#16 Esteban Ocon - Haas
Esteban Ocon’s 2025 was seemingly a tale of a man often fighting his own machinery - and losing. While his racecraft remained respectable, his inability to extract a lap time from the Haas during qualifying was a recurring nightmare.
He spent the better part of the year chasing a "mystery" braking issue that conveniently seemed to vanish only during the season finale.
The reality was simpler: he lacked the confidence to handle the twitchy rear-end setup that his rookie teammate, Ollie Bearman, used to great effect. By the time he finally sorted his preferences in Abu Dhabi, his reputation as the team leader had already taken a significant hit.
©Ferrari
#15 Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari
This was, without exaggeration, a total catastrophe for the seven-time champion. Hamilton’s first year in red was supposed to be a legendary crossover event; instead, it looked like a retirement tour gone wrong.
Aside from a fleeting moment of glory in the Shanghai sprint, he spent the year being systematically dismantled by Charles Leclerc. His qualifying average was a particular eyesore, frequently finding himself stuck in the bottom tier of the grid while his teammate fought for poles.
By the final rounds, Lewis’s radio calls were a mix of bewilderment and white-hot rage. He’s still a "point-scorer," but he certainly wasn't hired by Ferrari to be a high-priced backup.
