F1 Is Back, Besties: Your Chaos-Filled Guide to the Second Half of 2025

Everybody, breathe. Formula 1 is finally back this weekend after what felt like a 327-year summer break. Drivers are done pretending they were “resting” in Ibiza, engineers have secretly cooked upgrades, and the grid is about to return with pure chaos energy.

So before lights go out again, here’s your ultimate 2025 mid-season catch-up, because the drama hasn’t even peaked yet.

McLaren’s World Domination Era

The first half of the season was all about McLaren pulling an Uno reverse card on Red Bull.

Oscar Piastri leads the championship with 284 points. Lando Norris is just 9 points behind on 275. In the Constructors’, McLaren’s running away with 559 points while everyone else… isn’t. These two have turned the season into an intra-team showdown: teammates, friends, rivals, meme material. If you thought the tension was spicy before the break, wait until Zandvoort.

From Bahrain to Hungary, the pair have been swapping wins, trading fastest laps, and side-eyeing each other on the podium. Norris’ Hungarian GP win closed the gap even more, but Piastri’s consistency has kept him ahead… for now. Neither wants to be the “second driver.” And honestly? That fight is about to be the second-half plotline.

Verstappen: The Side Quest Season

Max Verstappen is sitting almost 100 points off the lead… Yeah… Haven’t seen that since, like, pre-2021. Verstappen isn’t leading and has openly admitted that he doesn’t really have championship ambitions anymore. With only two wins this year, Red Bull’s season has been a mix of car reliability drama, strategy flops and that lingering leadership shake-up after the Horner exit.

Don’t get it twisted though: Max on home turf at Zandvoort is still a danger to anyone wearing papaya orange. He might be “out” of the title fight, but he’s not out of our nightmares.

Ferrari & Mercedes: Please Wake Up

Ferrari: The Hamilton-Leclerc era hasn’t exactly been a rom-com so far. Leclerc’s grabbed poles, but Ferrari’s race pace keeps betraying him. And Hamilton… well, he’s surviving, barely. He swapped the silver arrows for Ferrari’s iconic red suit expecting glory, but instead, he’s been hit with reality. No wins, inconsistent race pace, and a car that keeps letting him down and honestly? You can feel the frustration creeping into his radio messages. Ferrari fans? Yeah, we’re checking in on them. Send hugs.

Mercedes: George Russell’s win in Canada and his multiple podiums are big Ws, but let’s be real, Toto Wolff has bigger dreams than “third best team.” The silver arrows are still in their rebuilding era, and while upgrades are in the works, consistency just isn’t there yet.

The New Kids on the Grid

The new generation isn’t just knocking on the door… They’re kicking it down. 2025 has been peak rookie chaos, with a surprise cameo from a “rookie” who’s old enough to babysit the rest:

Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber): Quietly becoming the dark horse of the season. The Brazilian rookie has been stacking points like it’s casual, dragging that Sauber into midfield fights it has no business being in. Calm, consistent, and lowkey terrifying for the veterans.

Isack Hadjar (RB): Our paddock’s favorite social media star is also casually serving monster qualifying laps that scream “future race winner.” He’s been absolutely punching above his weight in that RB, serving flashes of pure chaos energy. If he sorts out his consistency, podiums aren’t a question; they’re inevitable.

Liam Lawson (RB): Lawson’s comeback arc is real. After the Red Bull demotion, he looked a little shaken at first but has since rediscovered the race pace that got him promoted in the first place. Now regularly fighting for points, the next step is improving Saturdays: sitting 9-3 down to Hadjar in quali isn’t sustainable if he wants to keep the pressure on.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): The baby GOAT everyone’s been hyping since karting. His rookie season has been a mix of brilliance and learning curves with some seriously spicy quali moments against veterans. Mercedes is backing him hard, and Zandvoort might be where he finally pops off.

Ollie Bearman (Haas): Bearman’s rookie era is giving fast but chaotic. His one-lap pace has been fire, holding a 7-7 quali record against a Grand Prix winner and the speed’s there but the points just haven’t caught up yet. But the small errors? Yeah… they’ve cost him big. Clean those up, and we’re talking serious midfield threat.

Franco Colapinto (Alpine): Colapinto jumped into F1 mid-chaos with zero pre-season testing and a fresh race engineer; not exactly a smooth start. The learning curve’s been steep, but with tracks coming up that he knows from last season, this could be where he finally flips Alpine’s script. Points? Definitely not off the table.

Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): Okay, so technically he’s been in F1 since dial-up internet was a thing, BUT hear us out: the man’s giving rookie vibes this season. Fernando’s out here hanging on for dear life while Aston Martin serves him a season full of rollercoaster energy and not the fun kind. More downs than ups, strategy blunders, upgrades that downgraded… and yet, Alonso’s still pulling off heroic drives that make zero sense. He’s basically carrying the car on pure rage, memes, and 20 years of experience. He might be the “oldest rookie” in the history of ever, but Fernando’s still out here fighting teenagers and refusing to age. Basically, your fave could never.

And then… Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber): Okay, not a rookie either, but his Hungary podium after 239 races? A cultural reset. The paddock cried. The internet exploded. Netflix already greenlit the episode.

All aboard the Hot Mess Express!

On board, we have Williams flirting with Q3 like it’s a situationship they can’t commit to, while Sauber has quietly leveled up this season, finally looking more competitive and putting themselves in regular points conversations. Alpine is still in its “figuring things out” era, trying to find stability while Colapinto adapts. Haas has shown flashes of speed but needs cleaner weekends to turn potential into points. And Aston Martin? Signs of life! After a rough patch, the team looked stronger in the last race, hinting that the upgrades might actually be working this time. The midfield fight is messy, unpredictable, and honestly… peak entertainment.

What to Watch This Weekend

The F1 circus returns at Zandvoort (Verstappen’s backyard) and things are about to get messy:

Orange Army takeover: Max’s home crowd is ready to turn the track into a sea of orange smoke. Expect a full-on party, Zandvoort basically turning into F1’s version of Tomorrowland.

McLaren’s papaya tension: Piastri and Norris are starting the second half of the season nine points apart. Will McLaren play it safe… or are we about to witness a full-on teammate soap opera unfold on track?

Ferrari’s “trust the process” era: Leclerc’s had poles, Hamilton’s had heartbreaks, and the tifosi have had enough. Will the upgrades finally deliver… or are we just speedrunning pain again?

Mercedes in full rebuild mode: Toto Wolff’s been cooking all summer, but will the upgrades actually move them closer to McLaren and Ferrari? Russell wants podiums, Antonelli needs confidence, and the Silver Arrows are desperate to get out of “third-wheel” territory.

Red Bull’s home-track revenge: While Verstappen may not realistically see the championship again this season, you know he wants that home win. Expect elbows-out energy, full send mode, and a Zandvoort crowd ready to explode if anyone dares challenge him here.

The second half of 2025 is about to be personal, chaotic, and iconic. Buckle up, besties; this season’s nowhere near done.