We have reached the end of the 2025 season, and while Max Verstappen may have won the final race, it was Lando Norris taking home the championship. Now it’s time for the 2025 Formula One Driver Rankings.

We have assigned each driver a score from A+ to F- based on performance, taking into account not only individual performance, but also their car’s performance. Take a look at how each driver scored.

Max Verstappen: A

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
421	14	1	7

Some things in life are perennial, like death, taxes, and Max Verstappen being exceptional. The Red Bull driver finished in the points in every race he finished, with just one DNF in Austria.

This was not his most illustrious season, but the back end of the season was exceptional. After his ninth-place finish in Hungary, Verstappen finished on the podium in every single race from then on out.

In fairness, though, Max forced his way into the championship battle not only because he was good, but because McLaren dropped so many points down the final stretch. He will be back pushing hard next year and will be an early favourite for the 2026 World Championship.

Yuki Tsunoda: D

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
33	0	1	0

It’s hard to think of this season as anything but an abject failure from Tsunoda, and were it not for a handful of points earned right at the end of the season, it would have been an F.

The Japanese driver is the latest racer to fall victim to the Red Bull Second Seat Curse, being relegated from a Formula One seat. He will instead be Red Bull’s test driver for next season.

There are definitely two sides to this. On the one hand, the second seat is cursed, and that car is not built for Tsunoda. On the other hand, the fact that he put up such a small points percentage for Red Bull this year is really, really bad.

Fingers crossed, this is just a setback for the Japanese driver, and he finds his way back onto the grid.

Lando Norris: A+

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
423	18	3	7

What a fantastic season for Lando Norris. The new World Champion battled past his teammate, Oscar Piastri, and numerous issues on his way to winning the championship.

Was Lando the best driver that Formula One has seen? Far from it, but sometimes in sports it’s about winning at the right times more than winning all the time. He picked up enough points at the right times to win it all, and that’s what matters. You have to give him an A+ for his season.

Oscar Piastri: A

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
410	15	2	7

Piastri’s drop-off this season will be examined throughout the summer. It looked like he was on track to win the World Championship, but as the season wore on, both his performance and McLaren’s uneven application of the Papaya Rules led to him finishing behind his teammate.

That being said, it’s hard to be upset about seven wins and 15 podiums in a 24-round season. He was a major part of McLaren’s Constructors’ Championship win, and he will be a frontrunner for next year for sure.

He earned every bit of his A rating.

Charles Leclerc: B

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
242	7	3	0

It’s remarkable to think that Charles Leclerc was the better driver at Ferrari this season, but the Monegasque did the best he could while struggling with the car the team provided him.

This season, Leclerc finished in the points in every race he finished except for Silverstone. While he did not pick up a race win, he finished second in Mexico City and in his home race, the Monaco GP.

It’s hard to imagine next year being worse for Ferrari, but any Ferrari, Calgary Flames, or Ted Lasso fan will tell you, “It’s the hope that kills you”. Fingers crossed that the year will be better, but a B performance from Leclerc in the Formula One Driver Rankings.

Lewis Hamilton: C+

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
156	0	3	0

By Lewis Hamilton’s standards, even an F isn’t a poor enough score. However, for us mere mortals, we will give him a C+.

In fairness to Hamilton, he scored points in nearly every race he finished, with the 12th-place finish in Hungary the only race he didn’t score points.

This was going to be a tough transition for Hamilton, who left his long-time home at Mercedes for the iconic Ferrari brand last summer. That transition was not expected to be perfectly smooth, as Hamilton needed to adjust to a new team, new car, and new culture. Still, nobody predicted he would not finish with a single podium finish all year.

Hamilton’s confidence hit rock bottom, and he’s the one driver most excited for the offseason. Next year should be better, but it will take a lot of hard work from both him and the team to get him back to his best.

Isack Hadjar: C

Points earned	Podiums	DNS/DNFs/DSQs	Wins
51	1	2	0

It’s hard to complain about Isack Hadjar’s 2025 season. The rookie driver was excellent for Racing Bulls and finished on the podium once. It’s hard to ask for more.

As good as this year was, the real test will be next season when he races alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. The French driver will have his work cut out for him as he enters the cursed seat.

Given his performance, it’s hard to give him more than a C-, but given his rookie drive this year, we’ll bump him up to a C.

Liam Lawson: D+

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
38	0	5	0

While he started the season alongside Mx Verstappen at Red Bull, he was demoted just two races in to the Racing Bulls team. That was honestly probably the right move for Lawson, as he only got better from there.

His season high was a fifth-place finish at Baku, but he did pick up a handful of points along the way. The RB car was perfect this year, and will likely be even better next year. Now that he is signed back with Racing Bulls for next season, expect the rookie driver to take another step forward. While he probably deserves a D, we’ll bump the rookie up a touch to a D+ in the Formula One Driver Rankings.

Gabriel Bortoleto: D-

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
19	0	5	0

The Sauber was impressively bad this year, but Bortoleto made the most of it. He started slowly but picked up a handful of points in the middle of the season, with his best finish being sixth at Hungary.

You have to expect more from this team next year as Audi takes to the grid, but frankly, I’ll believe it when I see it. A D- for the rookie this year, but it should be worse.

Nico Hulkenberg: C-

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
49	1	3	0

Given how bad the car was, Hulkenberg somehow managed to drag it all the way to the podium at Silverstone, finishing third. Besides that, there were a few points here and there, along with some quick lap times, but the team didn’t give him much to work with.

Given how he did and his production, we’ll give him a C- in the Formula One Driver Rankings. Hopefully, next year will be better.

George Russell: A-

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
319	9	0	2

George Russell had a fantastic season with Mercedes, and honestly did not get enough love and respect for how he did this year. The Mercedes was undoubtedly excellent for him, but to step into the driver’s seat and perform there, plus be a mentor to rookie Kimi Antonelli, is a massive testament to Russell.

On top of that, he was one of the only drivers to start and finish every single race on the grid, and one of the few to earn points in nearly every race this year. It was just an 11th-place finish in Monaco that kept him out of the points in every race this year.

Russell should compete for the Drivers’ Championship next year, and if Antonelli takes a step forward, expect Mercedes to push for the Constructors’ Championship as well.

Kimi Antonelli: B

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
150	3	4	0

What more can you say about Antonelli that hasn’t already been said? He was easily the best rookie driver on the grid, and while some of that is definitely conditioned by being in the Mercedes, the fact that he was on the podium three times is a testament to his skill more than the car’s.

We can talk effusively about his performance, but what was most impressive was how he fought back through struggles in the middle of the year. Between Imola and Silverstone, Antonelli had four DNFs, an 18th place in Monaco, and a surprising 3rd in Montreal. He then went on to finish 16th twice and tenth in Hungary.

But he battled back, finishing in the points in every race but COTA till the end of the season. It’s hard to remember he’s just 19. Drivers older and with more experience have been through this and have struggled to come out the other end. Antonelli did it this season.

While he probably deserves a score more in line with Lewis Hamilton’s, his performance this season as a rookie earns him a B in the Formula One Driver Rankings.

Alex Albon: C

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
73	0	4	0

The comeback kid was very good this year, and while it did not end well in his final few races, he still managed multiple fifth-place finishes. More impressive was how he outperformed teammate Carlos Sainz. A massive testament to his talent.

Where Sainz earned most of his points at the back end of the season, ALbon did the opposite. The two should form an excellent partnership with Williams again next year. To drag the team to fifth in the Constructors Championship is an incredible achievement for the perennial underdog.

Carlos Sainz: C

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
64	1	5	0

It didn’t look promising for Saniz and the Williams team, but the Spanish driver pulled it out at the end of the season. He finished third in Azerbaijan, fifth in Las Vegas, and third in Qatar, snapping up 41 of his 64 points in those three races. A fantastic end to the season.

However, interspersed in there were four DNFs and one DNS. Not great consistency from the smooth operator. Williams has been very good this year, and he’s a big part of why. Fingers crossed, this is the start of something good at Williams.

Ollie Bearman: C-

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
42	0	3	0

It was a tough year for Haas across the board, but Ollie Bearman was the bright spot. The rookie racer was one of the better rookies on the grid this season, with the highlight being his finishing fourth in Mexico.

The future is bright for Bearman, and with the transition to Audi next season, hopefully, he’ll be able to earn his first podium. It’s hard to give him a high score here, but given that he is a rookie and did perform admirably, we’ll bump him up to a C- in the Formula One driver rankings.

Esteban Ocon: D

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
38	0		0

This was a pretty forgettable season for Esteban Ocon. The veteran driver was outdueled by his running mate, and aside from a fifth-place finish in China, there wasn’t much to write home about for him.

Estie Bestie will be back with Audi next season, and just like Bearman, hopefully, the new team name will be a fresh start for him.

Fernando Alonso: C-

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
56	0	5	0

This was a highly inconsistent year for Alonso. He started the year with double DNFs, then didn’t score a single point until Spain. From there, it was a remarkable comeback, with him finishing in the points nearly every race, including a fifth-place finish at Hungary.

While he consistently finished in the points, most of those were ninth and tenth-place finishes. On top of that, when he didn’t finish in points, he more often than not didn’t finish at all. He ended up with five DNFs, including at Monaco.

All the points do add up, but they don’t add up to much. Alonso is an excellent racer, but racing for the smaller budget team at Aston Martin is not going to allow him to become a World Champion again. Now that he’s 44, this is a nice opportunity to remain on the grid and hopefully serve as a mentor to the other drivers on the team.

A C- finish seems reasonable for him this season.

Lance Stroll: D

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
34	0	2	0

Formula 1’s number one nepo baby, Lance Stroll, actually started the year off quite well, finishing the first two races in the points. Unfortunately, aside from a brief stint of three seventh-place finishes in four races, there’s not much more good news here.

Naturally, he will be back on the grid next season, as Aston Martin’s F1 team is owned by his father, Lawrence Stroll. Maybe the new Honda-built engine will be the difference-maker, but for this year, it’s a D finish for Stroll.

Pierre Gasly: D-

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
22	0	3	0

This has been a tough year for Alpine, and it’s hard to see Pierre Gasly as anything more than marginal. The French driver finished sixth at Silverstone, but aside from that, the points were few and far between. Except for Brazil, where he finished 10th, Gasly only finished better than 15th once in the last 11 races. Very poor.

Remarkably, Gasly was the best driver for Alpine this year, and the only one to score a single point all season. He’s going to be back in that car in 2026, and Flavio Briatore said that hopefully the combination of him and Colapinto will “give our fans something to cheer and shout about next season”. Brutal.

Franco Colapinto: F

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Wins
0	0	1	0

The Argentine joined the grid midseason, after replacing Jack Doohan at Alpine. However, he wasn’t much of an upgrade and didn’t score a single point all season. However, he did manage to outqualify his teammate Gasly a few times and showed glimpses of speed.

Alpine has retained his services for another year, and this will likely be a “show me” year for Colapinto. The goal will be to outpace his teammate more consistently and fight his way from the back of the grid to the points.

There were some moments where Colapinto really shone this past season, but they were few and far between. Hopefully, 2026 is better. It’s hard to give him anything more than an F, unfortunately.

Jack Doohan: F-

Points earned	Podiums	DNFs/DSQs	Point share	Wins
0	0	2	0	0

A very forgettable year for Jack Doohan in his first full season. He started the year with Alpine alongside Pierre Gasly and immediately DNFed his first race. After being unable to secure a single point through the first six races, he gave way to Colapinto for the balance of the season.

While Colapinto wasn’t much better, he was the driver Alpine re-signed for next season. Doohan is expected to remain a reserve driver for 2026, but it is unclear whether it is with Alpine or another team.

This is likely not the last time we hear Doohan’s name around the paddock, but it’s clear he needs to show more if he is to see another stint in the big league.

Setting the pace for the 2026 F1 season

This was a great year for Formula 1. With intrigue all the way until the end of the season, the year was exciting, fast-paced, and full of great stories. The drivers have all earned their scores in the 2025 Formula One driver rankings.

The 2026 grid is set: 11 teams, 22 drivers, and 24 races are ready to go. The 2025 season is over, but the 2026 season starts in just under 90 days. Soon it will be lights out, and away we go.