****UPDATE**** THE 2025 F1 World Championship title was won by McLaren's Lando Norris, who finished two points ahead of Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton to show his class
Max Verstappen to pile the pressure on McLaren's men
Fernando Alonso's experience to come to the fore
With the F1 season coming to a dramatic end, Ladbrokes predicts five drivers who will impress in the closing stages of the year, with Oscar Piastri starring.
A handful of other drivers are also expected to come to the fore in the final few races of the year, so read on to see our predictions for which F1 drivers will impress between now and the end of the season.
F1 2025: Predicting which drivers will impress in the final races of the season
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Having led the way at the top of the Drivers' Standings for the majority of the season, Oscar Piastri will feel he deserves to win the World Championship title in December - but with his teammate Lando Norris ousting him from first place recently, the Aussie has it all to do.
We've predicted the full Drivers' Standings for the 2025 F1 season, and we are still backing Piastri to come out on top, which will require an impressive turnaround in form in the final two races. His recent form has seen him lose his stronghold on the season, but Ladbrokes is backing the 24-year-old to rediscover the momentum that saw him soar up the Standings, becoming one of the youngest F1 champions of all time in the process.
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
There's still plenty of life in the icon yet, with Hamilton showing his class to qualify in P3 in Mexico, and while the race didn't pan out how he would've hoped, we predict that Hamilton will have a strong end to the 2025 season.
Ladbrokes is tipping the seven-time world champion to feature on a podium in 2025, and with the season finishing in one of the Brit's strongest destinations (Abu Dhabi), we see no reason why he can't end the year in typical Lewis Hamilton fashion. He'll also look to add another Sprint victory to his CV in the closing races of the year, and with his record in key moments, we're expecting the 40-year-old to be one of the F1 drivers who impresses the most between now and December.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Max Verstappen's recent form has seen him fly back into the World Championship conversation, and despite still trailing the two McLaren men, we're expecting a big effort to push them all the way in the final few races.
The Dutchman is still well in the hunt for his fifth F1 title in as many years, and five consecutive top-two finishes between the Netherlands and Austin showed he's not giving up hope. Like Hamilton, Verstappen knows how to get over the line in crucial moments, and with both Piastri and Norris hoping for a first-ever World Championship, Verstappen's experience could prove decisive. It is sure to be an excellent end to the F1 season, and Ladbrokes is tipping Verstappen to do everything he can to pip his title rivals.
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Looking slightly further down the pecking order, we're backing Fernando Alonso - the oldest F1 driver on the circuit - to impress in the final few races, breaking into the top 10 of the Drivers' Standings, and possibly even securing his maiden podium of the year.
The Aston Martin driver has had his fair share of memorable F1 moments over the years, including the infamous 'Crashgate' scandal of 2008, but we're tipping him to hit the headlines for the right reasons in the closing stages of 2025. The likes of Isack Hadjar and Nico Hulkenberg need to be displaced in order for Alonso to crack the top 10 this year, but with his unmatched experience within the sport, we're predicting a big finish.
Ollie Bearman (Haas)
Wrapping up our look at five F1 drivers we think will impress in the final few races of 2025, Ollie Bearman makes the list following his smashing performance at the Mexican Grand Prix on October 26 - with the 20-year-old clocking his best Formula One finish to date when he crossed the line in fourth.
Rookie Bearman has had a decent campaign for Haas this year, sitting above established names such as Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, and Yuki Tsunoda at the time of writing, and we're expecting him to find some real form following his excellent run in Mexico City. With just a handful of races left, Bearman has nothing to lose, and that freedom could well see him catch the eye with more impressive results.
