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.

Former Williams driver Logan Sargeant is set to return to the cockpit at the end of January, when he competes in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

His seat was handed to Franco Colapinto, who went on to impress with a string of strong results and ultimately secured a full-time drive with Alpine at the start of 2025, replacing Jack Doohan.

In November 2024, he carried out a private test with Meyer Shank Racing at The Thermal Club, getting his first taste of an IndyCar in a closed-door outing. However, the test has yet to open the door to a race seat, with no concrete proposal emerging.

Photo: Race Pictures

Now, Logan Sargeant will have a major opportunity to put himself back in the spotlight, returning to competitive action from Wednesday, January 21 to Sunday, January 25, 2026 with Era Motorsport — marking his official comeback to racing.

The American will share the No. 18 Oreca 07 LMP2 with Ferdinand Habsburg, a known driver in Endurance Racing, alongside an Indian-American tech entrepreneur Naveen Rao.

“I’m super excited to be tackling my first-ever Daytona 24 with Era to kick off 2026,”  Sargeant commented.

“It’s a race I’ve always wanted to be part of, with how close it is to home. It’ll be great to get acquainted with my teammates at the ROAR and push hard to come away with a Rolex at the end of the race.”

Sargeant had already sampled IMSA competition last season, taking part in the final two rounds of the championship with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, though the outings ultimately yielded no standout results.

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog’s YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.

NASCAR and the wider motorsports world are grieving the sudden loss of a respected leader and beloved figure. 

Michael Printup, a 30-year veteran of the sport and current Chief Operating Officer of Racing America, has died unexpectedly at the age of 60, just days after NASCAR released a statement when Denny Hamlin’s father passed away.

Racing America confirmed the news on Thursday, issuing a statement that said the organization is “devastated to confirm the sudden passing of Chief Operating Officer Michael Printup.”

“Michael was an icon in motorsports, a great partner and a friend. His passion for racing and commitment to the industry made a lasting impact on the sport. He will be deeply missed,” the statement added.

Printup’s career spanned nearly three decades, much of it spent within NASCAR and its related properties. A native of Hamburg, New York, he began his journey in motorsports working for International Speedway Corporation in 2000.

Over time, he climbed the ranks to become the president of Watkins Glen International, one of America’s most storied road course venues, a position he held for 15 years.

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His tenure at Watkins Glen was marked by significant growth and improvements. Printup oversaw infrastructure enhancements and worked to expand the track’s offerings beyond race weekends. 

Under his leadership, Watkins Glen became a cherished stop on the NASCAR schedule and a respected fixture in the broader racing community.

In July 2023, Printup accepted a new challenge by joining Racing America as President of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), an organization dedicated to historic motorsport and vintage racing. 

Just six months later, in January 2024, he was promoted to COO of Racing America, where he oversaw the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli along with all racing operations across the organization.

Colleagues and fellow industry figures responded to the news with heartfelt tributes. Trans Am Series President Andy Lally remembered Printup as a close friend and mentor, noting the support and guidance he provided throughout their years of collaboration.

Lally said, “For more than 15 years, Michael has been a great friend … I leaned on him a lot for advice in so many areas, and he was incredibly generous with his time. I’m going to miss him terribly.”

Max Verstappen has emerged as the best Formula 1 driver from the 2025 season, according to team principals, drivers themselves, as well as Motorsport, Autosport and their readers.

All current team bosses and racers were asked by F1 to submit their top 10s, applying the 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 points system to create separate standings. No representative from Red Bull and Ferrari took part in the vote, with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll also skipping it.

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Motorsport’s sister publication Autosport and its F1 writers Stuart Codling and Jake Boxall-Legge established our own ranking, while Autosport readers’ race-by-race average ratings were aggregated into a top 10.

In all four instances, Verstappen was placed at the top, but behind him it was quite tight between Lando Norris, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. The new world champion was slightly more successful than Mercedes’ lead driver, his McLaren team-mate, and Ferrari’s top performer.

Those five were widely considered as the best five drivers of the season, though team principals ranked Leclerc lower than Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz on average. The Spaniards were part of numerous midfield contenders for the top six, where Hulkenberg featured twice too; Isack Hadjar was the only midfielder to be included in all top 10s.

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Read Also:

F1 2025 recap: Strong rookie year earns Isack Hadjar a podium and Red Bull seat

F1 2025 recap: Life at Ferrari becomes a “nightmare” for Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton, Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon, Stroll, Tsunoda and Gabriel Bortoleto failed to feature in any top 10 – as did part-timers Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto.

Top 10 2025 F1 drivers

Applying the current points system when aggregating those four rankings, one can then look at a global top 10 inclusive of team bosses, drivers, journalists and fans alike.

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

The SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, buzzed with anticipation on Championship Saturday, January 3, 2026, as the 41st annual Tulsa Shootout reached its climax. The spotlight shone brightest on the Winged Outlaw A-Main, a 30-lap battle for the coveted Golden Driller trophy.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Daison Pursley, the hardworking Oklahoma native who’d chased this moment for 15 years, rolled off the pole in his No. 86 machine. He’d earned that spot through sheer dominance all week—highlighted by a perfect 10th-to-1st charge in his heat race that left everyone talking.

Fresh off a grueling flight from Australia, where he’d just won the High Limit International finale, Kyle Larson—the 2021 and 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion and reigning Winged Outlaw Golden Driller holder—started sixth in his No. 83K. Larson wasted no time slicing through the field, showing why he’s one of the best wheelmen in motorsports. By mid-race, he was glued to Pursley’s bumper, pressuring the leader lap after lap.

The crowd erupted as the two traded paint coming out of turns 3 and 4—Larson diving low, Pursley holding the high line. Contact was made, but Pursley stayed composed, refusing to yield. As the laps wound down, Larson mounted one final charge, pulling alongside in the closing stages. But in turn one, with just a handful of laps left, Larson ran out of talent, got loose, slid up the track, and nearly spun. He saved it masterfully, but the mistake cost him momentum.

Pursley pounced, pulling away to lead every single one of the 30 laps and cross the finish line first. It was his maiden Tulsa Shootout victory—a long-awaited breakthrough after years of near-misses and podiums that always seemed just out of reach.

🏆 @DaisonPursley gets his first Golden Driller!! He wins Winged Outlaw over a hard charging Steven Snyder Jr!

This @HyperRacing44 #TulsaShootout broadcast is powered by @NosEnergyDrink pic.twitter.com/BUjwfKPrte

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 4, 2026

Behind him, Steven Snyder Jr. charged from 12th to second, while Jeffrey Newell rounded out the podium. Larson recovered to finish a hard-fought fourth, a testament to his skill but a reminder that he was not good enough to overcome Pursley’s flawless run on this night.

In Victory Lane, Pursley hoisted the Golden Driller high, tears in his eyes, as the Tulsa faithful cheered the local hero who’d finally schooled the NASCAR superstar on dirt’s biggest micro sprint stage.

Winged Outlaw A-Main Results (January 3, 2026)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked so different in a resurfaced throwback NASCAR photo that motorsports fans needed context from the legend himself to believe it was him.

The image shared from a Reddit post captioned “If party like it’s 1999 were a picture,” showed Earnhardt Jr. shoulder to shoulder with NASCAR rivals from yesteryear. He appeared beardless, unstyled, and almost anonymous from the man who is teaming up with Arby’s next season.

The photo featured drivers Mike McLaughlin, Earnhardt Jr., Randy LaJoie, and Matt Kenseth, a group that once defined the Busch Series landscape. All four finished first through fourth in the 1998 Busch Series standings, with Earnhardt Jr. taking first place and a modest $836,425 in prize money.

Earnhardt Jr. interacted with the post in the comment section and later confirmed that it was a banquet afterparty on the West Coast. That year’s season resulted in Jeff Gordon’s third Driver’s Championship and Dale Earnhardt Sr. winning the Daytona 500.

At the time, Dale Jr. was 25 years old, clean-shaven, and wearing a plain dark crewneck with dark brown hair. There were no accessories, no JR Motorsports in existance, and signs of where his life would eventually land.

At 51 years old, Earnhardt Jr. now has visibly gray hair, black-framed glasses, and is often seen in a team button-down shirt and a broadcast headset. Outside of being a Hall of Fame driver with two championships and 24 Cup Series victories, the veteran driver now operates his own O’Reilly Auto Parts team and has become one of NASCAR’s most vocal critics.

Dale Jr. has expressed concerns as the sport continues to change its postseason format, along with gripes about NextGen cars.”I love being a broadcaster in this sport. I am a big fan of NASCAR, I’m a big believer in NASCAR, and I read a lot of the dialogue online.”

“I want to say that I don’t love the Next Gen car, but it’s here,” he said. I don’t love the Next Gen car. It’s an IMSA car, it’s a sports car, it’s got a diffuser, it’s got low-profile tires, it’s got big rims and big brakes.”

“It’s a sports car, it’s not a NASCAR stock car, but it’s here. Everybody’s invested. There are millions of dollars already way down the road, and the car is here.”

Dale Jr. will head JR Motorsports with a skilled lineup targeting the championship next season. Justin Allgaier will come back to drive the No. 7 car in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, alongside Sammy Smith, now in his third year with the team.

After a close call last year, where three drivers, including Conor Zilisch, vied for the title but were edged out by Jesse Love, the team is determined to claim the crown this year.