Formula 1 News: Lando Norris Loses to Max Verstappen in Team Principals’ Rankings
Despite winning the 2025 World Drivers’ Championship, Lando Norris was ranked behind Max Verstappen in the annual top-10 vote by Formula 1 team principals.
In an exclusive poll published by Formula 1, team bosses from across the grid submitted their personal rankings of the season’s top 10 drivers.
Despite securing the title by the narrowest of margins, Norris was placed behind Max Verstappen, who was voted driver of the year for the fifth consecutive season, highlighting how team principals weighed overall racecraft and performance across 24 rounds and the fact they knew Verstappen was driving an inferior car to Norris.
Verstappen’s consistency and late-season surge impressed the team principals enough to place him above the champion, even though he ended runner-up in the standings by just two points.
Lewis Hamilton did not even rank in the top-10.
The team principals who took part in the vote were:
- McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella,
- Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff,
- Williams Team Principal James Vowles,
- Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane,
- Aston Martin’s Senior Leadership Team,
- Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu,
- Sauber Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley
- Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen.
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