Max Verstappen defeats McLaren duo as Lewis Hamilton hammered by C…read more
Max Verstappen may have fallen short in the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship, but the Red Bull star still underlined his consistency by finishing the season with the best average race result of any driver on the grid.
When retirements are excluded, the four-time world champion posted an average finishing position of 3.67 across the campaign. That figure made Verstappen the only driver all season to average a finish inside the top four, a remarkable achievement in a year dominated in the standings by McLaren.
Perhaps most striking is that neither of the McLaren drivers who fought for the title managed to better Verstappen on this metric. While Lando Norris ultimately emerged as world champion, he did not even rank second in terms of average finishing position. That honour instead went to his team-mate Oscar Piastri, who narrowly edged Norris over the course of the season.
Piastri recorded an average finishing position of 4.21, placing him second overall, while Norris followed closely behind in third with an average of 4.25. The slim margin between the two McLaren drivers highlights just how evenly matched they were throughout the year, even as Norris claimed the biggest prize.
George Russell was not far behind the McLaren pair. The Mercedes driver finished fourth on the list with an average result of 4.54, underlining another strong and consistent campaign despite Mercedes falling short in the title battles.
Completing the top five was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. However, there was a noticeable gap between Leclerc and the leading quartet, as the Monegasque driver posted an average finishing position of 6.75. While respectable, it showed Ferrari were rarely able to challenge the very front on a regular basis.
Leclerc’s consistency still comfortably eclipsed that of his new team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion endured a difficult season by his lofty standards, ending up sixth on the list with an average finishing position of 8.5. It was a clear indication that Hamilton struggled to extract consistent results compared to Leclerc over the course of the year.
Behind the Ferrari duo, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was the only other driver to achieve an average finish inside the top 10. The Italian youngster placed seventh overall with an average result of 9.83, an encouraging statistic in his debut season at the top level.
Williams’ Alex Albon finished eighth with an average finishing position of 11.04, while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar and Haas’ Oliver Bearman were tied in ninth, both recording an identical average of 11.79. Fernando Alonso followed closely in 11th for Aston Martin, with an average finish of 11.88.
Carlos Sainz, now at Williams, ranked 12th on the list with an average finishing position of 12.17. He was followed by Haas driver Esteban Ocon in 13th on 12.5, and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in 14th with an average of 12.58 — a stark contrast to Verstappen, whose average result was almost nine positions better.
Stake F1’s Nico Hulkenberg and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson were level on an average finishing position of 12.79, placing them joint 15th. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll followed in 17th with an average of 13.7, while Stake F1 rookie Gabriel Bortoleto ranked 18th on 14.25.
At the bottom of the list were Alpine’s drivers, reflecting what was widely regarded as a disastrous season for the Enstone-based team. Pierre Gasly was the best of the trio, but still only managed an average finishing position of 14.58. Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan fared even worse, recording averages of 16.06 and 16.33 respectively — the three lowest figures of the entire grid.
While championship standings ultimately define a season, these statistics offer a different perspective. Verstappen’s top ranking for average finishing position reinforces the idea that, even without the title, he remained the most consistently competitive driver in 2025, outperforming both McLaren stars and highlighting the fine margins that shaped the season’s final outcome.
