Merely showing up is a necessity for being there at the finish.

The cyclist Mark Cavendish famously laboured through the mountains, despite being a sprint specialist, to make the final stage of La Tour de France. As a result he won the points classification (green jersey) in 2011 and 2021, and has won a record 35 individual stages, all sprint finishes. He also won the points classification at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, and the points classification at the 2010 Vuelta a Espana.

He won his Tour stages between 2008 and 2024. Sixteen years of showing up and staying the distance. By comparison, the Italian Mario Cipollini won 12 individual stages at the tour, plus one (short) individual time trial. He never stayed around to win the green jersey, and was at one point threatened with being banned by the organisers because he had a habit of quitting on the first mountain stage. It appears we love people who tough it out to the finish.

Sauber (Strike-my-butt-kick or whatever the name is this minute...), Haas and Williams in recent years have all won admiration for going the distance. Each of these teams takes each race, and each season, seriously. We want our participants to take the event seriously, not themselves.

The cyclist Mario took himself seriously "I'm the greatest sprinter ever." Etc, etc. And appeared to not take the event seriously. Cavendish has battled through Hell to get over the mountains, sometimes winning in Paris, sometimes not. But he respected the event and those around him. Mark has won the final stage on the Champs-Elysees a record four times. Only six other riders have managed it twice.

The lesson? Participate your best. You don't need to win, but participate with all you have. Sure, each competitor is chasing the win, but please! Be happy and gracious with how it works out if you give your all.

Which brings us to season 2025... who will be a worthy participant, who questionable and who a respected winner?

In it to win it group? McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes. These four teams, coupled with their four cars (packages) should enable their combined drivers to fight for the podium each race. The intra-team battles at each should be simply fascinating. Lando and Oscar have already duelled, with Norris having the slight edge. Oscar comes over as "determined and persistent", he has no intention of taking his participant medal lying down. Expect fireworks at a few races this season.

Ferrari! Who cannot be excited about Lewis at the Scuderia? As he's stated "Everyone dreams of racing for Ferrari". Well most of us car lovers have day-dreamed about owning one. At his best he is sublime. Will 2025 be his best? Charles? Well it is lovely to be considered the 'fastest over a single lap" - but that's not much use when one needs to complete another 59 of them to get to race distance. I find Charles an enigma. He is fast, usually calm - until he isn't - and is a good fit with the team. One need look no further than the original Villeneuve, Vettel or Alonso to understand that being quick, capable and determined at Ferrari does not equal being World Champion. Possibly just a participant medal here, but at least one going to a respectful driver.

Red Bull! V. Max is the current driver of a generation, and will be so again in 2025. The only reason for him to 'only' get a participant medal for season 2025 is that the car is junk. I say 'only' because the younger drivers, and us fans, need to remember only 20 humans out of a global population of approximately 8.2 billion means only 0.00000024% of humans race in F1 at any given time. Oh, when Cadillac arrive on the grid this will rise to 22 drivers being 0.00000026% of humanity! Clearly opening the way for F1's first female driver. As for Liam Lawson... well, it appears the New Zealander is not going to be shown the same patience as the former incumbent of the second seat.

Mercedes! More intra-team fun and delight! George is a full-on top-shelf driver now. As witnessed by the fact that V. Max took the time last season to throw a few insults his way. Along with his participant medal, George should see this as a medal of respect. V. Max does not bother insulting just anyone. If the Mercedes carries on at the same level as the end of 2024 I expect George to be a title contender. Antonelli! Or Kimi as he is apparently happy to be called, looks cheeky, serious and intelligent, though raw. Challenge George this season? Most think not. But remember how a young Lewis Hamilton seriously agitated Alonso at McLaren. If Kimi is as good as some think, he could be the surprise title contender of the season. Or... he could be an Alesi flash of brilliance, who for some strange reason never brings it home first. Again, I cannot wait to see this story unfold.

Serious participants? Aston, Haas, Racing Bulls and Williams. Each is trying to challenge the top four. In theory Aston should lead the midfield this year, and possibly break into the top four next season. Let's see what Adrian can do with the back room boys (and girls), combined with his Wizard's magic staff, aka pencil. Alonso, like Lewis, still has "It". He is a racing force of nature, and never turns up just for the participant medal... unlike... on the far side of the garage... his team mate. Never met him. Don't know him. Do not follow him on Twitter/Instagram/LinkedIn/Whatever... but if there is a standout winner of the participant medal, indeed he might lay claim to having secured the perpetual trophy, it is Lance.

Haas. Ummm. Moving forward, not setting the world on fire. Clearly serious about competing. Clearly sad about not being nearer the front. A podium for them this year? It would be wonderful to see. Bearman looks capable. Ocon is erratic. Participant medal with fevered-focus bar and star should be awarded to both. Let's see which gets a Zen-like focus first. Should be a most enjoyable battle. I expect Ocon to win out this season by a paper thin margin, before Bearman gets into the zone next year.

Racing Bulls. What are they doing? Seb's fairy-tale win for them now feels a century ago. Tsunoda. Why? While Hadjar joins him. Why? This is the most curious driver pairing on the grid. Tsunoda is busy turning into a new generation Hulkenberg - which is to say a safe pair of medium-risk hands - while Hadjar has a reputation for, ah, fire in the belly, the mouth and the brain on occasion. I know the old adage: "You can tidy-up speed, you cannot speed-up tidy." The Racing Bulls to my mind have the most curious pairing on the gird. A participant medal for each with a red hot chili pepper bar and star.

Williams! Everyone's favourite underdog! Oh, unless you're an American... where you've got Haas, and will soon have Cadillac. Compared to the curious driver staffing at Red Bulls, this is the strongest non-top-four pairing on the grid. Albon has come of age beautifully, and just lacks a fine car. Sainz has won races, and just needs a team that gives him the love. I like to think these two can stay respectful and friendly, while racing the rubber off those Pirelli's. Participant medal with strength and honour bar and star for both. But please gentlemen, keep it clean and racy.

Leaving our... seriously no, we are not here to make-up the numbers and grab the loot honestly! teams. Being Stake (Sauber) and Alpine. Oh dear. How the once respected, and once mighty (as Renault) have fallen. I've already written about Stake gaming the system to get maximal back room advantage for season 2026. Given how strongly the team started denying this (possibly a coincidence but just shortly after the Pitpass article outlining the theory...) I'm even more convinced this is the play. Honestly? Like V. Max says "I drive to the limit of the rules", I respect how Stake are playing this. If I was an incoming senior person I'd be recommending the same thing. "Take the 2025 'participant medal' and just work like mad for season 2026!" It makes total sense. Hulk will be his usual sensible self, which is precisely why he was hired, while who knows what Bortoleto will achieve? It is a given that his season 2025 participant medal will be his last if he does not convincingly bury Hulk. I think Hulk is up for his "Thirty-five years without a podium" gold watch (Tag Heuer now, not Rolex) so I'm sure he is indifferent to yet another participant medal. Possibly uses them as weights when he goes fishing?

Alpine. Gasly. Doohan. Flavio. Big grumpy company losing money. If ever a team was set for a season of disaster it is this one. The FIA might only award them half a participant medal as they are only half trying. Not the drivers! Gasly has shown he could comfortably be the next Hulk, and while Doohan is yet to prove himself, he is already under threat from the Don show-me-the-money Flavio. If anyone ever had a stash of freshly severed horses heads in the back of his Range Rover (you know, just in case...) it is Flavio. It looks like this team is only showing up in 2025 because it wants to sell before 2026. A queue of well-monied Russian Oligarchs already appears to be forming behind the red cord. One at a time please gentlemen!

Gasly will get the participant medal with the nice-try bar and star. While Jack might get the less favoured now-you-see-me-now-you-don't medal which would be a shame, especially as his father and Michael Schumacher were good friends, and Michael's son Mick is named after Doohan senior. While it is not the same as John Surtees, a world class winner on two wheels and four, at least with Mick being a 500cc motorbike champion it would be wonderful to see his son on an F1 podium.

My predictions? Ferrari for constructors. V. Max for another title. Lewis for wins. Alonso for a long over due podium, heck possibly even a win. Alpine sold. Implosion at Racing Bulls. More of the same nice-try at Haas. Wooden spoon battle between Alpine and Sauber. Battle Royale at Mercedes. Toys out the pram at McLaren (both sides of the garage). FIA and MBS to make remarks/rulings we fans can simply not believe. Liberty to declare the Las Vegas GP as the single greatest event in all of human history, surpassing the Moon Landings, birth of Christ, and Iceberg one- Titanic nil moments of history.

Heck! Pour yourself a long one. Award yourself a "Fan Participant" medal, plus a "Cherished Dear Pitpass Reader" medal with survives-long-reads bar and star. But only if you know you deserve the bar. Then buckle-up for what could be an explosive season of intra-team fireworks, the occasional surprise winner, and more money grabbing by Liberty than Trump at a fire-sale real estate auction. It's game on, so let's participate!

Max Noble

Learn more about Max and check out his previous features, here