Stroll and Ferrari champions, Lawson wins a GP…and the drivers’ worst predictions of 2025. We revisit the most surprising and wrong F1 predictions of 2025..

At the start of the year, Formula 1 drivers tried their hand at predicting the outcome of the upcoming season. The official F1 channel has now revisited those predictions, revealing who got it right and who was way off.

Who got it right and who didn’t

The end of each Formula 1 season is naturally a time for reflection. To celebrate the holidays with a smile, and ahead of the highly anticipated 2026 season, Formula 1 challenged the 20 main drivers to review the predictions they had made at the start of the year. A video quickly went viral on social media showing the drivers opening sealed envelopes containing the quirky forecasts they had made back in early March in Australia.

Some drivers impressed with their foresight. Carlos Sainz correctly predicted that he would bring Williams to the podium in one of his “wildcard predictions.” George Russell also got one right, forecasting that Red Bull would not win the Constructors’ title. Meanwhile, Lando Norris, ever confident in his abilities, foresaw himself as a world champion early in the season and also correctly predicted McLaren’s victory in the Constructors’ standings.

The misses and surprises

Other drivers were far less accurate. Fernando Alonso predicted a season with ten different race winners—but there were only four, less than half of his forecast. Alex Albon anticipated Yuki Tsunoda’s first F1 podium as a crowning achievement of his career. Instead, Tsunoda faced the worst season of his Formula 1 career after being promoted to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen and will not even have a seat in 2026. Some drivers, however, fared even worse.

The most off-the-mark predictions

Pierre Gasly and Ollie Bearman (the latter perhaps influenced by fan enthusiasm) predicted a Ferrari world championship, powered by the dream pairing of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. In reality, Ferrari ended the season with zero race wins and fourth place in the Constructors’ standings—the team’s worst finish since 2020. Ouch.

Then there was Liam Lawson, who set expectations too high for himself. Freshly promoted to Red Bull at the start of the year, he predicted his first career Grand Prix victory. After just two races, he was sent back to Racing Bulls.

But nothing compares to Lance Stroll’s prediction: “I will be world champion in 2025.” The Canadian instead finished the season 16th in the standings, suffering a humiliating 24-0 qualifying defeat to teammate Fernando Alonso. Better luck next time, Lance—maybe 2026 will be your year.