#2 Lando Norris - McLaren
Lando Norris is your 2025 World Champion, though for the first few months, you’d have been laughed at for suggesting it.
Early on, he was his own harshest critic, labeling his performances "embarrassing" as he struggled with unforced errors. But F1 isn't won in March; it’s won by the guy who evolves.
Norris’s mid-to-late season form was a surgical display of peak performance and mental fortitude. He ironed out the creases in his racecraft just as Piastri was unraveling, proving that while he might not have been perfect over 24 races, he was the best when the pressure became a diamond-maker.
#1 Max Verstappen - Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen didn't win the 2025 title, but he was undeniably the best driver on the planet. That's our unsurprising call.
His claim in Qatar - that he’d have won the championship weeks ago if he were driving a McLaren - isn't arrogance; it’s a statistical probability.
Despite a Red Bull that became increasingly "erratic" and "tricky" as the year progressed, Max dragged it into a title fight that went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.
Aside from a clumsy moment in Spain where he clouted Russell, his execution was flawless. He maximized every single point available, proving that while cars win championships, Verstappen wins our respect.
