Who would be F1 champion if the front-runners were removed?

Imagine a Formula 1 race without the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes or Max Verstappen. How unpredictable would the winners be if the midfield was left to duke it out? We'll ultimately never be able to try it out in reality but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be interesting to find out who wins and becomes drivers' champion if the behemoths at the front of the field are removed.

In this exercise, the top seven drivers from the standings are eliminated from all race and sprint results this season. Everyone who finished below them will then be shifted up and assigned the designated points for their new finishing spot. Essentially, this takes out the top four teams except Yuki Tsunoda. The reason for leaving Tsunoda in is to hopefully get a better grasp of just how much he struggled, and also how difficult the second Red Bull seat was.

Here's who would have won each race:

Here's who would have taken victories in each of the six sprint races:

What a start to 2025 that would have been with different winners in each of the first five grand prix races. 10 different grand prix winners also shows just how competitive the midfield was this past season. In the end, it was Williams' Alex Albon that came out best with five wins.

Albon also recorded nine podiums, but he shared the lead with a rookie driver who made a name for himself this year.

So with all that said, who would be our midfield champion of 2025? The answer is none other than Albon with Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso rounding out the top three in the standings.

Perhaps surprisingly, Tsunoda would come in sixth despite driving a Red Bull for 21 of the 24 races.

Daniel Valente is theScore's lead Formula 1 writer. Follow Daniel on X at @F1GuyDan.