Ahead of this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson tells us who features in his top six driver pairings.

Davidson lists the teams as they finished in last year's Constructors' Championship and you can have your say in our poll further below.....

McLaren - Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

This is undeniably one of the best driver line-ups in F1 right now. They chased each other hard for the 2025 drivers' title, and for good reason, because they're so evenly matched.

Together, they are a very strong combination, who complement each other very well. And they are a big part of the reason why McLaren wrapped up the Constructors' Championship so early last year.

They were in the strongest car, but they really wrung every ounce of performance out of the machinery under them. So, I'm excited to see what they'll do this year.

Mercedes - George Russell and Kimi Antonelli

I really enjoyed watching Kimi Antonelli learning on the job last year. He was one of the best rookies of the season, in my opinion. He's exceptionally naturally gifted, he's a hard worker, he's full of energy and commitment, and works very well with George Russell, his more experienced team-mate. The team love him - he brings such good energy and positivity to the team.

And with George, that stability he brings and professionalism, with unquestionable speed as well - very quick in qualifying, he's learned how to put races together as well now. And all the boring things like looking after tyres and all the other stuff, George is all over it.

So I think this driver pairing is really exciting and could and should deliver strong results this year.

Red Bull - Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar

Obviously, it goes without saying, Max by himself, I believe is the strongest driver on the grid. There are very, very few areas of improvement left for him, and I still believe he gets better every season.

I think the only blot on his copybook last year was in Barcelona, where I think his temper got the better of him. And maybe without that, he could be a five-time world champion right now. He could have won it last year without that single moment. But he learns from his mistakes and that's what's really impressive.

He's joined by Hadjar this year, who was a standout rookie last season and surprised many, I think including myself. So, I'm really intrigued to see how he's going to handle the pressure cooker of being in Red Bull with Verstappen as his team-mate, because so far nobody's survived.

Ferrari - Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton

On paper, you would say it's the strongest line-up, but Lewis has found things tough the last couple of years. Let's see if he can bounce back with this new iteration of cars. I believe they're going to suit his style more. I think he'll be able to get more out of the equipment than he has done in the last couple of years with the ground-effects cars.

Leclerc is a phenomenal driver, super-fast, probably one of, if not the fastest drivers on the grid, especially in qualifying. He doesn't mind a car that moves around under him. He's very flamboyant in the way he drives, and I really enjoy watching that.

But I think the pair of them last year at certain points found things tough. I'm sure the car wasn't easy to drive, so let's see how they go this year. I'm expecting them to be a force to be reckoned with once again.

Williams - Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz

For a team that wasn't troubling the midfield just a couple of seasons ago, relying on drivers paying their own way, Williams have had a huge shake-up.

I think the arrival of Sainz has been applauded by many, it's been welcomed by everyone in the team at Williams. I've loved watching his approach. His professionalism and commitment to perfection is there for all to see.

The driver line-up in that team, by bringing Sainz in, not only did it spur on Albon even further and pushed him to new heights, but it's pushed the whole team to want to deliver more and to be more ambitious than ever. It's incredible to see the difference that a driver signing can make in that regard.

Haas - Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon

Finishing off the top six was a more difficult proposition because there are many other driving pairings that could be put in that mix, but I've gone with the Haas duo.

Ocon is experienced and we've always seen that when the pressure's on him, he often performs very well, and when he's in a good position, he can deliver. But I think when the car's not to his liking, and if the whole situation's not to his liking, he can sometimes let his head drop, which can happen to anybody.

But I do feel that having Bearman there was a real positive for Ocon and obviously for the team. Ollie is always exciting to watch. Obviously, last year, being a rookie, there were a few errors here and there that crept in, but that's to be expected. His standout performance to take fourth place in Mexico was genuinely eye-opening for the whole paddock.

The two of them do bounce off each other well and I think it's been a real positive for the team. I hope that the car can surprise people this year as well, including their own drivers, and then you'll see potentially even better performances from both.

Sky Sports F1's Australian GP schedule

Thursday March 5
3am: Drivers' Press Conference
6am: Paddock Uncut
9.45pm: F3 Practice
10.55pm: F2 Practice

Friday March 6
1am: Australian GP Practice One (session starts at 1.30am)*
2.55am: F3 Qualifying*
3.30am: Team Bosses Press Conference
3.50am: F2 Qualifying*
4.35am: Australian GP Practice Two (session starts at 5am)*
6.15am: The F1 Show*

Saturday March 7
0.10am: F3 Sprint*
1.10am: Australian GP Practice Three (session starts at 1.30am)*
3.05am: F2 Sprint*
4.10am: Australian GP Qualifying build-up*
5am: AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*
7am: Ted's Qualifying Notebook*
9.45pm: F3 Feature Race*

Sunday March 8
12.20am: F2 Feature Race*
2.30am: Australian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
4am: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX*
6am: Australian GP reaction: Chequered Flag*
7am: Ted's Notebook*
7.55am: Australian GP race replay*
10am: Australian GP highlights (also on Sky One)*

*Also on Sky Sports Main Event

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