How the driver peer vote for 2025 compares with F1 team bosses – Formula One instigated its annual driver awards end of season vote back in 2016. Both the drivers and the team bosses enter a secret ballet to rank the top ten drivers of the season.
The vote is not compulsory and this year four drivers chose not to participate. Points are scored on the same system as they are allocated in Grand Prix with 25 for the best driver and 1 for the tenth ranked pilot.
Yesterday TJ13 reported on the team principal’s vote which again ranked Max Verstappen as the best in 2025, following his comeback from a 104 point deficit to just 2 points when the chequered flag fell in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen/Norris 1-2 again
Despite McLaren’s dominance in the constructors’ championship, Verstappen won eight races to Lando Norris seven which matched his team mate, Oscar Piastri’s tally which were mostly accumulated in the early part of the year.
Once again the drivers have voted Max Verstappen as the driver of the year given his mastery over there troublesome RB21. There have been just two winners over the pasty decade with the Red Bull driver dominating the standings with eight annual accolades, whilst Lewi Hamilton won the vote from his peers in 2019/20.
The drivers agreed with their team bosses in that Lando Norris with his maiden F1 world championship win was ranked second. He endured a battle Royale with his team mate Oscar Piastri who lead the race amongst the McLaren drivers by 34 points with nine race weekends remaining.
Yet the wheels began to come off the Aussies challenge when in Monza the team decided to reverse the order of their drivers due to a slow stop which cost Lando Norris track position over his team mate. He later admitted the team order in Italy affected him next time out when Piastri had a disastrous weekend in Baku, crashing in Q1 and on lap one of the Grand Prix he was again in the wall and out of the race.
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Piastri demoted by the drivers
Piastri was voted fourth by the drivers, a place lower than the ranking afforded him by the team principals. George Russell was deemed the third best driver amongst his peers having dominated his highly rated rookie team mate, Kimi Antonelli.
Russell was indeed the driving force behind Mercedes claiming second in the constructors’ given he outscored his young team mate by more than 2-1. The British driver was also the only one in the field besides Max Verstappen and the McLaren duo to win. Grand Prix. He was dominant in both Canada and Singapore where the W16 car was quick from first practice.
Meanwhile, Antonelli did not make the drivers top ten, his season was littered with mistakes although his podium. Finish in Canada was indeed a highlight.
Ferrari failed to win a Grand Prix all year long and their season was blighted from as early as round three in China. There both cars were disqualified on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton’s for running too low to the ground and suffering excessive wear of the underfloor skid block.
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Hamilton nowhere but Leclerc up 2
It was the all new suspension layout which was to torment the Italian team for most of the season, with the drivers regularly instructed to ‘lift and coast’ in an effort to prevent the car diving under breaking and wearing the plank even more.
Lewis Hamilton broke a decades old Ferrari record of failing to make a podium finish in his first eighteen outings for the team. Hamilton in fact went all season without making the Sunday presentation, the first time in his career and the longest for an incoming Ferrari driver. The seven times world champion does not feature in the top ten of either the drivers’ or team principals vote.
Oscar Piastri was fourth amongst his peers whilst Charles Leclerc’s efforts were appreciated more by the drivers than the team principals. The Monegasque driver was ranked faith – up two spots from the bosses rankings – acuter dominating his new world champion team mate – raking up an 84 point advantage across the course of the year.
In fact had Hamilton delivered a similar effort to his team mate, Ferrari would have finished second in the constructors’ title race and not a lowly fourth.
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Sainz stays 6th after double podium finishes
Carlos Sainz was ranked sixth by both the drivers’ and the team principals and his comeback from a nightmare start to the year is a testament to the skill and determination of the Spaniard. He recovered a 54 point deficit to his team mate across the final eight race weekends, claiming two podium finishes for the Williams F1 team.
These were the first since George Russell at the 2021 Belgium Grand Prix, although then it was mostly down to luck and timing across a weekend with treacherous weather conditions. The previous ‘on merit’ podium for Williams was back in 2017 when Lance Stroll surprised the field with his drive to third place.
Fernando Alonso is ranked two places lower by his competitors than in yesterday’s vote. The Spaniard again dominated his Canadian team mate by out qualifying him 23-1 across the year but came just seventh in the pecking order of the drivers.
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Albon in – Hulkenberg out
Alex Albon who was excluded from the team bosses rankings was awarded eighth by his peers for a valiant effort which saw Williams finish the year ‘best of the rest’ behind the top four. Williams scored more points this season than in the previous three combined. His top ten listing saw Nico Hulkenberg dropped by the drivers from the top ten.
Oliver Bearman came ninth, one place lower than ranked by the bosses and Isack Hadjar was tenth again one slot lower than yesterday’s vote. The French-Algerian started the year slowly but his impressive defence against George Russell for third place in The Netherlands was his stand out moment of the year.
He joins Max Verstappen at Red Bull for next season, with expectations high he will be the first driver since Daniel Ricciardo to give the four times champion a run for his money.
Make or break for Vasseur as potential replacement breaks cover
The alleged successor to Vasseur has directly addressed worrying rumours – In summer 2025, Ferrari was once again at the centre of intense scrutiny from within and without. In June, a wave of reports from leading Italian media outlets cast doubt on the future of team principal Fred Vasseur, reigniting the familiar narrative in Maranello: when results do not meet expectations, leadership inevitably comes under fire.
Ferrari moved decisively to quash the speculation just weeks later by extending Vasseur’s contract. The debate continued, particularly after one prominent name was repeatedly mentioned as a potential successor….. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
