F1 champ ranked SIXTH best driver of 2025...behind IndyCar star

Lando Norris in the Abu Dhabi paddock — Photo: © IMAGO

Motorsport News

F1 champ ranked SIXTH best driver of 2025...behind IndyCar star

Not everyone was that impressed by the papaya boys

Chris Deeley

Friday 19 December 2025 15:00

Lando Norris may have won the F1 championship in 2025, but he's yet to be seen universally as the best driver alive – or even the best in his sport.

Historic motorsport publication Autosport have released their Top 50 Drivers of 2025 list, on Friday, with the Brit not even making it into the top five in an upset result.

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

Article continues under video

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 in sixth.

F1 stars dominate 'best drivers' list

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 tenth, 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.

Lando Norris F1 IndyCar Alex Palou