{"id":361900,"date":"2025-12-21T05:26:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T05:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/361900\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T05:26:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T05:26:13","slug":"f1-2025-awards-as-lando-norris-denied-best-driver-and-lewis-hamilton-wins-for-wrong-reasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/361900\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 2025 awards as Lando Norris denied best driver and Lewis Hamilton wins for wrong reasons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Formula 1 correspondent Daniel Moxon was on duty for all 24 F1 race weekends in 2025 and has now confirmed his awards, from the best driver and team to &#8216;numpty of the year&#8217;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_FIA-Awards-2025.jpg\" alt=\"Lando Norris with his trophy for becoming drivers' champion in the 2025 Formula 1 season\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Lando Norris is the 2025 F1 drivers&#8217; champion but does not win in our end-of-season awards(Image: FIA\/DPPI via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Another <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/formula-1\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Formula 1Link opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Formula 1<\/a> season is in the books and the 2025 campaign proved to be one of the most competitive on record. Except for <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/alpine-f1\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"AlpineLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Alpine<\/a>, who were objectively rubbish, every team was pretty much always in the hunt for points, while <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/mclaren-f1\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"McLarenLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">McLaren<\/a> dominated the constructors&#8217; championship and <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/lando-norris\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Lando NorrisLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Lando Norris<\/a> took the drivers&#8217; title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Though both he and <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/oscar-piastri\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Oscar PiastriLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Oscar Piastri<\/a> were always under threat from the likes of <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/max-verstappen\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Max VerstappenLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Max Verstappen<\/a> and <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/george-russell\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"George RussellLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">George Russell<\/a> who also took multiple race wins each. And there were plenty of star performances from those who weren&#8217;t in contention for race wins and championships, too. Having gone back through the archives, here are our 2025 F1 end-of-season awards.<\/p>\n<p>Driver of the year &#8211; Max Verstappen<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_F1-Grand-Prix-of-Abu-Dhabi.jpg\" alt=\"Max Verstappen celebrates victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with one arm in the air\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Pound-for-pound, Max Verstappen has been the best F1 driver in 2025 (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Blunders of others let him back into the battle, but for the Dutchman to beat one McLaren driver and finish just two points behind the other was outstanding. His eight Grand Prix wins better the totals of both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and, though his reign has ended, Verstappen remains the best in the business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the podium &#8211; George Russell, who won twice for <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/mercedes-f1\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"MercedesLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Mercedes<\/a> in his best F1 season to date, and champion Norris. who showed great mettle to beat team-mate Piastri.<\/p>\n<p>Team of the year &#8211; McLaren<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Their rise is remarkable, just two years on from starting the 2023 season miles off the pace. And now they have won back-to-back constructors&#8217; titles, this time sealing the deal in early October and finishing the year 364 points clear of their nearest competitor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the podium &#8211; <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/williams-f1\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"WilliamsLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Williams<\/a>, who went from just 17 points scored in 2024 to 137 and a comfortable fifth-placed finish this term, and Mercedes, who won a very competitive battle with <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/red-bull-f1\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Red BullLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Red Bull<\/a> and <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/ferrari-f1\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"FerrariLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Ferrari<\/a> for second place.<\/p>\n<p>Race of the year &#8211; British GP<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_F1-Grand-Prix-of-Great-Britain.jpg\" alt=\"Lando Norris holds his winner's trophy for victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Lando Norris won the British Grand Prix for the first time in an entertaining Silverstone race(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Silverstone always delivers, especially when there&#8217;s rain, and this year was no different. Changeable weather meant strategy blunders, plenty of crashes and some thrilling racing at the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/british-grand-prix\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"British Grand PrixLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">British Grand Prix<\/a>, capped in the end by Norris delivering for 500,000 fans and also <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/nico-hulkenberg\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Nico HulkenbergLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Nico Hulkenberg<\/a> finally getting that first F1 podium.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the podium &#8211; Australian GP, also rain-soaked and chaotic, and Bahrain GP, with lots of close fights behind Piastri who won with one of his best F1 performances.<\/p>\n<p>Overtake of the year &#8211; Verstappen on Norris at Zandvoort<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">I still don&#8217;t know how Verstappen didn&#8217;t put his Red Bull into the wall as he went around the outside of Norris at turn two, suffering a snap of oversteer before not only regaining control but still keeping the place ahead of the McLaren.<\/p>\n<p>Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the podium &#8211; Verstappen on Piastri in Imola, which prompted one of the loudest gasps I&#8217;ve ever heard in an F1 media centre, and Piastri on Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne, a particularly gutsy move around the outside at the high-speed chicane.<\/p>\n<p>Rookie of the year &#8211; Isack Hadjar<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A tough category but <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/isack-hadjar\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Isack HadjarLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Isack Hadjar<\/a> just pips it for how he responded to crashing on the formation lap of his debut in Melbourne. It would have crushed most youngsters but the Frenchman consistently qualified well, was almost always a points threat and produced a stunning drive to the podium at Zandvoort. Best of luck against Verstappen in the main Red Bull team in 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the podium &#8211; <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/andrea-kimi-antonelli\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Kimi AntonelliLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Kimi Antonelli<\/a>, who had a rough European season but started and ended his debut season in superb form, and <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/oliver-bearman\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Oliver BearmanLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Oliver Bearman<\/a>, who took time to bed in but really found his groove after the summer break.<\/p>\n<p>Flop of the year &#8211; Lewis Hamilton<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_F1-Grand-Prix-of-Abu-Dhabi-Qualifying.jpg\" alt=\"Lewis Hamilton looks down during an interview while speaking into a microphone\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Lewis Hamilton suffered a very difficult year(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A dreadful debut season for <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/lewis-hamilton\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Lewis HamiltonLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Lewis Hamilton<\/a> at Ferrari is surely the biggest disappointment in all of British sport this year, perhaps rivalled only by the current capitulation England&#8217;s cricketers Down Under in a grim Ashes series. For all the understandable pre-season hype, his Shanghai Sprint win in March was one of very few highlights and feels a long time ago. The seven-time champ was left begging for the season to end and more such misery next term would be a desperately painful end to a glittering career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the podium &#8211; <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/yuki-tsunoda\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Yuki TsunodaLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Yuki Tsunoda<\/a>, who was hampered at Red Bull but being outscored by both drivers in the junior team is embarrassing, and Alpine, who put all their development focus on 2026 and their shocking results this year showed it.<\/p>\n<p>Most improved &#8211; Carlos Sainz<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He took a while to bed in at Williams but a maiden podium in Baku kick-started a strong run to end the season. Who would have thought at the beginning of the year that <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/carlos-sainz\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Carlos SainzLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Carlos Sainz<\/a> would end it with two Grand Prix podiums while Hamilton, for whom the Spaniard was booted out of Ferrari, managed none?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_F1-Grand-Prix-of-Qatar.jpg\" alt=\"Carlos Sainz is held aloft by Williams colleagues in front of his pit garage after the Qatar Grand Prix\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Carlos Sainz managed two podiums in he second half of his maiden season with Williams(Image: LAT Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the podium &#8211; Bearman, who showed Ferrari he&#8217;s ready to take over from Hamilton with a strong late-season run, and Antonelli, who overcame a mid-season wobble to push team-mate Russell hard.<\/p>\n<p>Numpty of the year &#8211; John Elkann<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Nothing better demonstrates how far removed from reality Ferrari&#8217;s top brass are than <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/formula-1\/elkann-hamilton-leclerc-talk-less-36222183\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"chairman Elkann&#039;s claim in November that everything is fine at Maranello, other than the drivers who should &quot;focus on driving and talk less&quot;Link opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">chairman Elkann&#8217;s claim in November that everything is fine at Maranello, other than the drivers who should &#8220;focus on driving and talk less&#8221;<\/a>. F1&#8217;s grand old team will win nothing while the heads of its leaders remain buried in the sand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On the podium &#8211; FIA president <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/mohammed-ben-sulayem\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Mohammed ben SulayemLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Mohammed ben Sulayem<\/a>, whose political manoeuvring <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/formula-1\/fia-election-mohammed-ben-sulayem-36391126\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"reduced last week&#039;s FIA presidential &#039;election&#039; to little more than a farcical coronationLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">reduced last week&#8217;s FIA presidential &#8216;election&#8217; to little more than a farcical coronation<\/a>, and the marshals on the track in Mexico, who <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/formula-1\/liam-lawson-marshals-mexico-gp-36137092\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"ran in front of Liam Lawson&#039;s carLink opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">ran in front of Liam Lawson&#8217;s car<\/a> under racing conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package<\/p>\n<p>This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/affiliates\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Untitled-7jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a343<\/p>\n<p>\u00a335<\/p>\n<p>Sky<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=11005&amp;awinaffid=213635&amp;platform=dl&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fdeals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Get Sky Sports here<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky&#8217;s new <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=11005&amp;awinaffid=213635&amp;platform=dl&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fdeals\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Essential TV and Sky Sports<\/a> bundle in a new deal that saves \u00a3192.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Formula 1 correspondent Daniel Moxon was on duty for all 24 F1 race weekends in 2025 and has&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[197170,12295,64,63,16482,197169,13473,4971,15263,817,813,816,3875,10114,1737,823,825,2736,13474,10952,5242,85,197168,5077],"class_list":["post-361900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-alpine-f1","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-grand-prix","tag-bahrain-grand-prix","tag-british-grand-prix","tag-carlos-sainz","tag-dutch-grand-prix","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-george-russell","tag-isack-hadjar","tag-lando-norris","tag-lewis-hamilton","tag-max-verstappen","tag-mclaren-f1","tag-mercedes-f1","tag-mohammed-ben-sulayem","tag-oliver-bearman","tag-sports","tag-williams-f1","tag-yuki-tsunoda"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}