Lewis Hamilton hits F1 career LOW after being excluded by rivals

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton hits career LOW after being excluded by rivals

Lewis Hamilton was snubbed by his rivals

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 31 December 2025 17:52

Lewis Hamilton was snubbed by his fellow F1 drivers for the first time in the 2025 vote for 'Driver of the Year'.

The seven-time world champion finished sixth in the 2025 F1 standings overall, behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in a season where Hamilton failed to take home any silverware.

Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, all 20 drivers on the F1 grid were asked to vote for their top 10 drivers of the year, with four drivers failing to take part: Hamilton, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda.

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2025's 'Driver of the Year' marked the eighth edition of the vote, and the scores were delivered based on the current F1 points system, with the top driver on each list earning 25 points down to one point for the driver in 10th.

Max Verstappen named F1 2025 'Driver of the Year'

Whilst Lando Norris lifted the drivers championship trophy in 2025, it was Max Verstappen who emerged on top of the drivers' vote, with George Russell completing the podium spots in third.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri occupied fourth, followed by Charles Leclerc who claimed seven podiums in a miserable year for Ferrari.

His team-mate Hamilton, however, was nowhere to be found in the top 10, the first time he failed to make an appearance since these rankings began.

Instead rookies Ollie Bearman and Isack Hadjar were voted into the top 10 by their contemporaries, in ninth and 10th respectively.

Williams enjoyed a successful 2025 season, finishing fifth in the constructors' championship, their highest position since 2017.

This earned Carlos Sainz sixth place in the drivers' rankings, while Alex Albon's role also went recognised and was deemed the eighth best driver of 2025.

Fernando Alonso also made an appearance in seventh, up two from his ranking in the top 10 last year.

F1 Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari