Silly season is one of my favorite times of the year. The best, in my opinion, is from 2022 and the whole Oscar Piastri soap opera. So here are some of my opinions on what I’d like to see happen for 2025. It’s ranked on most likely to happen to slim to none chance.

To start, I think if Valtteri Bottas were to retire, Ollie Bearman should be first in line for that seat. Yes I know that Theo Pourchaire just won F2, but it was in his third year and he didn’t do it in a very convincing way. I don’t think he is quite ready to make the step to F1 and could do with a year in a series like SuperFormula or WEC to get the high level racing that is needed. Bearman however, is such a talent. Being in the Ferrari academy also makes this easier and would do what Charles Leclerc did in 2018 when he went to drive for Sauber. Kick Sauber (bleh) is Ferrari powered so that gives them all the more reason to serve as Bearman’s introduction to F1. This all depends on how he performs in F2 this year, but seeing as he was the top ranked rookie in F2 last year, he is expected to be a title contented this year.

Next up is Yuki Tsunoda taking Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull. Perez struggled to compete with Max this past season, and if those struggles continue, he will more than likely be given the boot from Red Bull. Tsunoda has also earned this seat, in my opinion. I know I’ve been critical of him in the past, and this next season will be a prove it season as his contract is up after 2024. If Tsunoda can figure out how to reduce crashes, I fully expect he gets the call up to Red Bull, maybe even before 2024 is over. Red Bull have invested too much into him to not give him a shot. Of course, Liam Lawson would get the empty Racing Bulls seat. I also think Daniel Ricciardo will be done after this year, as much as it pains me to say. He’s being used a stop-gap this year so Red Bull can evaluate their juniors in F2 to see how will be ready to make the leap up to F1. The most likely of the bunch is Ayumu Iwasa, who has been great in his first two seasons of F2.

This last one hinges on a big if but is very interesting and intriguing to me. Let’s say that Lewis Hamilton gets his 8th world title and retires. That leaves open the second Mercedes seat. I am super hooked on the Kimi Antonelli hype train as well and have full confidence that he is going to crush it in F2. I think that Mercedes feels a similar way and might be crazy enough to elevate him to that Mercedes seat alongside George Russell. 2024 would wrap up Russell’s third season at the team and sixth overall in F1. He would be a great mentor to a young driver like Kimi and race him hard (maybe a bit too hard). Kimi has all the talent in the world and honestly this has at least some chance of happening.

The only realistic one in my opinion is the Bearman one, and even then F2 champs have had a hard road to F1 the last few years. I’d love to hear some other drivers that I might’ve forgotten about, so leave it down below. Thanks for reading!