44, is the oldest driver running full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series and has never been able to win a championship, but he is one of the most winningest drivers in NASCAR history and is trying to silence all the doubters and win a championship in the final years of his career.
Teagan Fox, who is a journalist on the Seriously Fast Motorsports website, has some expectations for the season.
“I believe Christopher Bell will put it all together and will finally win his first championship,” Fox said. “He’s won three races already this year and I think there’s plenty more to come in the future. While drivers like Larson and Blaney will keep it tight, I think Bell has what it takes to beat them and get Joe Gibbs Racing their first championship since Kyle Busch in 2019.”
While NASCAR has plenty of unknowns who will be a factor for the championship and what we can expect this year, Formula 1 has been a lot easier to predict lately. The year 2024 marked the fourth year in a row that Max Verstappen won the World Drivers Championship, but there’s good reason to believe that won’t last into 2025. While Verstappen was winning races and holding on to the championship, his team, Red Bull Racing, was struggling to keep up with the competition.
McLaren and Ferrari, two old teams with strong historical success, caught and passed Red Bull in the constructors’ championship last year, leaving most F1 insiders confident that Verstappen may be beaten this season. If the king of Formula 1 is to be dethroned, the competition is going to have to be on their A game, and I believe there are five drivers up to the task this season.
Let’s start with the reigning constructors’ champions at McLaren and their driver lineup of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Norris is the current favorite to win the drivers’ championship as the British driver really blossomed last season, claiming P2 in the championship standings and showing immense pace late on in the season. His teammate, Piastri, is a very young and very talented driver who also did very well last season. He could win the championship, but he will have to outdrive his more experienced teammate over the whole season.
These two should be the strongest challengers that Verstappen will have to face, but if they are to slip up and make mistakes, then Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell are surely going to be there to capitalize. Hamilton, one of the best Formula 1 drivers in the history of the sport, moved from Mercedes to Ferrari over the winter in one of the most shocking moves the motorsports world has ever seen. Ferrari was very fast last year and if Hamilton can go back to his championship winning ways, he will be a scary competitor. His teammate, Leclerc, is also a very fast driver and has competed in fierce battles with Verstappen before. If Ferrari can give him the best car on the grid, he’s sure to be winning numerous races this season. Finally, there’s Russell, the top driver of Mercedes. Russell was the biggest prodigy the sport has seen since Verstappen and is the king of quietly coming home in the top three. If he can keep the consistency up and if Mercedes can give him a car capable of scrapping with the leaders, then he can absolutely fight for the championship and potentially win his first championship.
If I had to pick any of these drivers to claim the championship this season, I think my choice would be Piastri. I think he is the most talented driver and has the best car on the grid. I think it’ll be very close, but ultimately, I believe he will pull through and win it all.
As always, we won’t know until the final checkered flag waves, so get your popcorn ready and enjoy the long and exciting season we have ahead of us.
