Motorsport expert Tim Hodges has made an early tip for the winner of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix after McLaren brought home the Formula 1 World Constructors Championship for 2024. 

The Woking-based team clinched the title in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening for the first time since 1998, after outscoring rival team Ferrari by 14 points. 

The Papaya clad duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the front row in Saturday’s qualifying session, with outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz taking third place. 

From there it looked like an easy 1-2 finish for McLaren until 2024 Drivers Champion Max Verstappen spun the Australian driver on the opening corner of the race, allowing Sainz to slip into second place. 

Norris was never under threat from Ferrari and sealed his fourth race win and the Constructors title under the lights of Yas Marina Circuit. Piastri also gave a solid recovery drive to end up in 10th and take one point for McLaren. 

Speaking on SportFM, Hodges believes McLaren winning the bodes well for Piastri’s future, even tipping him to take out the opening race at Albert Park next year. 

“As much as you want to flex and win the Drivers’ Championship and have the best driver in the sport, the main thing in this sport is to win the Constructors Championship,” he said. 

“That’s where the tens and tens of millions of dollars of prize money, of TV broadcast fees, of everything that is split up that goes to the team. 

“McLaren will be laughing and it’s awesome the fact that one of their two drivers who will benefit the most next year, and I think they will be the team to catch next year, is Oscar Piastri. 

“Amazing for the Aussie boy who grew up just down the road from Albert Park will start his third season in Formula One next year and he might well be the favourite to win the season opening Albert Park Grand Prix, such as the force of McLaren right now.” 

Piastri had a breakout, winning two races during the Hungarian and Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as well as the Qatar Sprint race for the second year in a row. 

He also finished on the podium in six races, and won points in all but one race to see him finish fourth in the Drivers’ championship as a second-year driver. 

The Aussie has also become the third driver this century to have completed every lap of every race in a season – a feat only achieved by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and four-time champion Max Verstappen. 

“That just goes to show the street cred of Oscar Piastri. I think he already is a star,” said Hodges.

“He’s won multiple races now this year in his breakout season and I’m really proud of what he’s been able to do. 

“He’s still just a kid and to be able to help McLaren and to be as mature as he has been this year to get that team to be the Constructors Champion, I think there’s so much more for him in the future. He and Lando Norris will be a serious force in 2025 and beyond.

Australian Formula 1 fans received a glimpse into what the 2025 drivers line-up beholds, with son-of-a-gun Jack Doohan making his debut for Alpine, finishing in 15th for the French team. 

The son of MotoGP legend Mick Doohan was announced as Esteban Ocon’s replacement for 2024 at the Dutch Grand Prix earlier this season, and was supposed to debut at Albert Park’s season opener next year. 

However, his debut was pushed forward one race after Alpine released Ocon from his contract early ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 

“Mick Doohan is still a rock star in Europe. So for his little boy from Queensland to now be racing in Formula One is just amazing,” said Hodges. 

“It was probably not the best weekend pace wise, but I think that will come in the off season and certainly in the next week where they do a hell of a lot of testing at Abu Dhabi.

“At the end of the day, he achieved exactly what he said he wanted to and that was not to scratch the thing to bring it back in one piece and I think his team would have been really proud of that. 

“You need your team to bring a competitive car and that’s probably been the Achilles deal for that Alpine team this year that they haven’t been competitive week in and week out. 

“If they can bring him a competitive package and I think he and Pierre Gasly can be more than competitive next year and can be scoring consistent points and that would be a great result for the second Aussie on the grid.” 

IMAGE: Getty Images