Team Principals Name Verstappen 2025's Best Driver, Despite Norris Title
Lando Norris won the 2025 F1 title, but team principals voted Max Verstappen as the best driver for the fifth straight year in an anonymous poll, highlighting a divide between the championship and peer perception.
Lando Norris may have clinched the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, but in the eyes of his rivals, he's not the season's best driver. In an anonymous vote by team principals for the official F1 website, Max Verstappen was once again named the driver of the year, marking his fifth consecutive win in the prestigious poll despite finishing second in the standings.
Why it matters:
This vote reveals a significant divide between the championship outcome and the perception of pure driving ability within the paddock. For team principals, factors like consistency, error-free performance, and extracting the maximum from the car often outweigh the final points tally, affirming Verstappen's status as the benchmark driver in Formula 1.
The details:
- Verstappen's Reign: The Dutchman secures his fifth straight team principal vote, solidifying his reputation as the grid's most respected talent.
- Champion's Standing: Norris finishes as the runner-up in the vote, the same position he held in 2024.
- McLaren's Strength: Oscar Piastri takes third place, improving on his 2024 ranking after leading the championship for a significant portion of the season.
- Notable Risers: Fernando Alonso makes the biggest jump, moving up four spots to fifth by consistently maximizing his Aston Martin. George Russell also climbs into fourth place.
- Surprising Slips: Charles Leclerc drops four places to seventh, while Carlos Sainz falls to sixth. Nico Hülkenberg also slides back to tenth.
- Rookie Impact: Oliver Bearman (8th) and Isack Hadjar (9th) impress in their first full seasons, immediately breaking into the top 10.
- The Omitted: Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly fail to make the top 10 list.
Looking Ahead:
The results of this peer-driven vote set a compelling narrative for the 2026 season. While Norris has the championship trophy, Verstappen retains the unofficial title of the grid's most complete driver. The strong performances of the rookies and the continued respect for veterans like Alonso suggest a fiercely competitive landscape ahead, where driver talent remains as critical as ever.