Team bosses crown Verstappen 2025’s best driver as Hamilton tumbles out of top 10
Max Verstappen didn’t leave 2025 empty‑handed. Despite missing the championship by two points to Lando Norris, the Red Bull star was voted the season’s best driver by Formula 1’s team principals, extending his streak in the poll to five years on the bounce.
The result lands at the end of a season that had the feel of a heavyweight bout going the distance. Verstappen hauled himself from 104 points down to take the fight to a winner‑takes‑all finale in Abu Dhabi, won the race, and strung together three on the spin to close the year. Norris, however, had done just enough. The McLaren driver leaves with the big silverware; Verstappen, with the pit wall’s nod of respect.
The annual vote, conducted by Formula 1, asks each team boss to anonymously rank their top 10 drivers of the season using the standard points system (25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1). Eight of the 10 teams submitted ballots this time; Red Bull and Ferrari sat it out. The rest—among them McLaren, Mercedes, Williams, Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Haas, Sauber and Alpine—sent in their lists.
When the numbers were tallied, Verstappen came out on top ahead of the new world champion. Oscar Piastri, who led the standings for long stretches in a breakout sophomore campaign, was third. George Russell’s sharp, mistake‑light year netted him fourth.
There were big swings further down. Fernando Alonso surged to fifth, a four‑place bump on last season’s vote. Carlos Sainz slotted in sixth after a gritty first season at Williams. Charles Leclerc slipped to seventh after a streaky run in the Ferrari, while Lewis Hamilton—seventh in this poll a year ago—was pushed out of the top 10 altogether after a bruising first campaign in red.
Two rookies muscled their way in: Oliver Bearman in eighth after a hugely composed debut season with Haas, and Isack Hadjar ninth with Racing Bulls. Nico Hülkenberg, a steady hand at Sauber, rounded out the list.
The 2025 team principals’ top 10
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Lando Norris, McLaren
3. Oscar Piastri, McLaren (+1 vs 2024)
4. George Russell, Mercedes (+2)
5. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (+4)
6. Carlos Sainz, Williams (-1)
7. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (-4)
8. Oliver Bearman, Haas (new)
9. Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls (new)
10. Nico Hülkenberg, Sauber (-2)
There’s always debate about what these rankings truly measure. Strip away the machinery, factor in context, and you’re left with something closer to a driver’s “pound‑for‑pound” season. On that scale, Verstappen’s relentless late‑year form clearly resonated. Norris, title in hand, still earned near‑universal praise—but the bosses saw a Verstappen campaign that demanded attention even without the crown.
McLaren’s double appearance in the top three tells its own story: two drivers pushing each other, rarely off the front foot. Russell’s P4 underlines how cleanly he executed in a season where Mercedes made fewer headlines but more headway. Alonso’s jump is classic Alonso—craft, economy, and a knack for turning slim chances into fat points.
Sainz at six is noteworthy. Swapping front‑running expectations for a Williams rebuild could’ve buried him; instead, he made himself essential. Leclerc’s slide to seven reflects a Ferrari that never quite found the sweet spot often enough. And Hamilton’s omission? It looks brutal in print, but the first year of a big switch can bruise even the best—especially when the car leaves you hanging on Sundays. The paddock memory is long when you win, short when you don’t.
As ever, the list is as much conversation starter as it is recognition. Drivers will insist the only title that matters is the one Norris just lifted. True. But ask around any garage and you’ll hear it: when the people who live and breathe performance say you were the season’s standout, it counts for something.
Verstappen walks away with exactly that. Norris walks away a world champion. And 2025, a year that asked all the right questions, ends with answers that’ll keep the off‑season buzzing.
