{"id":214052,"date":"2026-01-03T01:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T01:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/214052\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T01:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T01:01:26","slug":"f1-news-ranking-the-top-10-f1-drivers-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/214052\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 news: Ranking the Top 10 F1 drivers of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Ranking
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSpeedcafe brings you its 10 best F1 drivers in 2025. Image: Sam Muller<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

With standout campaigns across the top teams, several spots in our top 10 were quickly settled. Selecting the remaining drivers \u2014 particularly from the midfield \u2014 required a deeper look across all 24 races, with a number of strong performers, including several impressive rookies, ultimately missing out.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, here is our ranking of the top 10 drivers of 2025.<\/p>\n

10. Nico Hulkenberg \u2013 Sauber<\/p>\n

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Best finish: 3rd
Championship: 11th<\/p>\n

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\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

He scored 51 points himself \u2014 nearly triple Sauber\u2019s combined total from the previous two seasons \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 a promising sign as Sauber prepares to transition into Audi\u2019s full works operation.<\/p>\n

9. Pierre Gasly \u2013 Alpine<\/p>\n

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Best finish: 6th\u00a0
Championship: 18th<\/p>\n

Gasly\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Alpine was widely regarded as the slowest car on the grid, particularly over race distance, yet Gasly scored 22 points \u2014 the second car scored none. Neither Jack Doohan nor Franco Colapinto reached Q3 or collected points, underscoring how much Gasly carried the team.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Arguably, this was Gasly\u2019s finest season as an F1 driver purely on merit.<\/p>\n

8. Alex Albon \u2013 Williams<\/p>\n

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Best finish: 5th
Championship: 8th<\/p>\n

Alex Albon\u2019s season was sharply divided, but the quality of his opening phase was impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 surge to fifth in the constructors\u2019 championship \u2014 its best result in nearly a decade. During that stretch, Albon contributed the bulk of the team\u2019s points and held a clear edge over new teammate Carlos Sainz.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

7. Carlos Sainz \u2013 Williams<\/p>\n

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Best finish: 3rd
Championship: 9th<\/p>\n

Carlos Sainz\u2019s first season at Williams was uneven, but it finished emphatically.<\/p>\n

The year began as a struggle, with various circumstances limiting his momentum while Albon appeared to have the upper hand. While Sainz\u2019s underlying pace was evident, execution and adaptation to midfield racing curtailed his results through the opening half.<\/p>\n

That dynamic flipped decisively later in the year. Two grand prix podiums, a sprint podium, and a front-row start in Azerbaijan \u2014 which for much of qualifying looked like a famous pole position \u2014 marked a strong second-half resurgence. His driving in that phase ranked among the best on the grid.<\/p>\n

If Williams\u2019 long-term development pays off, Sainz could emerge as a dark horse in 2026, anchoring a very strong driver line-up alongside Albon.<\/p>\n

6. Fernando Alonso \u2013 Aston Martin<\/p>\n

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Best finish: 5th
Championship: 10th<\/p>\n

Fernando Alonso once again punched above his weight in 2025, even if the season began awkwardly.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 only two fewer than Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari \u2014 highlighted how consistently he extracted performance from a car that often appeared the second worst on the grid.<\/p>\n

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

5. Charles Leclerc \u2013 Ferrari<\/p>\n

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Best finish: 2nd
Poles: 1
Championship: 5th<\/p>\n

In a difficult year for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc once again demonstrated his value.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 championship. He was almost always present in the fight, often outperforming the car\u2019s natural position.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It was a clear case of a driver at the peak of his powers extracting results that the car did not naturally deserve.<\/p>\n

4. Lando Norris \u2013 McLaren<\/p>\n

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Wins: 7
Poles: 7
Championship: 1st<\/p>\n

Placing the world champion fourth is controversial, but Lando Norris\u2019 2025 season was not flawless.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s misfortunes after the Dutch Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

A significant points drop from the Zandvoort weekend onwards proved costly, and it wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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

3. Oscar Piastri \u2013 McLaren<\/p>\n

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Wins: 7
Poles: 6
Championship: 3rd<\/p>\n

For much of 2025, Oscar Piastri looked like the most complete driver on the grid.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Baku weekend proved the flashpoint. Two crashes \u2014 including his first race retirement of the year \u2014 triggered a painful stretch for the young Australian. The next five races became a \u2018what could have been\u2019 as momentum slipped away at exactly the wrong time. Strong finishes in Qatar and Abu Dhabi demonstrated his resilience, but the damage was done.<\/p>\n

Across the full season, Piastri arguably held a slight edge over Norris \u2014 he simply fell away when it mattered most.<\/p>\n

2. George Russell \u2013 Mercedes<\/p>\n

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Wins: 2
Poles: 2
Championship: 4th<\/p>\n

George Russell produced the most complete and consistent season of his Formula 1 career.<\/p>\n

He completed an astonishing 99.9 percent of race laps \u2014 missing perfection only due to a Monaco penalty \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Victories in Canada and Singapore showcased his ability to dominate when conditions allowed, while his calm resilience in flashpoint moments \u2014 notably Spain against Verstappen \u2014 highlighted his growing authority.<\/p>\n

Having firmly assumed leadership within Mercedes, Russell now looks ready to fight for a title if the machinery arrives.<\/p>\n

1. Max Verstappen \u2013 Red Bull<\/p>\n

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Wins: 8
Poles: 8
Championship: 2nd<\/p>\n

Was this the greatest season ever produced by a driver who didn\u2019t win the championship? There is a compelling argument that it was.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most striking was his composure. This was the calmest Verstappen we\u2019ve ever seen \u2014 and arguably the most dangerous \u2014 as he repeatedly came through the field without drama, unsettling McLaren simply by existing in the fight.<\/p>\n

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


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