After a colorful 2025 Formula 1 season, it’s time to take stock of the drivers’ performances. It’s not just the editorial team of Motorsport.com that is tackling this, but also the enthusiasts who had their say through a rating tool. Buckle up, as the final ranking is full of surprises!
The average ratings from the editorial team
As last year, the highest average rating awarded by the editorial team did not go to the world champion. In 2024, we witnessed a perfect tie between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, who outscored Max Verstappen by 0.33. But in 2025, it’s Verstappen who takes the lead, ahead of Norris by 0.27.
The four winning drivers of the season occupy the top four spots in this ranking, with Leclerc as the “best of the rest.” He is the only driver to achieve an average score of 7.50 or higher. As in the drivers’ standings, Alex Albon emerges as the highest-ranked driver outside the top 4 teams, placing ahead of Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman.
It is noteworthy that the editorial team gave an average score of 5.59 to Lewis Hamilton, a performance even worse than last year (5.96). In total, four drivers failed to reach the average, including Yuki Tsunoda, driving for Red Bull in 22 Grands Prix, and Lance Stroll, who achieved exactly the same average as last year (4.67).
The average ratings from the readers
On the readers’ side, while the highest average rating also goes to Verstappen, the order in the rest of the top 5 is significantly different. Thus, Piastri outpaces Norris and Leclerc gains the upper hand over Russell. Additionally, Nico Hülkenberg ranks well among voters, being the one for whom the gap in positions is the most spectacular.
It is interesting to observe where the largest gaps in average ratings lie. Generally, readers are a bit harsher, although most of the time, the differences with the editorial team hardly exceed 0.25, in either direction.
On the other hand, the two British drivers in the top 5 were rated lower by the readers. Norris thus received 0.39 less than the editorial rating, while Russell, for whom a similar phenomenon had already been noted last year, lost 0.43. This leads to the suggestion that they don’t have the right passport…
Jokes aside, outside the top 5, Antonelli (+0.34) and Hülkenberg (+0.40) are among those who were clearly rated better by the readers. If we look at the ratings outside the top 10, we find two popular drivers who also benefited from a much more generous rating from voters: Fernando Alonso (+0.48, the largest gap) and Lewis Hamilton (+0.39). Finally, Liam Lawson appears as the highest-rated by the editorial team with a positive gap of 0.30.
To discover the full rankings and ratings, feel free to check the results on the dedicated Formula 1 page.
