McLaren stars shockingly miss out on No1 spot | 2025 F1 mid-season driver ratings

We’re 14 races into an enthralling 2025 F1 season.

The title battle is finely poised between the two McLaren drivers with 10 rounds to go.

Which driver has performed best so far this season? And who has work to do after the summer break?

Here are Crash.net’s mid-season driver ratings…

The calculated rating is based on the race-by-race driver rating articles produced after each race weekend.

21) Jack Doohan – 5.33

The writing was on the wall for Jack Doohan when Franco Colapinto was announced as Alpine’s test and reserve driver for the campaign. Despite the immediate pressure Doohan was placed under, he didn’t disgrace himself. The problem for Doohan was that he was involved in several needless incidents and couldn’t secure a standout result to ease the pressure on him.

20) Yuki Tsunoda – 5.54

Yuki Tsunoda only escaped last spot in our mid-season rankings due to his two races with Racing Bulls at the start of the year. Generally, Tsunoda has been nowhere relative to Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. In his defence, now the disparity in upgrades has been corrected slightly, Tsunoda has looked immediately more competitive.

19) Franco Colapinto – 5.79

Colapinto has been incredibly underwhelming since returning to the grid with Alpine. It can be easily argued that Colapinto hasn’t been an upgrade on Doohan whatsoever. Granted, the Alpine has often been the slowest car on the grid, but in the hands of Pierre Gasly it has scored 20 points. Given how impressive Colapinto was alongside Alex Albon last year, more was expected.

18) Liam Lawson – 5.85

Liam Lawson has slowly turned his season around after a miserable opening few rounds. His return to Racing Bulls didn’t signify an immediate upturn in form. However, since Monaco, Lawson has been impressive with several top-10 finishes.

17) Lance Stroll – 6.12

Lance Stroll is level on points with Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso in the F1 drivers’ championship – but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Stroll has capitalised on chaotic races, scoring big in Australia and China. However, on pure performance, it’s been a typical Stroll season.

16) Kimi Antonelli – 6.39

It’s been a topsy-turvy rookie campaign for Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes. There have been a few highs, such as his sprint performance in Miami and his maiden podium in Montreal. However, Antonelli is viewed as a ‘generational talent’ and was handed an unprecedented amount of testing. Antonelli has generally been disappointing so far.

15) Gabriel Bortoleto – 6.57

15th in our mid-season driver rankings doesn’t do Gabriel Bortoleto’s season justice. He’s been more than a match for veteran teammate Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying. In the last four rounds, Bortoleto has capitalised on his strong qualifying displays to come away with big points hauls. One to watch in the second half of the year.

14) Carlos Sainz – 6.63

There’s no doubt that Carlos Sainz has been one of the biggest disappointments of the season so far. Alex Albon has enjoyed a comfortable advantage over the Spaniard. Even if luck hasn’t necessarily been on Sainz’s side, explaining the significant points gap between the pair, more was expected.

13) Ollie Bearman – 6.79

Ollie Bearman’s outright speed is undeniable but he’s struggled to convert it into clean weekends. Unlike teammate Esteban Ocon, Bearman’s execution still needs work. However, Bearman’s pace means it’s a matter of time before he begins to get the upper hand at Haas.

12) Lewis Hamilton – 6.89

Based on our mid-season ranking, 2025 has been Lewis Hamilton’s worst season in F1. He’s on track to become the first Ferrari driver since 2014 (Kimi Raikkonen) not to finish on the podium in a grand prix. Hamilton has been poor. Even though he’s reduced the deficit to Charles Leclerc in qualifying over the last eight races, we’ve yet to see any real magic from the seven-time world champion on race day.

11) Isack Hadjar – 7.07

Isack Hadjar is widely regarded as the rookie of the season so far. His position in our mid-season ratings is mainly due to his low score at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Without it, he’d be comfortably in seventh place, which is a fairer reflection of his overall form in 2025.

10) Fernando Alonso – 7.11

After a slow start to the year, amid Aston Martin’s poor performance level, Alonso has found his form again to break into the top 10 of our mid-season ranking. The Spaniard has yet to be out-qualified by teammate Stroll in 2025, leading the way 14-0 on Saturdays. Despite this dominance, the pair are level on points in the drivers’ championship.

9) Pierre Gasly – 7.11

Gasly continues to be one of the most dependable and consistent drivers in F1’s midfield. He’s scored 100 per cent of Alpine’s points this year and remains their only positive.

8) Esteban Ocon – 7.14

Ocon has bagged 27 of Haas’ 35 points in F1 2025. In pure performance terms, teammate Bearman has had a slight edge. However, when big points have been on the table, Ocon has capitalised. The Frenchman will be pleased with how he has adapted at Haas after a winter move from Alpine.

7) Nico Hulkenberg – 7.14

Hulkenberg’s long wait for a first F1 podium finally came to an end at the British Grand Prix, earning him a perfect 10 rating. Unlike during his Haas years, Hulkenberg has saved his best performances for Sunday afternoons. He trails Bortoleto in the qualifying head-to-head, which suggests there’s still more to come.

6) Lando Norris – 7.46

Lando Norris sits just nine points off teammate Oscar Piastri in the race for this year’s F1 world title. Unfortunately for Norris, it’s been his worst season in F1 since 2020. The early part of the year was littered with mistakes, such as an error-strewn weekend in Bahrain. Norris’ advantage over Piastri has evaporated compared to last year. It’s been a poor season by his own high standards since 2021.

5) Alex Albon – 7.68

Albon has been F1’s standout performer in the midfield. The Thai driver has scored 54 of Williams’ 70 points this season. It’s easy to forget that there were doubts around Albon after Colapinto’s impressive short stint with the team at the back end of last year. Albon has risen to the challenge of Sainz’s arrival spectacularly and has shown he’s deserving of another chance at a top team.

4) Oscar Piastri – 8.07

Piastri has made a notable step forward over the winter. His performances across the board have improved. Unfortunately for him, he’s only nine points ahead of his teammate in the championship standings despite generally out-performing him.

3) George Russell – 8.32

You can make a case that any of the top three drivers have been the best performer on the 2025 F1 grid so far. George Russell is one of them. Russell has been incredibly consistent, maximising the majority of weekends this season. Following Hamilton’s departure, Russell has stepped up again and shown he’s capable of leading Mercedes to F1 world titles in the future. A fine campaign for the Briton.

2) Max Verstappen – 8.32

Verstappen has once again been close to his very best in F1 2025. His drives in Japan and Imola showed why he’s one of the greatest drivers of all time. Verstappen’s moment of rage in Barcelona ultimately cost him top spot.

1) Charles Leclerc – 8.36

Leclerc tops our mid-season F1 driver ratings. The Monegasque has enjoyed a comfortable edge over Hamilton, leading him 10-4 in the qualifying head-to-head. Despite Leclerc’s qualifying prowess, his race drives remain criminally underrated. He has scored all five of Ferrari’s podiums this year and delivered a devastating pole lap at the Hungaroring. Leclerc has been far from perfect, though, with the British Grand Prix arguably the worst of his Ferrari career so far.