Mark Hughes: My top 10 F1 drivers of 2025

10. Pierre Gasly

He never gave anything less than his all in an outclassed, underpowered car. But Pierre Gasly’s fast corner prowess combined with the Alpine ’s good high-speed downforce could occasionally transcend the limited competitive circumstances. He got the car through to Q3 more times than it deserved even if at other times it was often hanging off the back of Q1. He’s talked of how good he believes the 2026 Alpine-Mercedes is going to be almost as a mantra. If it actually is, he will be fully deserving of it.

9. Alex Albon

There were times when Alex Albon was making the difference for Williams, particularly early season. His drives at Miami and Imola were especially finely judged. But as Carlos Sainz’s pace became more consistent and the competition between them intensified, so he became a little more ragged and error-prone. His best qualifying laps are dramatic to behold as he races against the clock on both the track and his career.

8. Isack Hadjar

The season’s best rookie from an outstanding crop of talent, Isack Hadjar hustled the driveable Racing Bulls car to eye-catching effect. What was remarkable was the relentlessness of his performances, with barely any of the usual peaks and troughs of someone with empty F1 data banks. He was invariably super-fast in the first few laps of a green track, just like Max Verstappen. Tough and fearing absolutely no one, he has all the assurance of someone who knows he belongs here.

7. Carlos Sainz

It took a while to adapt himself to the Williams from the very different Ferrari, but the polished class of Carlos Sainz eventually surfaced and he brought a lot to the still-developing team. In Baku he ended the team’s long podium drought, followed up with another in Qatar while his third place on the Vegas grid in treacherous conditions was fully deserved. It’s not inconceivable he could be winning races for Williams in the near-future.

6. Oscar Piastri

Until Baku, Oscar Piastri looked immune to pressure and his performances consisted of unflustered speed and race craft. His move on Lando Norris in the opening lap of Spa was the bravest pass of ’25. In just his third F1 season he found himself leading the championship, not as troubled as his team-mate by the foibles of the car but just comfortably leaning into its strengths. But he didn’t get the rub – the Silverstone penalty after a 13sec lead had been wiped out by a safety car was galling. In Baku the hangover of a team decision which had gone against him at Monza saw him crack. A lack of pace in Austin and Mexico lost him the title lead.

5. Lando Norris

When Lando Norris gets in that groove, there’s a Max Verstappen-like turn of speed in there. But he’s nowhere near as robust or complete. As a driver working on himself, he’s still evolving, still getting better. Although the MCL39 was faster than its predecessor, Norris found it a more difficult drive, very honestly admitting he was not on top of it for much of the first half of the season, even though he was winning races. But just as it looked like the season was getting away from him, he turned it around, found the code to unlock both the car and himself to devastating effect. There’s more to come from him.

4. Fernando Alonso

Even Fernando Alonso doesn’t know for certain if the last tenth of performance from his early career is still there. Without a front-running car and a top team-mate he can’t be sure. But he feels like he’s as good as he’s ever been and the relentlessness and smart-thinking were all on full display many times. He whitewashed Lance Stroll by a bigger margin than ever and on tracks where the Aston could be loaded up with downforce he’d be right there in qualifying. As recently as Qatar he had it on the second row ahead of faster cars. It would be fascinating to see how he performs in a competitive Adrian Newey car. We may get to see it in 2026.

3. George Russell

Consistently superb, George Russell pounced on the two occasions the Mercedes was fully competitive to take immaculate victories – in Montreal and Singapore. In between times he kept the McLaren drivers on their toes on several occasions and showed great, feisty spirit. Completely at ease in the position of unquestioned team leader, his performances set the bar for rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli to aspire to in delivering every time he got in the car.

2. Charles Leclerc

There were times when Charles Leclerc had the Ferrari in grid positions that flattered it by an outrageous degree. It was a notably second-rate car he was putting on pole in Hungary and the front row in Monaco, Austria, Austin and Mexico. At Monaco he was spellbinding as he pushed Lando Norris for pole. He was using an extremely difficult set-up and hanging on to the car to pull these sorts of qualifying outcomes from it, and even though his races were a dispiriting blur of lift and coast instructions his raging against the limitations never eased. This was a Gilles Villeneuve-like season in a mediocre machine.

1. Max Verstappen

An incredible season in pulling everything possible out of the often-recalcitrant RB21. There were days when even he couldn’t drag it into the ballpark in the first half of the season but if it was anywhere near, Max Verstappen would be there challenging for pole, and sometimes achieving it. But only occasionally could that be translated into victory against the McLaren’s superior tyre usage. But once Red Bull succeeded in extending the car’s balance window by endowing it with a better front wing, he was on the rampage, really putting the frighteners on McLaren and its drivers in the title chase.