McLaren F1 drivers snubbed in 2025 best driver ranking

Norris and Piastri looking gloomy with a black and orange edited square background — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

McLaren drivers snubbed in 2025 best driver ranking

Not everyone was that impressed by the papaya boys

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Friday 19 December 2025 18:53

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Lando Norris might have secured the F1 world title in 2025 but, according to at least one ranking, he's still far from the best driver on earth – or even in the sport.

Historic motorsport publication Autosport have released their Top 50 Drivers of 2025 list, with the newly crowned F1 drivers' champion ranking just sixth.

Max Verstappen came out on top of the pile, closely followed by Mercedes star George Russell and four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou.

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Sebastien Ogier was ranked fourth after taking his record-equalling World Rally Championship crown, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc rounding out the top five ahead of Norris.

F1 stars dominate 'best drivers' list

Norris' McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri followed the world champion in seventh, making it abundantly clear which racing series Autosport believes has the best drivers overall.

The next F1 driver on the list is Nico Hulkenberg at No. 11, with Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar 12th and 13th, with a total of 13 out of the 20 F1 drivers who finished the season making the top 50.

Fans of American racing may be a little perplexed to see NASCAR star Denny Hamlin ranking 10th, behind the consensus best driver in the sport and 2025 champion Kyle Larson – who also competed in an extended calendar of sprint car races and even the Indy 500 in addition to his 36-race NASCAR calendar.

Hamlin's narrative may have been too difficult to ignore though, having the title snatched away at the end of the season finale while dealing with his father's health issues and the team he co-owns with Michael Jordan (23XI Racing) suing NASCAR, and still making it within three laps of his first ever championship at the age of 44. That's the sort of thing that makes people sit up and take notice – even if Larson had a better year on track by almost every metric.

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F1 Lando Norris Oscar Piastri NASCAR