Oscar Piastri has taken Formula 1 by storm throughout the opening five races of the 2025 season. Despite all the hype surrounding his McLaren teammate Lando Norris after the Brit’s unsuccessful title challenge last term, it’s been the young Aussie who has taken center stage.
Three victories in the opening five races have propelled him to the top of the Championship standings, and now sports betting sites make him the man to beat. One popular website offering sport betting in Canada currently makes Piastri a -165 betting favorite for the title next season, narrowly ahead of teammate Norris, who is priced at +185. Reigning champion Max Verstappen, meanwhile, is a distant +800 third-favorite, but as history shows, making the best start to a campaign doesn’t always result in the title.
Over the years, we’ve seen multiple drivers launch campaigns soaked in promise, only to see their title ambitions slip away as the season unfolded. Here are three examples of drivers who stormed out of the gates but fell short of the crown.
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc’s 2022 season began with Ferrari fans daring to hope for a return to glory. Leading home a one-two ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz in the season-opener in Bahrain, coupled with a dominating performance again in Australia, quickly made him the man to beat. With two wins in the first three Grands Prix, and aided by early reliability troubles for rival Max Verstappen, the Monegasque driver built a healthy lead in the championship standings.
But then came the unraveling. Ferrari’s title bid faltered under the weight of strategic errors, mechanical failures, and inconsistent car development. In Barcelona, Leclerc retired from the lead due to a power unit failure, before poor management from the pit wall cost him victory on his home turf in Monaco despite starting from pole. Another poor decision from the team cost him the victory in Britain, and then a driver error in France saw him crash out of the lead.
That last mistake was the nail in the coffin. While the wheels were coming off Leclerc’s Ferrari, Verstappen continued piling up other wins. By midseason, he had already built up a huge title lead, and that final mistake in France assured Super Max of a second straight title – one that he has followed up with many other wins.
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton’s start to the 2021 season was masterful. The seven-time champion and Mercedes finally had a rival in the form of Verstappen and Red Bull. Despite their rivals’ car being marginally faster, the Brit managed to use all his experience to pick up three victories in the first four races, usually due to better tactics. In Bahrain, the Silver Arrows made a one-stop strategy work to their advantage, while weeks later in Spain, they pitted twice and ultimately reeled in Verstappen at the death.
Verstappen’s Red Bull was already slightly quicker, and they upped their game dramatically in midseason. The Dutchman closed the gap to the seven-time world champion, and as the season progressed, the championship became a see-saw duel. The two collided at both Silverstone and Monza, while they traded wins elsewhere and took the campaign down to a final race decider in Abu Dhabi.
There, Hamilton dominated and looked like he was going to clinch a record-breaking eighth world title at a canter. Then, a late safety car and some controversial decisions from now disgraced former race director Michael Masi triggered a final lap shootout. Verstappen was on much fresher soft tyres compared to Hamilton’s old used hards, and that allowed the Dutchman to get the overtake he needed and secure the victory.
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel’s 2018 campaign got off to a flying start in his Ferrari, claiming victories in the first two races in Australia and Bahrain. At that point, it seemed like the German could finally end the Scuderia’s championship drought. He traded blows with Mercedes and Hamilton throughout the season – and quite literally in Azerbaijan – and ended up leading the championship at several points in the opening rounds.
The turning point came at the German Grand Prix, Vettel’s home race. Leading comfortably from pole in tricky wet-dry conditions at Hockenheim, he made a costly mistake, sliding into the barriers behind the safety car and retiring on the spot. Hamilton went on to win that race from 12th place on the grid, and Vettel’s heartbreak marked the beginning of the end for his title challenge.
Ferrari struggled to sustain their competitiveness down the stretch, and Vettel, too, faltered under the pressure with additional unforced errors in races like Monza and Suzuka. The German won just one more race all season following that mistake in Germany, while Hamilton won seven and ultimately romped to the title. Vettel would never mount a championship challenge again, while his greatest rival ultimately ended up matching Michael Schumacher’s record haul.
