F1 2025 mid-season driver ratings: Piastri and Norris battle for top spot
After years of Max Verstappen domination, 2025 has all been about McLaren, with Oscar Piastri and Norris battling it out for the championship.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton's first year at Ferrari isn't going to plan, while Red Bull decided to part ways with Christian Horner after 20 years.
Here's how we've rated all 21 drivers on the grid after the first 14 races of the 2025 season: 10 = Perfection
9 = Outstanding
8 = Great
7 = Good
6 = Decent
5 = Acceptable
4 = Underwhelming
3 = Poor
2 = Very Poor
1 = Back to Formula 2
It's hard to believe that Piastri is only in his third season of F1, such is the the 24-year-old's incredible speed and calmness behind the wheel.
Aiming to become the first Australian to win the championship since Alan Jones 45 years ago, Piastri goes into the summer break with six wins and a nine point lead over Norris.
After slipping behind his teammate and crashing out in Canada, Norris could well have crumbled but statement wins in Austria, Silverstone and Hungary have strengthened his title credentials.
The Brit has the speed to win the championship – as evidenced by his five victories – but little mistakes are costing him. He must be flawless in the second-half of the season.
Given Red Bull's car is an absolute menace to drive, Verstappen should be applauded for being third in the standings, picking up impressive wins in Japan and Imola.
Unfortunately, there are still question marks regarding the four-time champion's temperament after deliberately crashing into George Russell in Spain.
An outstanding victory in Canada highlights a fantastic season for Russell so far, with the Brit going from strength-to-strength.
Remarkably, Mercedes still haven't agreed a new contract with him, but with the option to sign Verstappen gone, Russell is almost certainly keeping his place as Silver Arrows' No.1 driver.
Ferrari's car isn't up to scratch, but Leclerc has managed to get five podiums out of it.
Any suggestion that he'd struggle against Hamilton has also been dismissed – he's beaten his new teammate in 10/11 of the 12/13 races they've both finished.
A sprint race victory in China proved to be a false dawn for the seven-time world champion, whose dream move to the Scuderia is turning into a nightmare.
Yet to finish on the podium, with communication problems with his engineers affecting performance. There has been improvement in the last few races, so maybe not all hope is lost.
After a bright start, the Italian has failed to score points in six of the last eight races, which included a heavy crash with Verstappen in Austria.
That said, he is an 18-year-old rookie with bags of potential who should have a bright future at Mercedes – provided they give him a new contract.
The best of the rest and by some distance, Albon has scored more points in 2025 than he has in the last three seasons combined, demonstrating Williams' fantastic progression under James Vowles.
Unquestionably the driver of the season – outside of the McLarens – the German was already enjoying a great year before finishing third at Silverstone after a remarkable drive from 17th – the first podium of his 15-year career.
While he lacks the eye-catching results of Albon and Hulkenberg, Ocon has done well to sneak into the top 10 in the standings while adjusting to his new team.
Took the two-time champion nine races to get some points on the board but things have been looking decent since then. It's clear Aston Martin are waiting for 2026 when they'll have an Adrian Newey designed car.
Level on points with his teammate, great drives in Australia and Great Britain demonstrate the Canadian's skill in wet conditions.
Amid the chaos at both Red Bull teams, Hadjar is enjoying a stellar rookie campaign, having recovered from crashing out on the formation lap on his debut in Australia. Too soon to promote him to Verstappen's teammate?
A tough season for Alpine who have the slowest car but Gasly has still managed to show his quality, finishing in the points on four occasions, including a great drive to sixth at Silverstone.
Started the season at Red Bull but was demoted after just two races. Yuki Tsunoda's struggles prove Lawson wasn't all to blame and after a very shaky start the Kiwi's form is picking up.
After a stellar 2024, the former Ferrari man is struggling to adapt to his new team. Some good results but the gap between himself and Albon will be concerning.
The Brazilian's F1 career began slow but has steadily improved with three points finishes in the last four races. One to watch for the second-half of the year.
Finally given a chance to prove himself in the senior team following Lawson's demotion but cannot get to grips with the RB21. Car trouble aside, scoring seven points compared to Verstappen's 148 is simply not good enough.
The Brit hasn't done a lot wrong in his rookie season but keeps just missing out on the points. Last top-10 finish was Bahrain back in April and he's now last of the full-time drivers.
Alpine axed Jack Doohan to bring Colapinto back to the grid but it's a gamble that hasn't worked, with the Argentine yet to score points and unable to replicate his superb form from last year.
The Australian wasn't great but definitely did not deserve to be dumped after just six races. No points but as Colapinto has since proved, the car isn't good enough.
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