The best and the worst of the 2025 Formula 1 season, with Ferrari among the biggest disappointments: a full list of the top and flop performers from the recently concluded championship.
As the year draws to a close, it is time to take stock and look back at what we have witnessed: which teams and drivers failed to live up to expectations, and who instead managed to surprise? The 2025 Formula 1 season delivered plenty of highs and lows, eventually crowning McLaren as constructors’ world champions for the second consecutive year.
The fight for the drivers’ world championship went down to the very last race, with an intense battle between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. In the end, it was Norris who came out on top: the British driver, born in 1999, will race next season with the iconic number 1 on his car, leaving behind the number 4 that had defined him throughout his career so far.
Among the disappointments of the season, Ferrari cannot be left out. The Scuderia had promised to fight for both world titles, only to barely manage podium finishes with a single driver, Charles Leclerc, over the course of the entire year.
The best of the 2025 Formula 1 season
Best team: McLaren
McLaren confirmed itself as the winning team of 2025. Managing both drivers, two strong personalities like Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, was far from easy. There were ups and downs throughout the season that put Andrea Stella’s squad and the temperaments of his two leading drivers under severe pressure. The most dramatic episode was the double disqualification in Las Vegas, which cost Norris precious points in the title fight.
Despite everything, the so-called papaya boys secured the constructors’ world championship with six races still remaining. With Ferrari slipping back and unable to challenge them as it had done the previous year, Stella and his team continued to develop the car, eventually winning 14 races out of 24 across the season.
Best drivers: Verstappen, Russell and Norris
Fighting for the world championship and losing it by just two points? Only Max Verstappen could manage such a feat. And to think that he did not even believe in it at the beginning of the season. It is not the car that makes the four-time world champion one of the strongest drivers on the grid, if not the strongest of all. It is Verstappen himself: consistent, combative, and relentless. Despite a few mistakes, such as the penalty in Spain following his incident with George Russell, he went from trailing the championship by 104 points to closing the gap in just a handful of races. Even without the title, he has nothing left to prove.
Lando Norris showed clear growth compared to last year. At the start of the season he made too many small errors, especially in direct comparison with Verstappen, but after the summer break he learned from those mistakes and matured significantly. When it mattered most, Norris delivered. It was not a perfect season, but the final result rewarded him, handing him the world championship by a margin of just two points.
George Russell was one of the most consistent drivers of the 2025 season and arguably the one who made the fewest mistakes. All he needs is a competitive car, because the British driver, born in 1998, has shown that he is truly ready to fight for a world title.
Biggest surprise of the year: Williams
It is jokingly referred to as the “Carlos Sainz effect”, because wherever the Spanish driver goes, he seems able to help develop the team to a higher level. Williams began the 2025 season in a transitional phase, focusing primarily on preparations for the following year and the introduction of the new technical regulations. No one would have expected podium finishes, let alone the kind of progress the team managed to achieve during the season.
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz proved to be a pairing that works on track. While the Thai driver delivered one of the best seasons of his Formula 1 career, scoring 73 points to finish eighth in the standings, the Spaniard brought experience and quality, ending the year with 64 points in ninth place overall.
Two podiums, in Baku and Qatar, plus a sprint podium in Austin, were the result of a long and methodical process of adaptation and consistency, allowing Williams to mature and improve. There are still some strategic mistakes to iron out, but the outlook for 2026 is positive for the team led by James Vowles. Thanks to the Mercedes power unit, approved by the FIA despite the frustrations of rival teams, the historic squad founded by Frank Williams can realistically aim for concrete results, such as fighting for top-five finishes in races.
Best rookie: Hadjar
Isack Hadjar’s rookie season began in disastrous fashion. A spin in Australia, the consoling hug with Anthony Hamilton, Lewis Hamilton’s father, and then, slowly, the new Racing Bulls driver found his footing. Over the course of the season, Hadjar steadily improved: his first podium at Zandvoort and his impressive consistency in qualifying became his trademarks.
He was eliminated in Q1 only twice all season and clearly outperformed his team-mate Liam Lawson. For these reasons, Hadjar earned a promotion to Red Bull. With Yuki Tsunoda leaving the team, he will become Max Verstappen’s new team-mate in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The worst of the 2025 Formula 1 season
Biggest disappointment: Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton
The marriage of the year turned out to be a failure, and there is no point denying it. The results speak for themselves. Last year Ferrari secured five victories, three with Charles Leclerc and two with Carlos Sainz. This year, none. Last season Ferrari achieved 22 podium finishes, 13 with Leclerc and nine with Sainz. This year, just seven, all of them with Leclerc.
The worst Ferrari season remains 2014, with only two podiums scored by Fernando Alonso, but the comparison is still alarming. Ferrari went from fighting for the world championship to finishing fourth in the constructors’ standings. It was a significant step backwards that demands serious reflection.
Ferrari failed to provide a competitive car for both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. While the Monegasque driver managed to salvage what he could, the seven-time world champion never truly adapted. For the first time in his 19-year Formula 1 career, the British driver did not score a single podium finish during the season. He clearly still needs time within the team. With a bit of luck, his skills and experience may be fully utilised next year. Whether Ferrari will be able to deliver a winning car to both drivers is, of course, another question entirely.
Worst team and worst driver: Alpine and Colapinto
The much-talked-about “Briatore cure” did not work. Under the guidance of the Italian entrepreneur, who took on the role of executive advisor in 2024, the French team had initially been revitalised, with results highlighted by a double podium in Brazil. This year, however, those positive signs disappeared.
Alpine finished the 2025 season last in the constructors’ championship with just 22 points, all scored by Pierre Gasly. He initially partnered rookie Jack Doohan, who was dropped after only five races. Franco Colapinto was brought in as his replacement.
The Argentine driver had impressed during his debut season with Williams the previous year, but at Alpine he never managed to adapt to the car. It is no coincidence that he was the only driver on the grid to finish the season without scoring a single point.
Colapinto brings financial backing and sponsors and will remain alongside Gasly next year. Flavio Briatore is clearly looking to the future. In 2026, Alpine will be powered by Mercedes engines and hopes to return to the glory days of the Renault era, when the team was at the very top with Fernando Alonso as world champion.
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