13/07/2025 17:15
The British Grand Prix marked the halfway point of the current F1
season. 12 races in the books, 12 more to go. There have been
intriguing storylines in the opening months of the campaign, ones
that paint parties in both a positive and negative light. From the
highs of having a seemingly insurmountable lead in the championship
to the lows of enduring a torrid run of form, RacingNews365 has
listed three winners and three losers from the opening half of the
campaign. You can view the list below! Winner - McLaren McLaren was
easily the title favourite entering the campaign, and it has
exceeded the pre-season expectations with nine grand prix wins from
12. With a 238-point lead in the constructors' standings, McLaren
is well on its way to securing a 10th teams' championship, which
would place it second on the all-time list behind rivals Ferrari.
The drivers' title fight is also squarely between Lando Norris and
Oscar Piastri, as the rest of the competition is falling behind
with every passing race weekend. Aside from its incredible speed on
display this year, McLaren must be commended for how it has dealt
with its two drivers who are seeking to realise their childhood
dreams and win an F1 title. The tensions will undoubtedly increase
as the year progresses, a situation McLaren is no doubt ready for.
But whatever happens, McLaren can smile knowing the difficult
campaigns of late, which saw it competing well down the pecking
order, are firmly behind it. Loser - Ferrari Ferrari entered the
year with so much promise. Much of its pre-season intrigue followed
the arrival of seven-time Lewis Hamilton, who completed his shock
switch from Mercedes. The Italian squad also narrowly missed out on
winning the constructors' championship last year, creating the
expectation that it would arrive in 2025 with a title-contending
car. But that has failed to materialise, and after 12 races,
Ferrari remains the only 'top four' team yet to climb to the top
step of the podium. Ferrari has been plagued in recent races by a
mysterious issue that nobody in the team will elaborate on, placing
further scrutiny on its downturn in performance this year. Once
again, Ferrari fans are resigned to sitting on 'oh well, maybe next
year'. A significant rule change will spark Ferrari's hope that it
can enter the new era in strong form, and the drivers are keen to
see focus injected into next year's car. Commencing 2026 as a title
contender would be a welcome boost from what appears to be another
season of disappointment. Winner - Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar's F1
debut resulted in the most agonising situation imaginable as on the
formation lap of his first ever race, he spun into the barrier. It
was a heartbreaking moment for the Frenchman who had dreamed of his
first race start for so long as he climbed the junior formula
ladder. However, the way Hadjar has bounced back from the crash has
been nothing short of remarkable. He has five point-scoring
finishes (including a career-best sixth at the Monaco Grand Prix),
and has had a fantastic return in the first half of his rookie
career. He has also been immaculate over one lap and has
convincingly out-qualified Liam Lawson following the latter's swift
exit from Red Bull. His performances have been so impressive that
the 20-year-old is already being linked with a promotion to the
senior Red Bull. Understandably, Hadjar has his reservations given
the long list of drivers who have struggled to adapt to the Red
Bull car alongside Max Verstappen. Hadjar's best course of action
is to continue to navigate the second half of his rookie season
with the same finesse as the first. Then, things might just fall
into place for him. Loser - Alpine It's been a season of turmoil
for the Alpine team - from driver headaches to managerial changes,
2026 can't come quick enough for Team Esntone. Alpine began the
year with the slowest car in the field and although it has made
tangible progress, things have not been stable. Jack Doohan entered
the year with questions already being asked over the security of
his seat with Franco Colpainto lingering in the background. Doohan
lasted just six races in the car before being ousted by the
Argentine, who now, according to paddock rumours, could find
himself facing the exit door after a spell of disappointing
performance. Oliver Oakes stepped away as team principal after his
brother was arrested for "transferring criminal property", which
saw Flavio Briatore - a man who was once handed a lifetime F1 ban
for race fixing - become the de facto team boss. Alpine currently
sit last in the constructors' championship and has a firm eye on
2026 when it will take on Mercedes power units and hope for a
strong boost up the pecking order. Winner - Williams The last
handful of races have been a struggle for Williams compared to its
first half of the year, but it has nevertheless been a strong
period for the team. After 12 races, it has bagged 59 points - the
same number it tallied across the entire campaign in 2024, which
marked its highest score since 2017. Boosted by the arrival of
Carlos Sainz from Williams, the Spaniard has struggled on occasion
to adapt to his new team. However, he has shown glimpses of what
can be offered in the years ahead. Alex Albon has raised his game
to another level and has scored 46 points so far, or 77 per cent of
Williams' total count for the season. Further opportunities will
await Williams in the second half of the campaign, even if all of
its focus is squarely on next year's car. With an impressive leader
such as James Vowles in place and two capable drivers, Williams is
in its strongest position for some time. Loser - Yuki Tsunoda Yuki
Tsunoda finally got his big break at Red Bull after just two races
into the current campaign, stepping in for Liam Lawson after the
latter's dismal start. Tsunoda had spent four years at the sister
AlphaTauri/RB/Racing Bulls squad before finally being entrusted
with a seat at the front-running outfit. However, the results have
not been a good look for Tsunoda, who has found himself languishing
at the tail end of the order more often than not this year. It
seems increasingly unlikely that Tsunoda will hold onto the seat at
the end of the season and with very few options available
elsewhere, he could find himself on the sidelines. It's easy to
blame the driver for the lacklustre performances but following the
uninspiring results from Sergio Perez and Lawson before him, focus
should be more on why the car is so difficult to drive rather than
throwing criticism at the driver behind the wheel. Nevertheless, it
is far from the Red Bull adventure Tsunoda long dreamed of. With
car development now on the verge of switching to 2026, there is
little hope for Tsunoda to turn around his poor campaign.
