Williams team boss James Vowles recently stated his duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz will be “the best driver line-up on the grid” in 2025, kickstarting an interesting discussion as several teams could realistically make that claim.

So, which team really has the best line-up next year? Our writers have their say.

Jake Boxall-Legge – McLaren’s duo takes it on current form

Route-one pick? Perhaps, but McLaren is surely the simple answer. Forget past glories, track record, etcetera; the only thing that matters is the here and now. McLaren’s driving duo has been the best-performing duo of 2024 so far and, in 2025, it’s only going to get better.

There are two reasons for that: Lando Norris’ growing experience of a championship fight and Oscar Piastri’s potential becoming realised. Norris is learning how to deal with the pressure of a battle for the F1 title and is finding more from within himself, shaking off the iffy starts and self-doubt and channelling his energy into conquering Max Verstappen. To conquer Max, you must become Max; the 23- and 21-second margins of victory at Zandvoort and Singapore will surely help that cause.

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, are interviewed by Ariana Bravo, F1 Digital presenter, on stage in the Fan Zone

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

But if Norris, still only 24, is starting to reach the peak of his powers, then Piastri’s got even more room to grow. It’s generally assumed that the Australian has the higher plane of potential, and his maturity shone through in his stellar defence against Charles Leclerc in Baku, but consistency is still missing relative to Norris.

When you look at Piastri’s growth from 2023, however, you sense that this will come to him next season. The biggest gulf between the two McLaren drivers last season was in tyre management; Piastri has since upped his race pace and found a way to keep the Pirellis in the window. Both drivers, in terms of peak performance, are pretty much on par thus far – it’s only Norris’ extra tenth in qualifying and that smidgen of extra consistency that keeps him ahead.

In terms of grid averages, Norris and Piastri shake out immediately behind Verstappen at their average starting positions of 3.89 and 4.78 respectively behind Verstappen’s 2.39. In the drivers’ championship, Piastri now sits just eight points behind Leclerc – having scored more points than anyone in the last seven rounds. In that window, he’s scored 125 points, just two more than Norris…

Ferrari’s line-up runs it close, but Lewis Hamilton’s no longer the driver that he was at his peak. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is still too much of an unknown, even if the Antonelli/George Russell pairing could be a world-beating combination in the future. Red Bull is too lopsided, as is Aston Martin, RB, Haas, and Alpine can largely be described as ‘meh’, and Sauber doesn’t even have a full pairing to show us.

With apologies to James Vowles, I think I’d probably take Norris and Piastri over Albon and Sainz. But it’s still a mighty fine line-up you’ve got, that’s for sure.

Mark Mann-Bryans – Mercedes has the right driver profiles to flourish despite Hamilton’s departure

Losing a seven-time world champion to one of your biggest rivals can never be described as a good thing – but for Mercedes, it does offer the chance of a reset.

Hamilton won six of those drivers titles behind the wheel of a Mercedes but in recent seasons he and George Russell were limited to, largely, fighting for scraps as other teams proved dominant.

Russell remains in place and is joined for 2025 by highly-rated rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli despite Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff openly flirting with Max Verstappen at different stages of the 2024 season. The Russell/Antonelli partnership does give Mercedes the sort of driver line-up that can really work.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

In Russell, Mercedes retains a proven race winner who, as he enters his seventh year in Formula 1, has matured into someone who at this stage of his career should be capable of leading a team as its number one driver.

Often outperforming Hamilton in qualifying, Russell has the pace to mix it with the best and could enjoy a strong outing in 2025 ahead of the rule changes if the recent progress made by the team does not start a period of regress before then.

Add to the mix a dose of youthful exuberance in the shape of Antonelli, who was driving so fast on his FP1 debut in Monza he not only shocked Wolff but put Russell’s car into the wall at Parabolica.

The 18-year-old Italian will want to come in and hit the ground running, eclipsing his experienced team-mate in the process, but will also be ready to learn from Russell as the pair work to get Mercedes back to the top of Formula 1.

It will not be an easy task but in Russell and Antonelli, Mercedes has a pairing that will fight and excite in equal measure.

Alex Kalinauckas – The Hamilton/Leclerc combination has no weaknesses overall

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025 is no less box office than when it was announced eight months ago. Motorsport.com understands that, as a result, Monza officials are already clocking unprecedented levels of interest in tickets for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix – given it’ll be the first time to see the seven-time world champion in Ferrari red at that famous race. That Charles Leclerc so brilliantly won at Monza this year shows what a strong combination these two are going to be for Ferrari.

Their past successes also combine to prove this is the best line-up, statistics-wise. Hamilton’s title haul is the most any team will be able to boast in their 2025 line-ups. Plus, his record win tally plus Leclerc’s own win total means Ferrari will head into next year with 112 race victory memories in the heads of their two drivers. Next best is Red Bull with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s combined 67.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

But what really sets this line-up apart is how Hamilton and Leclerc complete each other’s games for Ferrari.

In Hamilton, he has shown he can cut it in many a championship battle, plus his racecraft and tyre management are still up there with F1’s best. Are they still the best Hamilton himself could produce at the peak of his Mercedes title run? Those Spa 2022 and Qatar 2023 lap-one crashes suggest not. But even Hamilton coming down from his greatest height is still brilliant.

In Leclerc, Ferrari has F1’s best qualifier – a deserved reputation given his speed and regular flair over a single lap. But his consistency over 33 laps on his way to that Monza win shows he has the nous to treat the tyres just right too when everything is hooked up.

Qualifying speed is something that Hamilton has struggled with of late, which he has been upfront about in his public discussions of the matter. What will be interesting is seeing how he gets on with the tricky Pirellis with being able to see Leclerc’s data from next year – as the Monegasque is often able to extract the ultimate peak of grip from a set of softs. This does, however, leave him at risk of crashing – hence the wild side of his reputation.

What cannot be known is how these two will get on working together – especially if Ferrari can get itself into a title fight in 2025…

Ben Hunt – Here’s why I am picking Haas’ Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon (hear me out!)

Yes, I have read the assignment. And no, I am not joking. I honestly believe Haas has the best driver line-up for 2025 – because it is all relative.

I have seen what my colleagues have had to say about Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, and I make them right. But Haas doesn’t have a chance of signing any of those six drivers, so they have to be smart with who they select, which is why I make its decision to sign Bearman and Ocon as the best choice … available to the team.

I have been very impressed by Bearman on the two GP outings he has made in Saudi Arabia and Baku – two incredibly fast and challenging circuits where he excelled during the race. His other performances in FP1, which have been crucial for Haas to refine the car, have largely been solid where he has completed his objectives.

Oliver Bearman, Reserve Driver, Ferrari and Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

I am excited to see how Bearman progresses next season from this year, his results in Formula 2 have not been a true reflection of his ability.

As for Ocon, he’s now out the other side of his turbulent spell with Alpine. His frustration has dissipated, and the outbursts have stopped. Those who know him, know he’s quick but the career moves have not worked out kindly for him. Now 28, he has all the experience and Haas will look to him to become the team’s leader and that means a new-found level of responsibility and maturity.

Ocon will have been burned by the way he was turfed out of Alpine and should be motivated to prove a point. He will offer a reliable benchmark for Bearman, one just hopes the widely-mooted reputation for not being a team player is simply an unfounded accusation.

I have been impressed by Haas boss Ayao Komatsu and I think his decision to go for this driver pairing could prove to be an inspirational choice. Besides, who else could he have realistically picked?

THE draw for the FA Cup first-round proper will take place on Monday night.

48 EFL clubs from League One and League Two begin their campaigns at this stage, alongside the 32 non-league teams who have progressed through qualifying.

1

Premier League and Championship sides will join the iconic competition from the third round stage in the new year.

But before that, teams from the lower end of the footballing pyramid will battle it out in the first-round proper.

SunSport has all the information you need ahead of the huge draw.

When is FA Cup first-round draw?

• The FA Cup first-round draw will take place on Monday, October 14.
• The draw will take place from 7pm BST.
• Bradford City’s Valley Parade will host proceedings.

What TV channel is the FA Cup first-round draw on and can it be live streamed FREE?

• The FA Cup first-round draw will be broadcast live on BBC Two.
• You can live stream the event for FREE on the BBC iPlayer website/app.
• Alternatively, SunSport’s live blog will provide full coverage of the draw.

FA Cup first-round ball numbers

The ball numbers for the FA Cup first round are as follows:

1. Accrington Stanley
2. AFC Wimbledon
3. Barnsley
4. Barrow
5. Birmingham City
6. Blackpool
7. Bolton Wanderers
8. Bradford City
9. Bristol Rovers
10. Bromley
11. Burton Albion
12. Cambridge United
13. Carlisle United
14. Charlton Athletic
15. Cheltenham Town
16. Chesterfield
17. Colchester United
18. Crawley Town
19. Crewe Alexandra
20. Doncaster Rovers
21. Exeter City
22. Fleetwood Town
23. Gillingham
24. Grimsby Town
25. Harrogate Town
26. Huddersfield Town
27. Leyton Orient
28. Lincoln City
29. Mansfield Town
30. Milton Keynes Dons
31. Morecambe
32. Newport County
33. Northampton Town
34. Notts County
35. Peterborough United
36. Port Vale
37. Reading
38. Rotherham United
39. Salford City
40. Shrewsbury Town
41. Stevenage
42. Stockport County
43. Swindon Town
44. Tranmere Rovers
45. Walsall
46. Wigan Athletic
47. Wrexham
48. Wycombe Wanderers
49. Rushall Olympic or Peterborough Sports
50. Tamworth
51. Oldham Athletic
52. Hartlepool United or Brackley Town
53. Kettering Town
54. Altrincham or Solihull Moors
55. Rochdale
56. Scarborough Athletic
57. York City
58. Harborough Town
59. Curzon Ashton
60. Gainsborough Trinity or Boston United
61. Hednesford Town or Gateshead
62. Alfreton Town
63. Guiseley
64. Taunton Town or Maidenhead United
65. Horsham
66. Aldershot Town
67. Southend United
68. Sutton United
69. Boreham Wood
70. Weston Super Mare
71. Wealdstone
72. Dagenham & Redbridge
73. Barnet
74. Chesham United
75. Tonbridge Angels
76. Woking
77. Forest Green Rovers
78. Maidstone United
79. Worthing
80. Braintree Town

When will FA Cup first-round ties take place?

• FA Cup first-round ties will take place between Friday, November 1 and Monday, November 4.

LAS VEGAS – Daniel Rodriguez entered UFC Fight Night 244 not under the best circumstances.

The UFC welterweight veteran was on a three-fight losing streak prior to his fight with Alex Morono this past Saturday at the UFC Apex. Fortunately for Rodriguez (18-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC), he was able to edge out Morono (24-11 MMA, 13-8 UFC) in a close, split decision.

“I worked so hard for this fight and for so long, you know,” Rodriguez said. “It feels great to be back in the win column.”

Some online were split on who had done enough to warrant getting their hand raised. Rodriguez felt he had a shaky start, but is confident with the3 work he put on rounds two and three.

“I feel like this fight went a little tougher than I expected to, but hat’s off to him,” Rodriguez said. “He did a great job, and he was trying to knock my head off in that first round. I knew he was going to gas out, but I just stayed composed and used my veteran skills.”

Now back in the win column, Rodriguez is hoping to fight in his hometown. Nothing has yet been made official by the promotion, but Rodriguez said he’s heard that the UFC is planning an event for the “City of Angels” at the start of 2025.

“I hear that the UFC is coming to Los Angeles in January and me being an L.A. hometown boy I feel like it’s only right for them to put me on the card. So please UFC, put me on L.A.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel fits the bill by Carsley’s measure but international management is a different matter from leading a club. Newcastle’s Eddie Howe is still mentioned, while any idea of luring Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to St George’s Park is surely a dream, a fanciful one at that.

The questions and second-guessing will continue until this is cleared up once and for all. It has created an inertia which will only be solved by someone, perhaps the FA, showing their hand.

The received wisdom is the FA would like Carsley to be their man, continuing on the pathway – from St George’s Park to under-21 coach and then national coach – forged by Southgate.

At this stage, however, it appears they are no closer to putting a firm recruitment strategy in place.

On whether he would like to carry on, Carsley repeated the lines consistently trotted out as he added: “I’ve not really thought much about it. I keep saying the same thing. My remit was six games and I’m happy with that.

“This is a privileged position. I’m really enjoying it but I didn’t enjoy the last two days. I’m not used to losing in an England team. I don’t take losing well.

“People are always going to try and put their chips on one side. I’m in the middle. My bosses have made it clear what they need from me.”

Carsley’s credentials to take England to the 2026 World Cup have taken a heavy hit since the victories against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in his opening two games. Just about everything about the 2-1 loss to Greece needs to be placed in the negative half of his ledger.

He got his team selection horribly wrong, his front-loaded side stripped of a recognised striker were a tactical mess, and Carsley’s suggestion he would “hopefully” return to the under-21 job crowned a truly dismal, head-scratching night for all involved.

England won 3-1 in Finland. They had to win. Anything else was unthinkable against a gallant but limited side ranked 64th in the world and without a point in this Uefa Nations League Group B2.

And yet, for long periods, England were slow, sterile and ponderous, even with the lift of Jack Grealish’s early goal. The nerves would have been rattling had Finland striker Fredrik Jensen not spurned two big chances at 1-0, the second after the break a shocking miss when he somehow fired over the top with the goal at his mercy.

England made Finland pay with further goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, used at left-back in another Carsley break from convention, and Declan Rice, but this was not enough to blow away the cobwebs left from the loss to Greece.

Grealish continued his rejuvenation with a goal but it was not a good night for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, marginalised on the right to little effect, with returning captain Harry Kane looking short of fitness.

It was better than Greece. It could not be worse.

England at least had a shape but they were making very hard work of seeing off Finland until Alexander-Arnold produced a very rare moment of quality with a brilliant free-kick from 25 yards.

They were flat for long periods, lacking tempo and fluency. It was not an impressive dispatch of such inferior opposition.

A win is a win, though, and that is at least a small mercy at the end of a highly unsatisfactory week on and off the pitch.

In a parallel universe, Pierre Gasly is a professional football player often daydreaming about how far he could have gone in racing, if he had only continued his career in karting. In this universe, however, the French F1 driver every so often wonders if he could be playing for his favourite club, Paris Saint-Germain, had he made a different decision in his teenage years.

If you follow Pierre Gasly on Instagram, you know the 28 year old from Rouen is a huge fan of football. (“Don’t write ‘soccer’,” Gasly’s manager Guillaume Le Goff jokingly warned me.) The number on Gasly’s car, 10, is an homage to legendary French footballer Zinedine Zidane, who wore it for much of his international career. Gasly regularly strolls the paddock in football shirts, including Paris Saint-Germain’s and the French national team’s. He organizes matches played with Alpine colleagues to blow off steam after a long day at the track (they’ll play in a 30,000-seat stadium in Mexico City, Alpine’s press officer tells me). And in the ultimate fan move, Gasly became part owner of FC Versailles, a semi-pro club in France’s third-tier league, this past March.

Gasly started playing football at age 5. “I loved it,” he tells me with a huge smile on his face. “Honestly, I’m still dreaming about it. The sport itself, actually playing ball and being with my teammates. And the whole atmosphere of being with your team, going to places and challenging other teams from other cities. I loved every single moment of it.”

“Even this morning I was saying: I think the day that I retire from F1, I’ll enter a veteran team or an old men’s club just to play. Because it’s really a big, big passion of mine.”

Before Alpine’s PR lead snatched Gasly’s ball and pulled him away for another interview, we talked about investing in a pro team, being forced to choose between his two loves as a teenager, and having a life outside Formula 1.

You told me once that you had a “good level” when you played football as a kid. What would you qualify as a “good level”?

Well, I clearly lost it! [Ed note: Gasly’s attempts to show off his football skills shortly before the interview did not quite rise to “a good level”.] But back then, I was good with the ball. We went to the French Cup and did well in the qualifiers for just a small club.

One day we went to the formation in Auxerre, which at the time was the winner of the French championship. And they had a very famous manager back then, Guy Roux, who I got to meet. And I got in the selection for the French academy.

I always used to run a lot. I was a winger. Until 11 I was playing half pitch, and as a winger I was going from attack to defense, attack to defense. So, actually that was really good for me, because I built up a very, very good cardio. I was putting as much effort in karting as in football.

When you were 6 years old, you started karting as well. How did you manage football, karting, and school?

So when I was 6 or 7 — I can’t remember exactly — the school actually offered my parents [the opportunity] for me to jump a year, because I had very good grades and they estimated that I could go a year ahead of what I was. And I think my parents were quite smart to say: “Well, we rather want him to stick [to his current year] and have it easy at what he does now at school, because that will free more time for him to do sports.” I could dedicate the rest of my time to karting and football. And I could manage it pretty well.

When I started to do karting competitions at 9, then it started to become more complicated with football. When I was 10 or 11, I started to miss a few practices here and there. And because of the races, I couldn’t go to all of the games. I remember I came for a game on Sunday and the coach was not happy that I was focusing more on karting than on football. And he told me as a punishment he would put me in the second team. And I said: “Fuck that, I’m not playing for the second team.” And I just stopped on that day.

That must have been a hard decision.

I said to myself: OK, I basically need to choose. But in my mind it was already clear. Even though they are my two biggest passions, my love for karting and racing was a touch bigger. And also, I think I was slightly more competitive in karting than in football — the first was bringing me more trophies. It got to a point where I could see I couldn’t do both at my best. And I wasn’t fine with that.

Are there any things you’ve learned in football that you benefit from in motorsport? You mentioned the cardio…

Cardio is definitely one. But also team spirit and being supportive of each other. In football sometimes you’ve got to make an extra effort to compensate for a teammate’s mistake. Or sometimes you do a mistake and then someone needs to have your back. And then, in the locker room, even if you are kids, you start building bonds between each other and you understand that your best games are actually the ones when there is a nice synergy between everyone.

To a bigger scale in F1, it’s the same, you know. When we are in the engineering room, it’s like a football locker room. The only difference is that everyone is dressed up in the engineering room. But also in Formula 1, you’ve got to get everyone together and very united as a team, and you’ve got to be very transparent and honest, and you’ve got to have everybody working towards the same target. So I think that team mentality was very good to have from a young age.

Karting is more individual. At the time it was only my dad and myself. So you’re not really looking after a team behind you. But on Wednesday, I would go to a game or practice and then I’d be with other kids and I had to understand that I needed to fit in and have that team spirit.

And also, sport in general just brings that structure in your life. Like, practice is at six… you have to be there at six. You have to do every exercise, follow the process and do the practice to get better and stronger. So when you’re a kid — you don’t necessarily see it then — but it does bring some structure to your work, which is essential in whatever you do later on.

“I need more than just Formula 1 in my life to get me mentally balanced and
in a happy place.”

Earlier this year you decided to invest in FC Versailles. How did that come about?

As a big football fan, I’ve always somehow wanted to be involved in the sport. Obviously, I wasn’t going to be involved as a player. But I always had in the back of my head that if one day an attractive offer would come up, I would find a way to be involved.

The owner who took over FC Versailles last year reached out to me at the end of last year because he saw that I was so into football — that I was going to a lot of games and watching a lot of football. They explained to me their project, their vision for the club, and what they wanted to do and how. And then they asked me if I was keen on coming and joining them on this project.

Obviously, football is a very complex sport. But given my knowledge of my sport and my experience of working in a high performance environment, they were quite keen to understand the standards of F1 and how things work here, and somehow use some of that knowledge and introduce some of those standards at the club.

And as an athlete, I think this is also an area where I bring them a lot. I try to put myself in the player’s position. I can say: as an athlete, me personally, I need this and this and this to be looked after. Where, generally speaking, owners probably don’t look so much at those things. They probably look at it more as a business, so they sometimes miss a little bit of the player side of things. But when you know how you can extract the maximum out of the guys, that actually brings performance on the pitch. So it’s a lot of interesting conversations. And a different angle to football, which I didn’t have before but which I actually enjoy a lot.

I think value-wise, we really matched. I had a very good connection with the two other owners [Alexandre Mulliez and Fabien Lazare]. And then I was like, OK, that’s definitely a very attractive project. And more for the long term as well. I need more than just Formula 1 in my life to get me mentally balanced and in a happy place. And this is just something that I love following, besides Formula 1.

Obviously, I’m not involved on a day-to-day basis, but every week we have a catch-up. And if they are playing, I watch the game. I’m very proud to be part of it.

Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images

What are your ambitions for FC Versailles? Can it be a success story like Wrexham A.F.C., which climbed from the fifth division in the English football league system to the third-tier League One?

I mean, we are in the third division. The target for the short term is to get into the second division, which is obviously very difficult because it’s very competitive. Football is so big, you have a lot of clubs with big budgets and big structures. So it’s a good challenge, but we’re not going to hide from it. For us, it’s clear that we want to get in that second division. And mid-to-long term, to get in the first division, which is a big jump that hopefully in a few years time we’ll be able to make.

Speaking of Wrexham: actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who bought the club in 2020, joined the Alpine F1 team as investors last year. Did you seek their advice before investing in FC Versailles?

No, but I clearly got inspired by that story with Ryan and Wrexham. As a football fan, I obviously followed his journey with Wrexham. It’s a similar type of story with me. [Football] is not my industry. And I’m going in with some other people who are not actually coming from football as well. And yeah, I’d love to have a Wrexham versus Versailles friendly game at some point!

Have you also considered making a documentary series about FC Versailles, like “Welcome to Wrexham”?

So that’s in the pipeline, because yeah — you need exposure, you need sponsors. The more money you have, the better infrastructure you have, the better performance you’ll get out of the guys. So we have to promote our team the best way possible. But to be fair, there is a great team looking after it and they’re doing a very good job. Hopefully the ambitions and the results can follow each other.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

THE punch that left Frazer Clarke with a grotesque broken cheekbone was similar to being KO’d with a BRICK.

Clarke, 33, underwent successful surgery after Saturday’s British and Commonwealth heavyweight title rematch with Fabio Wardley, 29, ended in a brutal first-round knockout in Saudi Arabia.

3

3

Advertisement

3

Clarke’s jaw appeared misshapen, with a large dent in his cheek, after Wardley’s shuddering right-hander finished the fight in just 2 mins 28 secs.

The British Boxing Board of Control’s chief medical officer, Neil Scott, insisted that the injury that he suffered was similar to that of being hit by a brick.

He revealed: “I’m a maxillofacial surgeon in the NHS and, typically, those kind of injuries are caused by bricks.

“With the size of the glove it’s not something we see in boxing.

“It must be a tremendous amount of power to do that.”

Clarke’s promoter, Ben Shalom, revealed that the boxer is recovering well after undergoing surgery.

He added: “Frazer successfully underwent minor surgery.

“He’s feeling well and rested and will head back to the UK this evening to further recover with his family.”

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

Wardley spoke to the media after the fight and insisted that he followed a “gameplan”.

He said: “I know that once I hurt someone, I can get rid of them.

“I had a few issues for the first fight but I got rid of them, had a gameplan and executed it.

“I learned enough from the first fight to know I had enough to beat him properly. 

“I can’t help it, it’s my name; War by name War by nature.

“I want belts and titles next, these domestic ones are great but I want the ones that have ‘world’ written on them.”

Wardley now races on to be considered a serious world title contender when the belts are carved up after the December 21 rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.