With Formula 1 on its traditional summer break, now feels like the perfect time to take a moment, reflect on the season, and ask who the biggest winners and losers are so far.
It doesn’t take a lot of wheel knowledge to see that McLaren are having a stormer, but things are a little less clear among the chasing pack. The Mercedes W16 is a real Jekyll and Hyde, Ferrari are seesawing from mania to depression every week, and Red Bull are absolutely nowhere.
Gone are the days of Max Verstappen steamrolling the opposition. The four-time Formula 1 world champion could only qualify eighth last time out in Hungary, a far cry from the dominance he enjoyed just 18 months ago. Further back, things are no easier to dissect. Take Nico Hulkenberg—the German has followed up his first-ever podium at Silverstone with two non-points finishes.
Arguably, the topsy-turvy nature of this season makes the drivers pretty difficult to rate. But we've given it a try, as much for our own amusement as anything else. So, buckle up and get ready for some hot takes. We’ll start with this year’s standout performers: McLaren.
McLaren: Piastri vs Norris for Champ
Lando Norris 7.5/10
Scoring Norris this low might seem like ragebait, but bear with us on this. McLaren have the fastest package on the grid right now, yet he enters the summer break behind his less experienced teammate in the standings. While Norris seems to have a one-lap advantage in some settings, Oscar Piastri has come out of one-on-one battles with a lot of success.
Canada definitely comes to mind! By his own admission, Norris has had a mediocre first half of the year. He’ll need much better to claim his first Formula 1 crown by the season’s end.
Oscar Piastri 9/10
Since his nightmare start at the season-opener in Australia, Piastri has bounced back brilliantly. There have been a few minor wobbles—his penalty for seeming to brake test Verstappen under the safety car at Silverstone for one. But the young Aussie has been top of the pile for the last nine races, and he’s surely now favourite for the drivers’ title.
Ferrari: Bittersweet
Charles Leclerc 7.5/10
Even more so than McLaren, Ferrari have had very mixed fortunes with its two drivers. At times, Leclerc has looked like the closest challenger to the boys in papaya. With five podiums, the Monegasque has outperformed Lewis Hamilton by an absolute mile this term. Leclerc hasn’t always had the car underneath him either. With a bit more luck, he could be even higher in the standings.
Lewis Hamilton 5/10
There were glimmers of the old Hamilton in Shanghai, but this optimism quickly dissipated as his season fell in on itself. Losing his car's rear and crashing out in Spa was a particular low point—and he has struggled with the rear of that Ferrari in general. Retirement rumors now surround the beleaguered Brit. He’ll be hoping for much better after the summer break.
Mercedes: Leader exposes rookie
George Russell 8/10
Russell has really gotten the maximum out of this year’s Mercedes. He scored podiums in four of the first six races and even managed a win in Canada. Alongside his rookie teammate, the Brit has been Mr. Reliable, hardly putting a foot wrong. He should already have his seat confirmed for 2026. With Verstappen off the market, it’s surely a matter of time.
Kimi Antonelli 5.5/10
Antonelli’s life in Formula 1 started so well. He scored solid points in five of the first six grand prix, but he’s been off the boil ever since. High-profile crashes in Monaco and Austria will not have helped the youngster’s confidence. He’ll need to do better in the second half of the year to convince Toto Wolff that he’s still Mercedes’ great star of the future.
Red Bull: Chaos in Camelot
Max Verstappen 8.5/10
Until the last few grand prix, Verstappen has done a remarkable job of keeping his Red Bull in contention for this year’s drivers’ title. A cursory look at his teammates’ performance will tell you just how far his car has fallen from the front. Even Verstappen couldn’t drag this year’s Red Bull into the mix in Hungary.
Without a drastic turnaround in car performance, the Dutchman won’t be getting his hands on a fifth straight world championship. But he has been one of the very best performers in F1 2025 and still deserves his place alongside the likes of Piastri near the top of our rankings.
Yuki Tsunoda 6/10
Like pretty much all of Verstappen’s teammates, Tsunoda has failed to get anywhere near him. Talk of a revival under Laurent Mekies hasn’t materialized. He’ll be lucky to survive the reshuffle currently underway at the team. His rating is relatively kind due to how bad Red Bull are at the moment. But he didn’t exactly make hay when the sun was shining either!
Williams: Growing pains
Alex Albon 8/10
Yes, we’re ranking the teams in order. And yes, Williams are currently fifth in the standings. With Carlos Sainz struggling to settle into his new surroundings, this has largely been thanks to Albon. The Thai-British driver finished fifth in Melbourne, Miami & Imola—and he looked like he was getting an unlikely podium at the latter! A very solid performer, one of this season’s best.
Carlos Sainz 6.5/10
When Sainz first joined from Ferrari, we all thought it was a big coup for Williams. However, the Spaniard has struggled badly, scoring points in just five of the opening 14 races. With Williams stopping car development for 2025, it’s hard to see him soaring up the rankings soon. But he’ll no doubt be looking to close in on his teammate and make it a tighter battle going into 2026.
Aston Martin: AWOL
Fernando Alonso 7.5/10
At the start of the year, Aston Martin were all at sea. Even a wily old fox like Alonso struggled to drag the AMR25 anywhere near the points. As recently as Spa, Alonso and his teammate were stone dead last in qualifying. Yet, they enjoyed a mini revival in Hungary—and as you’d expect, Alonso fully capitalized, finishing fifth. With the right car, he’s still among the best.
Lance Stroll 6.5/10
As much as he gets criticized for his father’s ties to the team, Stroll has performed relatively well this season. He has shown flashes of pace in Australia, Britain, and Hungary—and with the exception of his crash in Canada and meltdown in Spain—the 26-year-old has been consistent, finishing every race except one. Not a bad showing, all things considered.
KICK Sauber: Marking time
Nico Hulkenberg 7.5/10
In many ways, it’s difficult to rate Hulkenberg. No doubt that podium at Silverstone is the new highlight of his F1 career. Strong drives in Australia, Spain & Canada also made it seem like the German was the main man at Sauber. Yet, Gabriel Bortoleto has outshone him at recent events, and the car is certainly improving. One to keep an eye on when the season resumes.
Gabriel Bortoleto 7/10
As the current Formula 2 champion, Bortoleto also arrived in F1 to a huge fanfare. It has taken him a little time to warm up, but he now appears to be on the rise. The Brazilian scored points in three of the last four races and grabbed a career-best sixth in Hungary. If the formbook’s anything to go by, Bortoleto’s making a pretty good fist of it.
Racing Bulls: Kindergarten
Isack Hadjar 6.5/10
Hadjar really burst onto the scene, taking sixth in Monaco and seventh in Spain. In fact, the youngster looked so quick early on, he was reportedly in contention for Liam Lawson’s seat at Red Bull. Sadly though, this hot streak hasn’t lasted, and Hadjar has even slipped behind Lawson (now his teammate at Racing Bulls) in recent races.
In our rankings, his score is based on the potential he showed earlier in the year. If he fails to reignite his season, Hadjar could lose further marks and face stiff questioning from his team.
Liam Lawson 6/10
Liam Lawson 6/10
Having lost their seat at Red Bull, many young drivers would’ve spiraled. And to be fair, Lawson hasn’t exactly set the world alight since joining Racing Bulls. But he has looked increasingly solid, picking up points in three of the last four races. Outperforming Hadjar has also been a bit of a surprise—though it’s a long season and he has plenty still to do.
Haas: Rookie owns veteran
Esteban Ocon 6.5/10
As you’d expect of a seasoned F1 veteran, Ocon has been pretty solid so far. His seventh-place finish in Monaco was a particular highlight. Issues with his car haven’t exactly helped though. Haas haven't scored at the last three grand prix. Without a rebound in performance, the Frenchman will do well to score points in the coming races—amid a big midfield battle.
Ollie Bearman 5.5/10
Bearman appeared to be in contention for the rookie of the year early on. But the Brit has been a bit of a non-feature at recent events. Bearman ruined a promising qualifying showing at his home event with a crash in the pit lane. In fact, qualifying has been a particular concern of late. He’ll need to improve on a season average of 15th if he’s going to regularly compete for points again.
Alpine: Troubling times
Pierre Gasly 6/10
As team leader, some would say that Gasly should be performing better at Alpine. I’d argue the exact opposite. Gasly has dragged an absolute trainwreck of a car into points contention on several occasions—and let’s face it—his team is a bit of a circus at the moment. Who knows where Flavio Briatore will take them next? In this context, 20 points is a decent return.
Franco Colapinto 3/10
Fittingly, Colapinto is last on our list. The Argentine has comprehensively failed to replicate the form he briefly showed as a stand-in at Williams last year. If anything, he has actually been further behind Gasly than his predecessor, Jack Doohan. Probably the only driver on the grid without a season-defining moment. Honestly, lucky to still be in the car.
That rounds up our rankings for the season to date. Join us for full coverage of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort as the campaign continues from August 29 to 31, 2025.
Who has been your driver of the season so far? Let us know in the comments below!
red bullmercedesFernando AlonsoMcLarenLewis Hamiltoncarlos sainzesteban oconMax VerstappenhaasWilliamsFerrariCharles Leclerclance strollpierre gaslygeorge russellAston MartinLando NorrisF1 OpinionAlex AlbonNico HulkenbergAlpineYuki TsunodaOscar PiastriJack DoohanLiam LawsonIsack HadjarKimi AntonelliFranco ColapintoGabriel BortoletoOllie BearmanRacing BullsKICK Sauber
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