Drivers and team principals voted for the Driver of the Year
Every December, journalists from the championship’s official website ask team principals and drivers to name the ten best drivers of the past season. The voting is conducted in secret.
During the vote, team principals are not allowed to vote for drivers from their own teams. Drivers, however, are permitted to vote for themselves. Each voter selects their personal top ten, with points awarded according to Formula 1’s current scoring system (25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1).
Eight team principals took part in the vote. Red Bull and Ferrari were the only exceptions, apparently choosing not to participate to avoid breaching corporate ethics by naming drivers from rival teams.
Sixteen drivers agreed to take part in the survey: Fernando Alonso, Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson, Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Isack Hadjar, Max Verstappen, and Alex Albon.
Drivers were allowed to vote for themselves in the poll, which Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hülkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda did not take part in.
The winner of both polls was Max Verstappen, who recorded the most victories and pole positions last season and narrowly missed out on the championship by just two points. Last year’s champion, Lando Norris, finished second in both rankings.
It should be noted that, over the 18 years this poll has been conducted, team principals have selected Max Verstappen as the winner for the fifth consecutive time. Apart from Verstappen, the title has previously been won by Lewis Hamilton eight times, Sebastian Vettel three times, and Fernando Alonso twice.
Team principals’ choice:
| № | Driver | Team | 2025 vs 2024 |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | = |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | = |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |  1 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 2 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 4 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | Williams |  1 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 4 |
| 8 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | * |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | * |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | 2 |
* – Did not feature in last year’s top ten
Drivers’ choice:
| № | Driver | Team | 2025 vs 2024 |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | = |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | = |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 2 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | = |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 2 |
| 8 | Alex Albon | Williams | * |
| 9 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | * |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | Sauber | * |
* – Did not feature in last year’s top ten