Imagine a Formula 1 race without the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes or Max Verstappen. How unpredictable would the winners be if the midfield was left to duke it out? We’ll ultimately never be able to try it out in reality but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be interesting to find out who wins and becomes drivers’ champion if the behemoths at the front of the field are removed.
In this exercise, the top seven drivers from the standings are eliminated from all race and sprint results this season. Everyone who finished below them will then be shifted up and assigned the designated points for their new finishing spot. Essentially, this takes out the top four teams except Yuki Tsunoda. The reason for leaving Tsunoda in is to hopefully get a better grasp of just how much he struggled, and also how difficult the second Red Bull seat was.
Here’s who would have won each race:
Race
Winner
Race
Winner
Australia
Alex Albon
Belgium
Alex Albon
China
Esteban Ocon
Hungary
Fernando Alonso
Japan
Isack Hadjar
Netherlands
Isack Hadjar
Bahrain
Pierre Gasly
Monza
Alex Albon
Saudi Arabia
Carlos Sainz
Azerbaijan
Carlos Sainz
Miami
Alex Albon
Singapore
Fernando Alonso
Imola
Alex Albon
United States
Yuki Tsunoda
Monaco
Isack Hadjar
Mexico
Oliver Bearman
Spain
Nico Hulkenberg
Brazil
Oliver Bearman
Canada
Fernando Alonso
Las Vegas
Carlos Sainz
Austria
Liam Lawson
Qatar
Carlos Sainz
Britain
Nico Hulkenberg
Abu Dhabi
Fernando Alonso
Here’s who would have taken victories in each of the six sprint races:
Sprint
Winner
China
Yuki Tsunoda
Miami
Lance Stroll
Belgium
Esteban Ocon
United States
Carlos Sainz
Brazil
Fernando Alonso
Qatar
Yuki Tsunoda
What a start to 2025 that would have been with different winners in each of the first five grand prix races. 10 different grand prix winners also shows just how competitive the midfield was this past season. In the end, it was Williams’ Alex Albon that came out best with five wins.
Driver
GP Wins
Alex Albon
5
Fernando Alonso
4
Carlos Sainz
4
Isack Hadjar
3
Ollie Bearman
2
Nico Hulkenberg
2
Pierre Gasly
1
Liam Lawson
1
Esteban Ocon
1
Yuki Tsunoda
1
Albon also recorded nine podiums, but he shared the lead with a rookie driver who made a name for himself this year.
Driver
Podiums
Alex Albon
9
Isack Hadjar
9
Oliver Bearman
7
Nico Hulkenberg
7
Carlos Sainz
7
Fernando Alonso
6
Liam Lawson
6
Esteban Ocon
6
Gabriel Bortoleto
5
Yuki Tsunoda
4
Pierre Gasly
3
Lance Stroll
3
So with all that said, who would be our midfield champion of 2025? The answer is none other than Albon with Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso rounding out the top three in the standings.
Perhaps surprisingly, Tsunoda would come in sixth despite driving a Red Bull for 21 of the 24 races.
Driver
Points
Alex Albon
302
Isack Hadjar
276
Fernando Alonso
257
Carlos Sainz
251
Ollie Bearman
246
Yuki Tsunoda
218
Esteban Ocon
209
Nico Hulkenberg
200
Liam Lawson
195
Pierre Gasly
153
Lance Stroll
144
Gabriel Bortoleto
140
Franco Colapinto
34
Jack Doohan
15
Daniel Valente is theScore’s lead Formula 1 writer. Follow Daniel on X at @F1GuyDan.