Who’s the best F1 driver in 2025? Max Verstappen still reigns supreme, but the grid has never been more stacked with rising stars and veterans hungry for glory.
From Lando Norris chasing his first title to rookies like Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto fighting for recognition, the 2025 Formula One season promises intense battles up and down the grid.
Whether you’re curious about Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari era, McLaren’s resurgence with Oscar Piastri, or how rookies like Isack Hadjar will fare, here’s the definitive ranking of all 20 drivers on the 2025 F1 grid—based on talent, performance, and just a little bit of potential.
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20) Gabriel Bortoleto
Age: 20
Team: Kick Sauber
Gabriel Bortoleto arrives as one of six rookies, fresh off an F2 title with Invicta Racing. Back-to-back F3 and F2 championships scream talent, but with Sauber’s sluggish pace, we might not see results. Fernando Alonso dubbed him the best 2025 rookie—a glowing endorsement—but Bortoleto will have to outdrive his equipment every week. He’s promising, but don’t expect fireworks until he’s in faster machinery.
19) Isack Hadjar
Age: 20
Team: Racing Bulls
Isack Hadjar joins Bortoleto as a rookie without much F1 seat time but an impressive junior résumé. Racing Bulls likely won’t have much to show from a speed standpoint, which could fail to showcase the ability of rookies like Hadjar, making this year a test of resilience. Staying composed alongside Tsunoda will be key. Ranking him 19th isn’t an indictment of his skill—it's about circumstance. If he survives a tough start, his future upside could be promising.
18) Jack Doohan
Age: 22
Team: Alpine
Jack Doohan is one of the new drivers in the series this year, and there isn't much that can be said about him aside from his 15th-place finish in the season's final race last year. Doohan spent the previous few years as a reserve driver for Alpine but is now part of the show. To be a successful driver at the higher level, he’ll need to be less conservative and more of a risk taker.
Expect moments of intrigue—consistency will take time.
17) Kimi Antonelli
Age: 18
Team: Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli is very young, which could work in his favor or against him. Replacing one of (if not the) greatest drivers in the history of Formula One is no small task, and Antonelli will need to try to rise to the occasion.
At 18 years old, when the season starts, the expectations may not immediately be very high for most fans. But it’s worth noting that he’s considered to be a racing prodigy–one who just passed his driver's test only weeks before the start of the season.
Antonelli has won at almost every series he's raced in up to this point, giving him a stacked junior résumé, but F1’s a different beast. He’ll compete with some of the best racecar drivers in the world–a tall task for a young, unproven talent. Growing pains are inevitable, but the talent? Unquestionable.
16) Lance Stroll
Age: 26
Team: Aston Martin
Lance Stroll’s career feels stuck in neutral—solid starts, underwhelming finishes, rinse and repeat. 2024 started as a promising season with six top-10 finishes in the first 13 races but fizzled with zero in the final stretch. It's been five years since the last time Stroll was able to get on the podium, and it's not looking like he will do that this year.
With Alonso outshining him weekly, Stroll is finding himself in the bottom half of the drivers this season.
15) Oliver Bearman
Age: 19
Team: HAAS
Oliver Bearman’s the youngest driver on the grid, but don’t let the baby face fool you—he’s fast. He’s the youngest F1 driver Ferrari has ever had and the youngest driver to net points in a Formula One race. He was impressive last year when he debuted for Ferrari, finishing seventh ahead of Norris and Hamilton and securing four points, and now he’s got a full season to prove he belongs.
The Haas might hold him back, but talent is talent: Bearman’s ceiling is sky-high.
14) Esteban Ocon
Age: 28
Team: HAAS
After four years, Esteban Ocon’s Alpine exit was messy, and now he’s at Haas—not exactly a glow-up. Ocon finished a career-worst in the standings last season and is unlikely to be much better than last year. While skilled, Ocon is usually good for just one great race a year, which happened to be in Brazil in 2024. His run at Interlagos was impressive and earned him a runner-up finish to Verstappen. reminding everyone he’s still got juice.
However, finishing ahead of and overtaking some of the sports' elite drivers is more challenging than ever. Haas and Ocon will likely be in the middle of the pack as far as points go.
13) Nico Hulkenberg
Age: 37
Team: Kick Sauber
Nico Hülkenberg’s still chasing that elusive first podium—15 years in, and it’s still just out of reach. Hulkenberg has competed in several racing disciplines as a professional racecar driver but spent his career primarily in Formula One, where he is still competing at a moderately high level. As one of the better midfield drivers, Hulkenberg was able to do a decent job for Gene Haas for the last two seasons before re-joining Sauber (where he raced in 2013) for the 2025 season.
It's tough to say whether Sauber will be able to field a car that will be able to get Hulkenberg the first and only podium of his career, but it isn't very likely. He’s the ultimate midfield warrior—never spectacular, always solid. With that said, Sauber finished dead last in the Constructor's Championship point standings last year, so there’s a good chance Hulkenberg brings enough talent to the table to collect points that will improve the team.
12) Yuki Tsunoda
Age: 24
Team: Racing Bulls
Yuki Tsunoda has leveled up every season he's been in Formula One, but still finds himself outside the top 10 in the points standings, unable to get within sniffing distance of a podium, and driving with Red Bull's "junior" team.
Time will tell if Tsunoda will be able to crack the top five in any of the races this season, but he may show a slight improvement again. His qualifying run at Interlagos (P3!) showed he’s got the speed, but those flashes of brilliance have been the exception, not the rule.
Tsunoda is still a young driver with much left to prove, but getting close to the podium will be an uphill battle. Tsunoda’s stuck in F1 purgatory—too good to ignore, not quite elite.
11) Liam Lawson
Age: 22
Team: Red Bull Racing
The Sergio “Checo” Perez experiment is over—welcome to the big leagues, Liam Lawson.
Lawson had six races with Visa CashApp RacingBulls last year, and his best finish was ninth at the United States Grand Prix and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Lawson has the talent to win; mixing that with a fast car at Red Bull could be a recipe for success for him and the organization. Red Bull’s new No. 2 has talent to spare, but sharing a garage with Verstappen is like being LeBron’s teammate—good luck standing out. Just ask Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, or Checo. The seat time he gets may help him develop, especially with a faster car than he's seen in his short racing career, but he must avoid costly mistakes during his first full season in the series.
Lawson’s rookie cameos last year impressed, but now it’s time to sink or swim.
10) Pierre Gasly
Age: 28
Team: Alpine
Just call Pierre Gasly Mr. Reliable—He’s always hovering around P10 in the standings, always maximizing Alpine’s mid-tier machinery. His third-place podium finish in Sao Paulo last year was a reminder: give Gasly a sniff of opportunity, and he’ll make it count.
There is an expected falloff for the team going from Esteban Ocon to up-and-comer Jack Doohan, but Gasly shouldn't see any personal performance decline. He’s a solid talent who can get a good finish every few races, and fans should expect to see him continue at this pace. Alpine’s ceiling isn’t high, but Gasly’s talent keeps them respectable.
9) Alexander Albon
Age: 28
Team: Williams
Alexander Albon was feast or famine with Williams last year. He finished 16th in the points standings last year and had four top-ten finishes, but amongst moments of clarity, too many DNFs. Albon has a problem with accidents, and Williams generally has a problem with keeping cars on the track; the combination doesn't bode well for finishing a race in the top 10.
There is always going to be a level of good luck needed in sports, but Albon doesn't seem to have had any in recent years. With that said, Albon’s got the talent to flirt with top-10 finishes regularly—if Williams can keep his car out of the garage.
8) Carlos Sainz
Age: 30
Team: Williams
After four years, Carlos Sainz traded Ferrari red for Williams blue. While the car might not be title-tier, Sainz’s talent hasn’t changed. During his time with Ferrari, he had four wins and only finished outside the top five in championship standings once, in 2023. Two wins and nine podiums last year proved he’s still a contender.
The issue now is Williams, as a team, has not been remarkable. Sainz will have his work cut out for him to perform. He's not one of the favorites to win the championship, but he'll likely be able to put some good laps together and compete for a podium. If anyone can drag a midfield car into podium contention, it’s Sainz.
7) Fernando Alonso
Age: 43
Team: Aston Martin
Two decades deep and still cooking. Fernando Alonso’s last title came before TikTok existed, yet here he is, dragging Aston Martin into relevance with pure talent and grit. Podiums might be rare, but Alonso keeps punching above his car’s weight class. He’s recognized as one of the best drivers in Formula One's history and is still one of the better drivers in the sport today, despite the challenge of equipment that doesn't give him the best ability to win.
Winning another championship may not be on the horizon, but being in the top half of the drivers after a quarter of a century in the sport is no small task. Into his 40s, Alonso is continuing to do just that.
And retirement? Not while he’s still embarrassing kids half his age.
6) Oscar Piastri
Age: 23
Team: McLaren
Oscar Piastri’s sophomore season was more like a statement: two wins, eight podiums, and a fourth-place finish in the standings. He went from an awe-inspiring rookie season to a title contender in just two short years, finishing just 64 points behind Leclerc. The rising star has been calm and consistent despite his youth, helping lead McLaren to the Constructor's Championship last year.
Piastri believes he could be a title contender in 2025, which may be true; McLaren showed they had the speed last season to compete for multiple wins with six victories and 10 runner-up finishes. Qualifying will be huge for Piastri this year, and if he gets a few pole positions, there's a good chance he will come away with more than two victories this year. He is expected to make a sizable leap in production on the track in 2025, and if that happens, there's no reason he couldn’t become one of the best drivers in Formula One.
5) George Russell
Age: 26
Team: Mercedes
George Russell is the elder statesman on his team now as Hamilton has left, and he's looking to rise to the occasion. Russell had a respectable 2024 campaign with two wins and a few podiums. Mercedes may not take it to the next level in 2025, but they will be an interesting team; Russell is a model of consistency, and being paired with teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli could give them an extra boost.
It’s worth noting that Russell and Hamilton scored nearly the same number of points during their time as teammates; Russell is still one of the 10 best drivers in the sport and continues to showcase what he can do each year. Mercedes will lean on Russell to lead the team and maintain consistency, especially next to a driver who may just be a generational talent.
4) Lewis Hamilton
Age: 40
Team: Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari red? Feels like a cheat code. The seven-time champ might be in his 40s, but don’t let that fool you—he’s still a proper contender. Despite a winless 2022 and 2023 and ending the 2024 campaign with his worst career points standings, two wins and four podiums in the back half of 2024 proved he’s got plenty left in the tank. Let’s be honest: Saying a driver who finished 2nd and 3rd in the standings in the last four years is “struggling” shows where the bar for Hamilton is.
Lewis Hamilton will look to breathe new life into his career with Ferrari and pairing him with Leclerc gives Ferrari their strongest driver lineup in years. Hamilton may be in the twilight of his career, but he can still run with the best of them, and Ferrari will need him to do that. The Tifosi are hyped, and rightfully so—Hamilton’s not here for a farewell tour. He’s here to win.
3) Charles Leclerc
Age: 27
Team: Ferrari
Charles Leclerc finally got his breakthrough year, stacking wins at Monaco (his home turf, finally!) and COTA while clocking his best-ever points finish, coming in third in the championship standings. Leclerc has eight wins in his Formula One career, and nearly 40 percent of them came last season, closing out 2024 as one of the top point-getters in the final 12 races. The tide is seemingly turning for the 27-year-old from Monaco native, but the arrival of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari has only turned up the heat.
Leclerc’s always had the talent to drive beyond his machinery—now, with Ferrari upping their game, he’s a legitimate title contender. If Verstappen slips, Leclerc will be the first to pounce.
2) Lando Norris
Age: 25
Team: McLaren
Lando Norris isn’t just the fan-favorite meme king anymore—he’s a certified title threat. Norris has become one of the most popular drivers in the sport over the last few years, with the talent to back it. Three wins in the final 12 races last year, including a clutch season-finale dub in Abu Dhabi, cemented his arrival as a top-tier driver.
McLaren put a lot of trust in Lando Norris when they made him the primary driver on the team at just 23 years old, and 2024 was his first time finishing in the top three (his previous best finish on the season was sixth). He put together 13 podiums last year, nearly doubling his 2023 tally. Thanks to his consistency and improvements on the track, Norris, now 25, will be in the mix for a title at the end of the season.
The days of "future star" talk are over—Norris is here, and McLaren’s first drivers' title since Lewis Hamilton in '08 might just be in his hands.
1) Max Verstappen
Age: 27
Team: Red Bull Racing
With four straight titles and 63 wins since 2014, Verstappen’s dominance is so routine it’s almost boring—except it’s Max, so it never is. He’s considered the fastest driver on the circuit among fans and fellow drivers and, this season, will be looking to tie Michael Schumacher’s record for the most consecutive F1 drivers' championships (five, if you’re wondering). In 2023, he scored a mind-blowing 20 wins in 22 races.
While last year was a relative down-year for him (seven wins), Verstappen still won the championship handily over Lando Norris of McLaren. His ability to qualify well will help him dominate certain tracks where passing is challenging this season, while his raw speed is unmatched. Most importantly, he can maximize the performance of any car he steps into with what race fans call “raw speed.”
It’s why Max Verstappen is the guy everyone else is chasing. Is the fifth title incoming? Unless someone pulls off a miracle... absolutely.