'Lewis Hamilton beat me to win his first F1 title – but he won't get record eighth in 2025'

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The 2025 Formula 1 season begins this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix and all eyes are on Sir Lewis Hamilton as he makes his Ferrari debut.

The most successful driver and constructor in the sport’s history have teamed up, with the Brit aiming to become the Scuderia’s first champion since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

Timo Glock’s name is etched in F1 folklore, as it was the German whom Hamilton overtook on the last corner, of the last lap, of the last race in 2008 to claim his maiden title by a single point.

He believes that despite a difficult few seasons with Mercedes, the 40-year-old still has what it takes to win a record-breaking eighth championship – but someone else will be crowned in 2025.

‘Lewis is still in great shape and has the speed to win a Championship. Ultimately, though, it’s down to the team and how strong they are overall,’ Glock told the Metro in an exclusive chat via casino.org.

‘It’s one of the toughest teams to drive for, that’s for sure. You have pressure because it’s Ferrari, and on top of that, the press isn’t easy to navigate in Italy either when things aren’t going well.

‘The whole team is under greater pressure now. Fred Vasseur helped them get into a strong position at times last year, but they still lacked as much consistency as they perhaps would have liked.

‘They made a few strategy errors last season and need to cut down on those, but in the first case, the car has to be right. It didn’t look super strong in Bahrain, but on the flip side, it’s a 99 per cent new car according to Ferrari compared to 2024, so it will take the drivers time to understand it.

‘I think Lewis will be a step behind Charles [Leclerc] at the start of the season, but I do expect him to turn things around as the season progresses and finish ahead of him. That would be my prediction for Ferrari.

‘The picture looks good for McLaren to continue where they left off last season. They looked very strong in Bahrain, they didn’t have too many problems. They look well in shape, especially on the long straights. 

‘With how they finished 2024, showing improvements throughout the season and having a strong team unit, I think they have some great momentum with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. 

‘My money would be on them winning the Constructors. I’d take Ferrari to finish second, Red Bull in third and Mercedes should finish fourth.

‘In terms of a winning driver, I would go for Lando. He developed really well last season, and seemed to learn where he needed to improve. He has all of the momentum and is part of a great team.’

Norris emerged as a surprise title contender last season as McLaren got the better of Red Bull and though he couldn’t haul in Max Verstappen, he’ll begin this year as the bookies favourite.

One issue he may have to contend with however is the form of teammate Piastri, with McLaren set to allow their drivers to race freely yet respectfully, but Glock believes Norris will emerge as No.1.

‘They [McLaren] have their “papaya rules”, which maybe were not 100 per cent the best last year, and they could arguably have focused more attention on Norris at an earlier stage of the season last year,’ the former Jordan and Toyota racer added.

‘You could see Norris struggle a little bit with that; he felt that things could have worked out better for him at times. What is impressive to see, is that he still kept controlled and never lost his mind. He had a few moments in interviews straight after the race, but that’s totally normal for a driver.

‘He knows if he gets off to a good start this season, and has Oscar covered from a points perspective, then the focus will be on him. It’s the same story on the other side, where Oscar knows if he gets an early points advantage, then McLaren will favour him marginally. 

‘It’s my feeling that Norris has the extra experience, and he will be more consistent throughout the season. I fully expect him to be viewed as the McLaren number one as the season progresses.

‘I think Oscar needs another year to develop, and Norris is still that slight step ahead when it comes to experience.’

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