Winner and Losers of the 2025 F1 season

The dust has settled on the Formula 1 season after a close-fought season for the drivers’ championship, won by Lando Norris. Here are my winners and losers of the season. 

Feature image credit: Getty Images // Red Bull Content Pool

Winner – Lando Norris

The maiden world champion is an obvious winner for this list. Norris had taken the early lead of the championship following his season-opening win in Australia. 

Although he lost it to his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Briton never fell too far behind. 

Even though he fell more than 30 points behind after his mechanical retirement in the Netherlands, Norris fought back to claim his dream of being a world champion at the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. 

Loser – Red Bull Racing

Following the departure of two key figures, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, in 2024, the Milton Keynes-based team had a turbulent season. Despite their ability to fight back in the later stages of the season, they looked like they might be able to pull off the impossible with Max Verstappen. 

The team forced a change of drivers within the first two rounds, axing Liam Lawson from the squad after the second race of the season and promoting Yuki Tsunoda. Early doors from McLaren’s dominance in the season made it an unlikely feat for the former world champions to reclaim their lost title this season.

Whilst the axing of Christian Horner came as an unexpected shock, the team looked to bounce back and reignited a chance to seal at least the driver’s title. However, it was too little, too late.

F1 confirmed reveal dates so far…

Winner – Kimi Antonelli 

The young Italian who came into the sport this year, replacing Mercedes’ well-established seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton after his move to Ferrari, was one of the best rookies of the season. 

Antonelli showcased resilience when trouble started to creep through in the mid-rift of the season when the sport. However, he bounced back in the latter stages with a strong end to this season.

Headlined by his Miami sprint pole position and a maiden podium in Canada, followed by two further podiums in Sao Paulo and Vegas (following McLaren’s double DSQ), Antonelli has had a promising start in F1.  

Loser – Ferrari

After a near-title-clinching season in 2024, when the Scuderia took the constructors’ fight to Abu Dhabi against eventual winners McLaren, Ferrari came out of the starting blocks stumbling. 

The car was reportedly an all-new car for 2025, which was a questionable decision in the last season of the current regulations before the new rules kicked in. 

Ferrari’s highlight of the season came at Hamilton’s first-ever win with the team at the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race. From there, except for the seven podiums by Charles Leclerc, they never looked to be in the fight for race wins – seemingly shaken by their double disqualification in the Chinese GP. 

Embed from Getty Images

Winner – Max Verstappen

After four strong and consecutive years as the world champion, the Dutchman has passed on the mantle of world champion to his McLaren rival. 

Early doors of the season didn’t bode well for Verstappen, who looked more and more likely to lose his championship hopes, until after the summer break, when the season reignited for the Dutchman.

His performances in the latter stages of the season were unworldly, overcoming a 100+ points deficit to finish two points adrift of the championship leader. 

It is a true showcase of his grit, determination, talent and class. 

Winner – Williams

The combination of Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz has proven to be a strong line-up for the Wantage-based team, led by Team Principal James Vowels. 

Sainz went on to secure the team’s first podium finish in Azerbaijan since 2021, at the controversial Belgian Grand Prix, and followed this up with a top-three finish in the USA Grand Prix sprint and another podium finish in Qatar. 

A strong performance for the team across the year saw them collect 137 points, a 120-point increase from last year, seeing them jump from ninth in 2024 to fifth in the constructors’ championship. 

Audi F1 confirms team name and launch date

Loser – Jack Doohan

Before the season event got underway, it always seemed Jack Doohan’s time in F1 would be short-lived, with rumours circulating before the first race that he could be replaced mid-season. 

After six races, that rumour came to life as the Australian was sidelined for Franco Colapinto, who undertook a five-race evaluation with the team, after they announced Oliver Oakes’ resignation.

That announcement would mark the end of Doohan’s F1 career for the foreseeable future. 

Winner – Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar was a strong rookie in 2025, finishing just behind Kimi Antonelli in my opinion of the six rookies on the grid, and has truly earned his promotion to the senior squad. 

His season got off to a poor start in Australia, crashing on the formation lap before the race event got underway due to the challenging wet conditions. Thanks to the cut-throat nature of the Red Bull stable, it was clear Hadjar could not afford mistakes like that.

However, over the course of the season, Hadjar came across as the stronger driver of the Racing Bulls garage and rightfully earned his promotion ahead of the new regulation changes.

Read more Formula 1 here:

• F1 confirmed reveal dates so far…
• Pirelli confirms opening F1 compounds in 2026
• Audi F1 confirms team name and launch date
• FIA President jokes ‘fine’ as Lando Norris drops f-bomb at Awards Giving
• Helmut Marko confirmed to leave Red Bull at the end of 2025
• Pirelli show off new tyre design ahead of 2026 season

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