Max wins in the drivers’ vote
He remains the best, Max Verstappen. The team principals said it, the other Circus drivers confirmed it. The Dutchman lost the 2025 world title by two points but for the fifth consecutive season his colleagues voted him ‘Driver of the Year’ in the now traditional survey organized by the official F1 website.
As well as for the team principals’ votethe ‘election’ system is very simple: all drivers are asked to fill out a ranking – naturally anonymously – in which they indicate the best drivers of the season from first to tenth. You are allowed to vote yourself, but those who scrutinized the ballots reported that many did not do so and most of the drivers did not put themselves in first place anyway. The scores assigned – which reflect those of F1 (25 for first, 18 for second, etc.) – ultimately make up a final ranking which is the one you find below.
Sun on pod, Leclerc 5°
Said of Verstappen, who predictably was judged the best, compared to the team principals’ vote, there were some differences, starting from the podium: the world champion Lando Norris confirms his second place also in the pilots’ vote while Oscar Piastri – third in the managers’ vote – in this case he slipped to fourth position.
George Russell surpassed himwhich takes the lowest step of the podium in this particular ranking. It also takes a step forward Charles Leclerc: the Ferrari driver, who surprisingly placed only seventh in the team principals’ vote, this time rose to fifth place Behind him is his former teammate Carlos Sainzwho also in this case was judged to have had a better season than that of his garage mate Alex Albon, despite the Thai scoring more points.
Hamilton and Antonelli outside the top 10
Own Albon represents the only novelty in the top-10 compared to the vote expressed by the managers: the Williams standard bearer placed himself in eighth position, behind the eternal Fernando Alonso and ahead of the rookies Bearman and Hadjar. Hulkenberg out of the top ten positions – who instead had been tenth in the team principals’ vote – and also Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Of the 20 starting drivers who finished the season, 16 voted: the ‘abstentions’ were Hamilton, Stroll, Tsunoda and Hulkenberg. Finally, a curiosity: it is the first time since this survey was carried out that the drivers voted as best a colleague who did not become champion at the end of the season.
Related News :