Charles Leclerc overlooked by F1 team principals despite strong 2025 campaign
Formula 1 has published the team principal rankings for the top drivers of the 2025 season, revealing some surprising choices that have sparked debate among fans and analysts alike. While the annual assessment highlights Max Verstappen as the leading driver for the fifth consecutive year, it seems that Charles Leclerc’s remarkable performances have been undervalued by those on the pit wall.
Max Verstappen’s season was defined by his relentless pursuit of a fifth world championship, with the Red Bull driver showing incredible resilience even when faced with technical challenges. Despite operating in less-than-optimal machinery at times, Verstappen leveraged Red Bull’s strategic upgrades and superior development throughout the season, maintaining his position as one of the most formidable drivers on the grid. Not surprisingly, team principals ranked him as the best driver of 2025, ahead of Lando Norris, who finished as the runner-up in both the championship and the end-of-year evaluation.
However, the rankings raised eyebrows when it came to Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver who delivered one of the most consistently impressive campaigns of the year. The Monegasque driver was placed only seventh by the team principals, trailing Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, who occupied fifth and sixth positions respectively. For a driver who repeatedly extracted maximum performance from Ferrari’s challenging machinery, this assessment seems to downplay his true impact on the season.
Charles Leclerc’s superiority over his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton was stark throughout 2025. In qualifying sessions, Charles Leclerc outperformed Hamilton by 19-5, and his dominance was even more pronounced during race day, where he secured an 18-3 advantage. This one-sided intra-team battle highlights Charles Leclerc’s exceptional racecraft and adaptability, proving that he consistently maximized the Scuderia’s performance despite the car’s limitations.
Moreover, the 28-year-old was Ferrari’s only driver to secure podium finishes in 2025, achieving this feat seven times across the season. He was also the only Ferrari driver to clinch pole positions, further underlining his role as the team’s standout performer. These accomplishments emphasize that, while Ferrari faced an overall frustrating campaign, Charles Leclerc’s personal performance remained at an elite level, showcasing his skill, consistency, and ability to perform under pressure.
In comparison, Fernando Alonso, who drove for Aston Martin in 2025, was noted as the most improved driver by the team principals. Alonso climbed four places in the rankings compared to 2024, moving from ninth to fifth among his peers. While Alonso had a strong season, he only began scoring points from the ninth round at his home Grand Prix in Barcelona, ending the year with a total of 56 points compared to 70 points in 2024. Although Alonso’s improvement was recognized, the consistency and competitiveness demonstrated by Charles Leclerc arguably warrant higher recognition.
Carlos Sainz, who switched to Williams ahead of the 2025 season, also faced challenges adapting to new machinery. Despite finishing sixth in the team principal rankings, Carlos Sainz only began to find form in the latter half of the year, securing two podiums. When compared to Charles Leclerc’s consistent top-level performances throughout the season, the case for the Monegasque being the more reliable and impactful driver becomes clear.
Ultimately, the 2025 team principal rankings highlight Max Verstappen’s dominance and recognize the improvement of Fernando Alonso, but they appear to undervalue Charles Leclerc’s exceptional campaign. Despite Ferrari’s struggles, Charles Leclerc consistently delivered results that exceeded the car’s potential, demonstrating a combination of speed, precision, and strategic intelligence that arguably should have placed him higher in the rankings. For F1 fans and analysts, the debate over the true value of Charles Leclerc’s 2025 season is unlikely to fade anytime soon, particularly as he continues to show why he remains one of the sport’s brightest talents heading into future championships.
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