Formula One is back after nearly a month-long break as we head into the final ten races of the season.
The intra-team title battle at McLaren promises to go down to the wire, while a three-way scrap for the second spot behind them means there’s plenty more to look forward to.
Racing resumes this weekend in Zandvoort with the Dutch Grand Prix, for which here are our preview and predictions.
Most of the frontrunners did not have an ideal start to the season. Red Bull have fallen back in both title races, while Mercedes haven’t been able to regularly fight for wins either.
Given their struggles, one would have expected Ferrari to step up and make the most in this time, but the Scuderia themselves have had a poor campaign thus far.
In the first half of the season, Ferrari struggled not only with pace and consistency, but also with their star signing, Lewis Hamilton, who is yet to feel one with the car and has struggled rather publicly.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Italian team, though. After introducing upgrades at the Belgian Grand Prix, they’ve been on an upward trajectory, with Charles Leclerc picking up a sensational pole in Hungary.
The upgrades have seen Ferrari increase the resilience of their challengers, with the aero platform of the car becoming more stable and the aerodynamic forces acting upon it becoming more consistent as a result.
Ferrari will be hoping that the mid-season break resets their fortunes and they come out all guns blazing to take the fight to McLaren for the remainder of the season. The signs look positive, so count on them to hit back hard. Also count on the experienced world champion Hamilton to find his footing on track with his new team in the second half of the season.
Pole position prediction: Oscar Piastri / Charles Leclerc
Race winners prediction: McLaren / Ferrari
While Ferrari have been struggling to keep up with McLaren, Red Bull have also fallen off and failed to keep up with the leaders. The wind tunnel testing penalty is not the only thing that has affected them on track, for Red Bull are struggling with their second driver as well.
While on-track performance has taken a blow, Red Bull’s decision to fire Sergio Pérez and replace him with Liam Lawson has also backfired. Lawson had a horrendous start to the season and was soon replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who himself hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations either.
Tsunoda hasn’t scored a single point for Red Bull since the Imola Grand Prix, and over-dependence on Max Verstappen has seen Red Bull fall off in the Constructors’ Championship as well. They’re currently fourth in the Constructors’ standings, 42 points off Mercedes in third.
The Red Bull car has also fallen off pace and hasn’t been able to consistently take the charge to McLaren. A couple of Verstappen magic moments have allowed Red Bull to try to keep up with some unimaginable wins and poles, but on McLaren’s error-free weekends the Austrian outfit have just not been able to fight for wins.
The signs don’t look good for Red Bull, and it won’t be a surprise if they fall further back going forward. At his home ground, the reigning world champion will have the crowd support, though it remains to be seen whether he has the support of his teammate.
One of the dark horses going into each of the last couple of seasons, Aston Martin have had a disappointing season thus far. The Silverstone-based team have fallen back in the midfield battle and are sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with 52 points, with Sauber only one point behind them and VCARB seven points behind in eighth.
With the midfield battle already a tight scrap, Aston Martin need to get going to avoid dropping further down. While their new Managing Technical Partner, Adrian Newey, has shifted focus to next year’s challenger, the team’s recent new upgrades also suggest that they are looking at 2026.
That said, the last couple of races of the first half of the season were positive for the team. From fighting at the back of the field in Belgium, to a double points finish in Hungary, Aston Martin look like they’re on the right path. Their star driver Fernando Alonso also spoke about a positive second half of 2025; given their recent upward trend, Aston Martin should be one of the midfield teams to watch for the remainder of the season.
Circuit: Circuit Zandvoort
Venue: Zandvoort, North Holland, Netherlands
Practice Session 1 time: 16:00 IST, August 29, 2025
Practice Session 2 time: 19:30 IST, August 29, 2025
Practice Session 3 time: 15:00 IST, August 30, 2025
Qualifying time: 18:30 IST, August 30, 2025
Main race time: 18:30 IST, August 31, 2025
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode
Reigning LaLiga champions FC Barcelona has announced a new multi-year partnership agreement with the national…
English football club Brighton & Hove Albion has announced a new partnership extension with British…
The Premier League is all set for its first marquee showdown of the 2026/27 season,…
Two wins from two games and in red hot form, Harmanpreet Kaur's India look to…
Here, we present our previews and predictions for all matches of Gameweek 3 of the…
English football club Coventry City has signed a partnership renewal with accident repair specialist XL…