Season Review Awards: vote for your best F1 moments of 2025
Getty Images via McLaren
It’s been a Formula 1 season of striking debuts, sensational comebacks and eventually, after a three-way title showdown in Abu Dhabi, a new world champion in Lando Norris.
Now that the official rankings have been decided, it’s your turn to choose the stand-out moments from the 24 grands prix in 2025.
Norris and McLaren‘s success makes them strong candidates for Driver and Team of the Year, but these awards aren’t simply about championship points. We’re looking to showcase the best of F1: resilience, ingenuity, bravery and, of course, speed.
The five categories also include the Race, Overtake, and Photo of the Year; every voter will be entered into a prize draw to win a Pocher Porsche 917 model bundle worth over £800.
Vote below or click for more details of the shortlist. Just don’t delay: the poll closes at midnight on December 22.
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Season Review Awards shortlist
Click to jump to each category or scroll down for the full shortlist
F1 driver of the year
Isack Hadjar
Isack Hadjar emerged as one of 2025’s breakout stars, combining raw speed with a level of composure that belied his rookie status.
In a Racing Bulls car that was rarely more than a midfield threat, Hadjar punched above its weight more than a few times securing a podium finish at Zandvoort.
More importantly, he paired that speed with sharp race management and a notably calm approach under pressure. His ability to seize opportunities and limit mistakes convinced Red Bull that he was ready for the main team, earning him a promotion alongside Max Verstappen for 2026.
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc delivered one of his most complete campaigns in 2025 in spite of Ferrari‘s dismal season.
Leclerc emerged as the team leader and completely dominated his seven-time champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton, scoring all of the Scuderia’s podiums.
While never armed with race-winning machinery, Leclerc’s speed, racecraft and resilience ensured he remained a fixture near the front whenever his car allowed it.
Lando Norris
Lando Norris capped a remarkable 2025 campaign by claiming his first Formula 1 title in Abu Dhabi.
The Briton bounced back from a rough mid-season slump to turn McLaren‘s pace advantage into a championship-winning formula.
After the summer break, Norris’s ability to manage pressure, extract maximum performance in key moments, and avoid costly errors distinguished him over Piastri in a tightly fought title battle.
His composure in the season finale in Abu Dhabi proved decisive, as he stayed calm under immense pressure to secure the points he needed and clinch the championship.
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen claimed more victories than any other driver, winning eight races, but paid the price for Red Bull‘s early-season struggles and missed out on his fifth title by just two points.
His comeback in the second half of the year, however, was relentless, demonstrating why he remains the most formidable competitor on the grid.
Even when the title slipped away, his pace, consistency, and ability to extract maximum performance from his car made 2025 one of his strongest years yet.
F1 team of the year
McLaren
McLaren‘s 2025 campaign was defined by its relentless pace and occasional self-inflicted wounds, yet the team remained the reference point all throughout the year, securing the constructors’ championship almost in record time.
The MCL40 was usually the class of the field over a race distance, giving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri a platform to fight for victories and, ultimately, the championship.
The team’s determination to give its drivers equal treatment, even at the risk of losing the drivers’ championship to a rival, may have helped Max Verstappen to stay in the title fight until the end, but it underlined McLaren’s commitment to racing and helped maintain team harmony in a close-fought battle.
Mercedes
Mercedes‘ 2025 season wasn’t a full-blown resurgence, but it was the team’s most coherent campaign of the ground-effect era.
The W16 remained temperamental, yet it provided a far more predictable platform than previous seasons, allowing George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to bank points with a consistency Mercedes had lacked in recent years. Steady upgrades through the spring and early summer improved cornering stability and tyre management, while race-day execution sharpened noticeably.
The team scored two wins with Russell and secured second place in the constructors’ championship.
Racing Bulls
2025 marked a breakout year for Racing Bulls, surging to sixth in the constructors’ championship — its best finish since rebranding from Toro Rosso — with consistent points hauls powering the Honda RBPT-backed squad. Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed from the start of his first season and went on to score a podium in the Dutch Grand Prix.
Hadjar started the year alongside Yuki Tsunoda, but was soon joined by Liam Lawson, who slowly picked up the pace after his Red Bull demotion and contributed significantly to Racing Bulls’ points tally.
The Faenza team more than doubled its points total compared to 2024 and beat the likes of bigger teams like Aston Martin or Alpine.
Sauber
Sauber endured a dismal start to 2025, languishing point-less until Barcelona as the C45 struggled with inconsistency and poor race pace post-Australia.
But a key Spanish GP upgrade — new floor and aero tweaks boosting driveability — sparked a turnaround, enabling six straight points finishes, including Nico Hülkenberg‘s first ever F1 podium at Silverstone.
The late resurgence in the midfield dogfight ensured that the team ended its Formula 1 chapter on a high, ahead of its rebranding to Audi in 2026.
F1 race of the year
Australian GP
The Australian Grand Prix opened the 2025 season with a chaotic, rain-hit thriller that became a race-of-the-year contender.
Lando Norris converted pole into victory for McLaren, but only after surviving multiple safety cars, changing conditions and relentless pressure from Max Verstappen, who finished less than a second behind at the flag.
Mixed strategies on slicks and intermediates repeatedly shuffled the order, with several crashes for rookies and veterans alike triggering the late drama.
George Russell completed the podium, while Kimi Antonelli and Alex Albon starred with eye-catching drives in the changing conditions.
British GP
The British Grand Prix was a thrilling and unpredictable race marked by mixed weather conditions and strategic battles. Lando Norris triumphed on home soil, claiming a memorable victory for McLaren.
His team-mate Oscar Piastri finished second but was handed a controversial 10-second penalty that robbed him victory. Nico Hülkenberg celebrated a long-awaited podium in third place.
The race featured several pitstops as teams switched between slick and intermediate tires amid changing track conditions, with multiple twists including spins and safety car periods adding to the drama in front of record Silverstone crowds.
Hungarian GP
The Hungarian Grand Prix sparked a debate over McLaren‘s controversial split strategy between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as Norris clinched the team’s 200th win by just 0.698 seconds.
Both McLarens planned a two-stop initially, but Norris gambled on a risky one-stop — stretching hard tyres for 40 laps, while Piastri stuck to the faster-but-safer two-stop, leaving him chasing desperately on fresher rubber amid limited overtaking opportunities.
Critics accused McLaren of favouring Norris by granting him strategic flexibility after he fell back early.
Despite McLaren insisting it was part of racing and fair, Piastri’s inability to pass highlighted the tension, marking a pivotal pre-break showdown.
Sao Paulo GP
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix produced a dominant display by Lando Norris, who led from pole to claim victory and extend his drivers’ championship lead.
Kimi Antonelli delivered a breakout runner-up finish for Mercedes, holding off a charging Max Verstappen, who recovered spectacularly from pitlane start to podium in third amid early chaos from Gabriel Bortoleto‘s lap one crash.
George Russell and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five, the latter hampered by a controversial penalty at the restart.
A safety car period shuffled the field, but Norris controlled the race comfortably over 71 laps.
F1 overtake of the year
Charles Leclerc on George Russell at the Dutch GP
Charles Leclerc executed one of the most memorable overtakes of the 2025 season at the Dutch Grand Prix by muscling his way past George Russell at the chicane after a Virtual Safety Car period.
Leclerc braked late to force alongside and completed the pass on the next corner by going onto the grass, making minor contact with Russell.
Despite its aggressiveness, it was seen as a pure and classic racing moment with no penalties applied to either driver.
Max Verstappen on Oscar Piastri at the Emilia Romagna GP
Max Verstappen pulled off one of 2025’s boldest overtakes at the start of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, diving around the outside of pole-sitter Oscar Piastri into Tamburello chicane to snatch the lead on lap one.
Despite Piastri’s strong initial getaway, Verstappen braked late from P2 – slipping briefly behind George Russell – before threading his Red Bull cleanly around the outside, gapping the McLaren early and controlling the race to victory.
Lance Stroll on Nico Hülkenberg at the Monaco GP
Lance Stroll delivered the only post-lap one overtake of the Monaco Grand Prix, threading around the outside of Nico Hülkenberg at the Nouvelle Chicane on the final lap to climb from P16.
Starting from the back after a Q1 grid penalty for impeding Pierre Gasly, Stroll’s daring late-braking move on worn tyres saw him squeeze through the minimal gap without contact.
Hülkenberg defended stoutly, but Stroll’s precision was the memorable highlight of a dull race.
Lewis Hamilton on Esteban Ocon and George Russell at the British GP
Lewis Hamilton pulled off a sensational double overtake on Esteban Ocon and George Russell during the wet chaos of the British Grand Prix.
On lap 18, the seven-time champion outsmarted both rivals in a single corner with precise late braking and superior wet-weather mastery, slicing through on intermediates amid heavy spray.
F1 photo of the year
George Russell, Singapore GP
Wan Mikhail Roslan, Getty Images
George Russell captured post-race after winning the Singapore Grand Prix, one of the toughest races of the year for F1 drivers due to its heat and humidity.
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sao Paulo GP
Victor Eleuterio, DPPI
Gabriel Bortoleto had perhaps the most dramatic accident of the 2025 season after losing control of his Sauber during the final lap of the sprint event of his home race. Fortunately, he walked away unscathed. Not something that could be said of his car.
Austrian GP start
Luca Barsali, Getty Images
The hills are alive with the sound of F1 cars in this photo capturing the contrast between grand prix machinery and the stunning Austrian landscape.
Charles Leclerc, Dutch GP
Eric Alonso, DPPI
Charles Leclerc sits on top of a hill watching the Dutch Grand Prix after being taken out of the race by Kimi Antonelli in what was a disastrous weekend for Ferrari.