Verstappen Voted Season's Best, Hamilton Notably Absent from Team Bosses' Top 10
Max Verstappen was voted the best driver of the season by F1 team principals, while Lewis Hamilton was surprisingly left out of the top ten entirely after a difficult first year at Ferrari.
In a surprising end-of-season assessment by F1 team principals, Max Verstappen has been voted the top driver of 2025, while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was conspicuously absent from the top ten. The ranking highlights a challenging debut season for Hamilton at Ferrari, marked by the first podium-less year of his illustrious career. Verstappen's placement at number one, ahead of newly crowned world champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, solidifies his standing as a benchmark of performance despite not winning the title.
Why it matters:
- The team principals' vote serves as a unique peer review, reflecting the perceptions of those with the most comprehensive data on driver performance, feedback, and work ethic.
- Hamilton's omission is a stark indicator of how his difficult transition to Ferrari was viewed internally across the grid, marking a significant moment in the career of a driver who has been a fixture in the top tier for over a decade.
- For Verstappen, being ranked above the actual world champion underscores the raw pace and consistency he demonstrated throughout the season, reinforcing his reputation as the driver to beat.
The details:
- The Top Three: Verstappen secured the top spot, followed by world champion Lando Norris in second and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in third, highlighting a dominant season for the Woking-based team.
- Hamilton's Ferrari Struggle: The British driver's first season with the Scuderia was defined by inconsistency and a lack of podium finishes, a first in his F1 career, leading to his exclusion from the list.
- Verstappen's Off-Season: The four-time world champion is already on his break, with flight data showing he flew to Brazil to holiday with partner Kelly Piquet. He had previously stated on the Talking Bull podcast, "I really need it."
- Villeneuve's View: Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve offered his own take, naming Williams and Sauber as the most "under-the-radar" performers of the season for their respective campaigns.
Looking Ahead:
The 2025 season's conclusion sets the stage for a pivotal 2026 campaign. For Hamilton and Ferrari, the team principals' ranking provides a clear benchmark and a source of motivation as they head into a winter of development ahead of the new regulations. The seven-time champion will be eager to silence the critics and return to his customary place at the front of the grid, while the Scuderia aims to provide a car capable of competing for wins.