Honestly, if you had told me at the start of last year that we’d be heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi with three guys technically capable of taking the crown, I would’ve probably called you a dreamer. But here we are in January 2026, still buzzing about how the f1 2025 driver standings finally shook out. It wasn't just a close season; it was a total overhaul of the hierarchy we’ve gotten used to over the last few years.
Lando Norris is your world champion. It still feels a bit surreal to say that, doesn't it? After seven seasons of "will he, won't he," the McLaren man finally got it done, finishing with 423 points. But the raw numbers don't even begin to tell the story of how he almost let it slip through his fingers in the final weeks.
The Brutal Reality of the f1 2025 Driver Standings
The gap at the top was just two points. Two.
Max Verstappen, driving like a man possessed in a Red Bull that frankly looked second-best for half the summer, ended up on 421 points. If Lando had finished one spot lower in Abu Dhabi, or if Max had managed to snag one more fastest lap earlier in the year, the trophy would be back in Milton Keynes. It’s that tight.
Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, is probably the guy who will have the most "what if" moments during the winter break. He actually led the championship for 15 rounds. He was the most consistent driver for the vast majority of the year, yet he ended up third with 410 points.
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The Top Tier Breakdown
- Lando Norris (McLaren): 423 points. He won seven races but had some absolute nightmares with a DNF in Canada and a painful disqualification in Las Vegas.
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 421 points. Max won the season finale in Abu Dhabi, but it wasn't enough to overcome the massive 104-point lead Lando had built up by mid-season.
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): 410 points. The most podiums of anyone, but he lacked those few extra wins when it mattered most.
- George Russell (Mercedes): 319 points. Clear of the rest of the pack, but never really in the hunt for the title itself.
Why the Ferrari Experiment Felt Different
We have to talk about Lewis Hamilton. Seeing him in red was the visual shock of the decade. But if we’re being real, the 2025 season was a bit of a reality check for the Hamilton-Ferrari dream. He finished 6th in the f1 2025 driver standings with 156 points.
Zero podiums.
That’s the stat that hurts the most. For the first time in his entire career, Lewis went a whole year without a top-three finish in a Grand Prix. He won the Sprint in China—which gave everyone a false sense of hope—but the actual Sunday races were a grind. He struggled with the SF-25 in qualifying, losing out to Charles Leclerc 19 to 5 in their head-to-head.
Leclerc managed 242 points and 5th place, largely because he understood how to "rotate" that difficult Ferrari chassis better than Lewis did in his first year at Maranello. It just goes to show that even if you're a seven-time champ, swapping teams is a massive gamble.
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The New Blood and the Midfield Shuffle
Kimi Antonelli didn't just show up; he made a statement. Ending up in 7th with 150 points in your rookie year at Mercedes is no joke. He was only six points behind Hamilton. Let that sink in for a second.
Down in the "best of the rest" category, Williams actually had a decent year. Alex Albon (73 points) and Carlos Sainz (64 points) kept them in the mix, comfortably beating out Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin. It seems the "Alonso magic" is finally hitting a ceiling with a car that just won't evolve.
Surprising Names in the Points
Nico Hulkenberg brought Audi their first points in 11th place, tying with the rookie sensation Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls. Both ended with 51 points. Hadjar’s promotion mid-season was one of those classic Red Bull "sink or swim" moves that actually worked out for once.
Liam Lawson also proved he belonged, picking up 38 points and keeping his seat for 2026. On the flip side, it was a rough year for Alpine. Pierre Gasly only managed 22 points, while Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto struggled at the back with zero.
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What We Learned for 2026
The f1 2025 driver standings taught us that the "Verstappen Era" isn't a given anymore. When the regulations stay stable, the field closes up. McLaren has the best car right now, but they also have a massive headache: how do you manage two number-one drivers?
Norris won the title, but Piastri was often faster in the second half of the year. If McLaren doesn't set some ground rules soon, they're going to start taking points off each other, and Max—or even a resurgent Mercedes—will be right there to pounce.
If you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve for the 2026 season, here’s what you should be watching:
- Watch the Mercedes Junior Program: Antonelli is the real deal. If Mercedes gives him a car that can win, he might be the youngest champion we’ve seen.
- Ferrari’s Technical Pivot: They’ve already switched focus to the 2026 engine regs. Don't be surprised if they sacrifice early 2026 results to get the new power unit right.
- The Red Bull Second Seat: Isack Hadjar is breathing down Yuki Tsunoda's neck. The internal politics at Red Bull are going to be spicy.
The 2025 season was a rollercoaster that finally landed Lando Norris on top. It broke records for attendance, it gave us a three-way title fight, and it proved that F1 is as unpredictable as ever. Now, we wait to see if Lando can defend it or if Max takes back what he thinks is rightfully his.