The 2025 Formula One season is set to get underway, and anticipation has reached a fever pitch ahead of the Australian opener. The upcoming campaign could well be the closest in decades, with no fewer than four teams harboring genuine hopes of winning races this season.
And for the first time in what feels like an eternity, reigning champion Max Verstappen isn’t the man that the sports betting sites consider the frontrunner for glory. A popular Canadian sports betting site has made last season’s runner-up Lando Norris the shock +190 favorite for the title this year. He is followed by the aforementioned four-time champ Verstappen at +275, with the new blockbuster Ferrari pairing of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton narrowly behind at +450 and +475, respectively. Which of them will reign supreme at Melbourne Park, however, remains to be seen.
Over the years, new Formula One seasons have begun in thrilling fashion. Here are the wildest openers in recent memory.
Leclerc Leads Home a Ferrari One-Two as Red Bull Capitulates
Following the events of the previous year, the 2022 season was one of the most hotly anticipated in some time. Throughout the prior campaign, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton did battle for the World Championship, with the Dutchman eventually reigning supreme after a controversial finish to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Heading into the subsequent season, many were looking forward to part two of the rivalry, but unfortunately, Hamilton’s Mercedes was a million miles behind the leading Red Bull.
Step up, Ferrari. The Scuderia built a rocket ship of a car, and lead driver Charles Leclerc wanted to immediately lay down a marker by winning the season opener in Bahrain and announcing his championship credentials. It looked as though he would do exactly that when he put his Prancing Horse on pole.
On race day, the Monagascque star immediately set about his business, but he was hunted down by Verstappen. The two traded the lead throughout the middle of the race, with each driver initiating one stunning overtake before their rival responded with one of their own. Leclerc eventually emerged with the lead, and he looked on course for victory. But in the latter stages, things went from bad to worse for Red Bull’s main man.
The reigning champion began to slow down with a fuel issue, eventually forcing his retirement. To make matters even worse, teammate Sergio Perez suffered the same fate, meaning that Red Bull finished the Grand Prix with zero points, while Ferrari claimed the maximum thanks to Leclerc’s victory and teammate Carlos Sainz’s finishing second.
Wily Hamilton Outfoxes Upstart Verstappen
Heading into the 2021 season, it looked as though Red Bull had finally built a car capable of consistently beating Mercedes after seven years of Silver Arrow dominance. They looked to make a statement on the opening weekend in Bahrain, and lead driver Verstappen duly secured pole position, with Hamilton – on the hunt for a record-breaking eighth world championship – behind him in second.
On race day, the two battled for the lead, and Verstappen was unable to build a gap to the Mercedes behind. In a bid to gain an edge, Red Bull pitted their man early, and it looked to be the right decision. However, courtesy of the early pit stop, there was no way Verstappen could run till the end of the race, and he had to pit again from the lead later on, emerging behind the one-stopping Hamilton.
Verstappen eventually closed the gap, and for the final few laps in Sakhir, the pair did battle for the first of many times that year. And on this occasion, the Dutchman – despite having the faster car and fresher tires – was unable to get the job done. He finished less than a second behind LH44, providing that the seven-time champion wasn’t going down without a fight.
Sebastian Vettel Announces His Return As a Contender
Between 2010 and 2013, Sebastian Vettel ruled over Formula One with an iron fist. He claimed four straight world championships during that time, and his Red Bull looked simply unbeatable. However, a whole host of changes in 2014 saw Mercedes emerge as the top dog, building a car around a second a lap faster than the rest of the grid.
That resulted in three straight world championships for the Silver Arrows, with Hamilton claiming two and Nico Rosberg claiming one. It also triggered Vettel’s departure from Red Bull, with the German driver moving on to Ferrari in a bid to return to championship contention. Following Rosberg’s retirement after his first and only title in 2016, that’s exactly what happened.
Ferrari had built Vettel a car capable of beating Mercedes in 2017, and he immediately set about the task at hand. He started the race in second place, sandwiched between the Mercedes of Hamilton and new teammate Valtteri Bottas, but he wasn’t about to settle for anything less than victory.
Aided by Max Verstappen – who held up Hamilton during the important pitstops phase of the race – Vettel managed to emerge in front of his rival after the final round of stops. It was a lead he wouldn’t surrender, and the German star went on to claim the victory, his first in over a year. His triumph proved that he could take the fight to the Mercedes and genuinely had the pace to battle it out with the Silver Arrows… although the season wouldn’t have a happy ending.
