Antes de la 6ta. fecha (SPA-ENG)

Before the 6th date

In my post yesterday, anticipating the weekend of the sixth round of the 24-race Formula One schedule, I spent some time thinking and analyzing the drivers' championship standings. From this, I drew some conclusions that I now share with you.

To date, the McLaren team has dominated the races contested, with four wins out of five possible. Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, took the remaining one, the Japanese Grand Prix, proving that despite not having the best car, he will be a tough contender for the remainder of the year. The fact that he sits third, eight points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri, clearly indicates that he is on the prowl, and with any mistake by the Woking team, he will take the lead in the championship. We already know what the Dutchman drives, and they cannot neglect him, much less underestimate him.

Another driver who, despite not having won, remains in an excellent fourth place in the standings, very close to his rivals, is Englishman George Russell, who has proven to be a worthy first driver for the Mercedes team, replacing the outstanding figure of Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, on the other hand, is my first surprise in the standings due to his poor points tally so far. He seems uncomfortable and annoyed at not being able to get the full potential out of the Ferrari, surely a bit disappointed with the performance of the Maranello car.

Before Lewis are Leclerc and Antonelli, the former also not returning what was expected of him. Perhaps Ferrari has taken a small step backward compared to last year? It's possible. The first pleasant surprise was the very young Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who hasn't been out of place at Mercedes. His sixth-place finish with 30 points proves that he's by far the best rookie of the season. The results of both drivers also demonstrate that the team led by Toto Wolff has once again become extremely competitive, like in Hamilton's golden age.

The next three positions are also quite unusual: Albon, with Williams, has already earned more points in just five races than in all of 2024. Has the Williams improved that much, or have others, from whom more was expected, defected? Something similar can be said about Ocon and Stroll, 9th and 10th, respectively, slightly above expectations.

Gasly is in 11th place, and if we remember how well he finished last season, we can't help but be surprised by the poor performance of his Alpine. Further down the line, we find some other surprises, some of the bad ones, also with performances that were more or less expected. Among the unpleasant surprises, we can't leave out Alonso's; his car certainly isn't performing, although having him with zero points in five races is unexpected.

Another unpleasant surprise is Sainz. The Spaniard, who had an excellent year at Ferrari in 2024, has been severely affected by his move to Williams, which is far from the red cars from Maranello. However, his teammate has a significant advantage over him; we'll see if he improves in the upcoming races.

The rookies are fairly evenly matched, except the aforementioned Antonelli. Bearman (who had already raced a few races the previous year) is a step above the rest of the rookies. He is followed by Hadjar, driving the RB Team, which seems to have regressed somewhat compared to the previous year. Lawson, Doohan, and Bortoleto are last with no points. Lawson and Doohan are disappointing. The Brazilian is doing his best with the Kick Sauber, which is the worst car in the category.

Only Tzunoda remains, who seems to have quickly adapted to the unruly Red Bull and has already earned his first points, and Hulkenberg, who has squeezed the most out of a stone with six points and is in 12th place in the championship.

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, many assume that Doohan's performance ends in Miami and he will be replaced by Colapinto starting at the next Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Imola circuit. The son of five-time former world motorcycle champion Michael Doohan was said to have a six-race contract for 2025, which ends after Miami, and based on his poor results, it will not be renewed. Everything is yet to be confirmed, and we'll see if this is truly the case. I'm excited, though cautious.

There's a lot to cover in just five races, and with Miami, the first quarter of an entertaining and exciting championship comes to an end, perhaps unlike anything we've had in several years.