MPH: Assessing F1's rookie class of 2025 – the Mark Hughes verdict
Mark Hughes weighs up an exceptional 2025 rookie class, dissecting four contrasting debut seasons to reveal who truly stood out the most
Last week we published Mark Hughes’s top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2016, some of you agreed, some didn’t. Here’s how the two top 10s compare.

The Finn’s uncomplicated and unruffled performances impressed, but he only just edged Nico Hülkenberg from the top 10. Bottas averaged 9.7, Hulk averaged 9.78…
Mark: Valtteri Bottas
Two in two. His average position in your grid rating is 9.05.
Mark: Carlos Sainz jr
The most contentious of omissions by Mark according to the comments, Sergio Pérez claims eighth averaging 8.1.
Mark: Romain Grosjean – you placed him 12th
Readers and Mark in agreement again, Kimi averaged 6.54 to place seventh.
Mark: Kimi Raikkonen
Just shades his team-mate by a tenth, averaging 6.44.
Mark: Max Verstappen
In a race of his own – he averaged 5.19 which places him two spots lower than Mark’s choice (third).
Mark: Sebastian Vettel
Some way clear of fifth, he missed the podium by a whisker – average spot 3.82, two places higher than Mark’s pick.
Mark: Nico Rosberg
World champion Rosberg averaged 3.75, just 0.06 ahead of Verstappen.
Mark: Fernando Alonso
Comfortably top two, you put Hamilton at an average position of 2.9.
Mark: Lewis Hamilton
Ricciardo’s average position was 2.53.
Mark: Daniel Ricciardo
In total that’s five places agreed on.
Mark Hughes weighs up an exceptional 2025 rookie class, dissecting four contrasting debut seasons to reveal who truly stood out the most
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