Formula 1 News: Aggregated Top-10 of 2025 – Verstappen still the best

In the high-octane world of Formula 1, 2025 will be remembered as a season of redemption, rookies, and raw talent triumphing over machinery. Lando Norris etched his name in history by clinching the Drivers’ Championship for McLaren, edging out the competition with a razor-thin two-point margin over Max Verstappen in a nail-biting Abu Dhabi finale.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

But beneath the confetti and champagne, a different narrative emerged from the paddock’s insiders and experts: Max Verstappen, piloting what many deemed an “inferior” Red Bull RB21 plagued by volatility and early-season woes, was unanimously hailed as the standout performer of the year.

Related Article: Norris won the title, but everyone knows Verstappen the real champion

The story begins in the shadows of Red Bull’s garage, where Verstappen faced an uphill battle from the start. The RB21, once a dominant force, struggled with balance issues and lacked the outright pace of McLaren’s MCL60 or Mercedes’ resurgent W16. As Goodwood’s analysis pointed out, Verstappen’s car was “not worthy of some of his drives” early on, forcing him into defensive modes and come-from-behind heroics. Yet, the Dutchman rattled off eight wins and eight poles, including a stunning recovery from over 100 points down after his home Dutch Grand Prix to nearly snatch the title.

Speedcafe lauded this as “arguably the greatest season by a driver who didn’t win the championship,” emphasizing how Verstappen’s composure turned a “volatile” car into a contender. Even Flashscore noted he achieved the most wins and poles “despite being in a much worse car than Norris and Piastri.”

The turning point came post-summer break, when Red Bull rectified the RB21’s faults. Verstappen unleashed a barrage of podiums and victories, unsettling McLaren’s duo and dragging his team back into the fight. His peers, in the exclusive drivers’ poll hosted by Formula1.com, voted him Driver of the Year for the fifth consecutive time, recognizing his “remarkable fightback” in the season’s final stint.

Team principals echoed this sentiment, ranking him first despite the hardware disadvantage. One blemish? A controversial collision with George Russell in Spain, where Verstappen “lost his head” and incurred a penalty that cost crucial points. But that moment only humanized the imperious driver, who otherwise delivered “poles and wins that defied belief.”

Meanwhile, Norris’s championship run was a masterclass in consistency, bolstered by McLaren’s superior car. Yet, in expert eyes, it was Verstappen’s ability to extract magic from mediocrity that set him apart. As the season wrapped, a chorus of rankings from respected outlets and insiders solidified this view. Autosport’s writers placed him atop their list, praising his all-around brilliance. Even in fan-influenced polls like Clip The Apex, where Norris edged him out, Verstappen’s resilience shone through.

To determine the overall consensus, we scoured the web for all major published top-10 rankings of 2025 F1 drivers, excluding user-generated content like Reddit . This yielded six key sources: Autosport Writers, F1 Team Principals, F1 Drivers’ Vote, Goodwood, Speedcafe. Each list was compiled into a comparison table below for transparency.

Compiled Top-10 F1 Drivers of 2025

Based on a comprehensive web search, I’ve compiled top-10 rankings from key published sources on the 2025 F1 season. These include the official championship standings (for reference) and subjective rankings from motorsport outlets and insider polls. The sources represent a balanced distribution: expert analyses (Autosport Writers, The Athletic, Speedcafe, Goodwood) and insider votes (Team Principals, Drivers’ Vote).

Overall Top-10 F1 Drivers of 2025

To aggregate an overall ranking, I assigned points using the F1 system (25 for 1st, 18 for 2nd, 15 for 3rd, 12 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 8 for 6th, 6 for 7th, 4 for 8th, 2 for 9th, 1 for 10th) across the **six subjective sources only** (excluding official standings). Drivers not in a list score 0 for that source. Ties were broken by number of top-10 appearances, then highest single position achieved.