Lando Norris ultimately claimed his first world title, though the standings only partially reflect how fluid the competitive order was throughout the year. McLaren often had the strongest all-round package, Red Bull endured extended periods of inconsistency, and Mercedes remained close enough to strike when opportunities arose.

That shifting landscape meant individual results could be misleading. Some drivers consistently exceeded the realistic limits of their machinery, while others delivered their strongest performances at key moments under pressure.

With standout campaigns across the top teams, several spots in our top 10 were quickly settled. Selecting the remaining drivers — particularly from the midfield — required a deeper look across all 24 races, with a number of strong performers, including several impressive rookies, ultimately missing out.

With that in mind, here is our ranking of the top 10 drivers of 2025.

10. Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber

Best finish: 3rd
Championship: 11th

Long seen as a qualifying specialist whose race results rarely matched his pace over one lap, Hulkenberg flipped that narrative in 2025. As Sauber struggled to find a stable qualifying baseline, Sundays became his strength, extracting results far beyond the car’s potential.

He scored 51 points himself — nearly triple Sauber’s combined total from the previous two seasons — and helped lift the team to 70 points, its best tally since 2012. Nine points finishes marked his most productive season since 2018, largely by recovering from compromised grid positions rather than relying on qualifying.

The standout moment came at Silverstone, where starting from the back of the grid, Hulkenberg produced a calm, strategic drive in treacherous conditions to claim his first F1 podium after 239 attempts. As one of the oldest drivers on the grid, he showed he remains highly capable — a promising sign as Sauber prepares to transition into Audi’s full works operation.

9. Pierre Gasly – Alpine

Best finish: 6th 
Championship: 18th

Gasly’s 2025 may not leap off the stats sheets, but judged against the machinery, it was arguably one of the strongest individual performances of the year.

Alpine was widely regarded as the slowest car on the grid, particularly over race distance, yet Gasly scored 22 points — the second car scored none. Neither Jack Doohan nor Franco Colapinto reached Q3 or collected points, underscoring how much Gasly carried the team.

His 11 Q3 appearances exceeded both Williams drivers and Yuki Tsunoda, showing his ability to extract peak performance from minimal grip. Sixth place at Silverstone highlighted his potential when opportunity aligned, even if race-day limitations often capped results.

Arguably, this was Gasly’s finest season as an F1 driver purely on merit.

8. Alex Albon – Williams

Best finish: 5th
Championship: 8th

Alex Albon’s season was sharply divided, but the quality of his opening phase was impossible to ignore.

He scored points in seven of the opening eight races and reached Q3 in seven of the first 10 rounds, forming the backbone of Williams’ surge to fifth in the constructors’ championship — its best result in nearly a decade. During that stretch, Albon contributed the bulk of the team’s points and held a clear edge over new teammate Carlos Sainz.

Momentum stalled with three consecutive retirements from Spain to Austria, before Albon responded with points in four of the next five races. Those would prove to be his last, as he went scoreless across the final eight rounds of the season.

Even so, his early consistency and dominance within the team showcased how complete a driver he has become. Alongside Sainz, he forms part of one of the strongest pairings on the grid as Williams continues to rebuild from its lean years.

7. Carlos Sainz – Williams

Best finish: 3rd
Championship: 9th

Carlos Sainz’s first season at Williams was uneven, but it finished emphatically.

The year began as a struggle, with various circumstances limiting his momentum while Albon appeared to have the upper hand. While Sainz’s underlying pace was evident, execution and adaptation to midfield racing curtailed his results through the opening half.

That dynamic flipped decisively later in the year. Two grand prix podiums, a sprint podium, and a front-row start in Azerbaijan — which for much of qualifying looked like a famous pole position — marked a strong second-half resurgence. His driving in that phase ranked among the best on the grid.

If Williams’ long-term development pays off, Sainz could emerge as a dark horse in 2026, anchoring a very strong driver line-up alongside Albon.

6. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin

Best finish: 5th
Championship: 10th

Fernando Alonso once again punched above his weight in 2025, even if the season began awkwardly.

A combination of misfortune and reliability issues left him scoreless across the opening eight races, briefly giving the impression that Lance Stroll had the edge for the first time in their Aston Martin partnership. Once upgrades arrived, status quo was quickly restored.

Alonso scored points in eight of the next 11 races and finished in the top 10 of the championship with 10 points finishes overall. His 13 Q3 appearances — only two fewer than Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari — highlighted how consistently he extracted performance from a car that often appeared the second worst on the grid.

At 44, Alonso continues to maximise every opportunity. If Adrian Newey can unlock performance next year, he remains a driver capable of capitalising.

5. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari

Best finish: 2nd
Poles: 1
Championship: 5th

In a difficult year for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc once again demonstrated his value.

The SF-25 was rarely a consistent front-runner, yet Leclerc still secured seven podiums, a pole position, a fastest lap, and fifth in the drivers’ championship. He was almost always present in the fight, often outperforming the car’s natural position.

Leclerc comfortably held the upper hand over Lewis Hamilton across the season, and his aggressive final-race duel with Lando Norris in Abu Dhabi highlighted his ability to push boundaries even when the machinery was marginal.

It was a clear case of a driver at the peak of his powers extracting results that the car did not naturally deserve.

4. Lando Norris – McLaren

Wins: 7
Poles: 7
Championship: 1st

Placing the world champion fourth is controversial, but Lando Norris’ 2025 season was not flawless.

He won in Australia thanks to favourable strategy, an Oscar Piastri mistake, and well-timed rain, but then fell behind his teammate between China and Imola. Briefly recovering in Monaco, he again lost ground in Spain and Canada, before failing to fully capitalise on Piastri’s misfortunes after the Dutch Grand Prix.

A significant points drop from the Zandvoort weekend onwards proved costly, and it wasn’t until Mexico that Norris finally found the form that carried him over the line. He peaked at exactly the right time to secure the title.

While Norris is a deserving world champion, judged across the full season, he falls just short of his teammate for sustained consistency.

3. Oscar Piastri – McLaren

Wins: 7
Poles: 6
Championship: 3rd

For much of 2025, Oscar Piastri looked like the most complete driver on the grid.

He led the championship for the longest period and delivered relentless consistency, particularly during a dominant stretch from China to Italy where he finished off the podium just once. His form suggested the mentality of a champion in only his third season.

The Baku weekend proved the flashpoint. Two crashes — including his first race retirement of the year — triggered a painful stretch for the young Australian. The next five races became a ‘what could have been’ as momentum slipped away at exactly the wrong time. Strong finishes in Qatar and Abu Dhabi demonstrated his resilience, but the damage was done.

Across the full season, Piastri arguably held a slight edge over Norris — he simply fell away when it mattered most.

2. George Russell – Mercedes

Wins: 2
Poles: 2
Championship: 4th

George Russell produced the most complete and consistent season of his Formula 1 career.

He completed an astonishing 99.9 percent of race laps — missing perfection only due to a Monaco penalty — and stood clearly above rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli. While his performances were rarely flashy, he was always present, always ready to collect podiums or seize opportunities.

Victories in Canada and Singapore showcased his ability to dominate when conditions allowed, while his calm resilience in flashpoint moments — notably Spain against Verstappen — highlighted his growing authority.

Having firmly assumed leadership within Mercedes, Russell now looks ready to fight for a title if the machinery arrives.

1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull

Wins: 8
Poles: 8
Championship: 2nd

Was this the greatest season ever produced by a driver who didn’t win the championship? There is a compelling argument that it was.

From being more than 100 points down after his home race to losing the title by just two points, Verstappen dragged a volatile Red Bull back into contention through sheer force of performance. He delivered poles and wins that defied belief, finishing the season with more of each than any other driver.

Perhaps most striking was his composure. This was the calmest Verstappen we’ve ever seen — and arguably the most dangerous — as he repeatedly came through the field without drama, unsettling McLaren simply by existing in the fight.

It will be a season talked about for years, and one that reaffirmed Verstappen as head and shoulders the best driver on the grid.