The 2025 season has come to an end: it gave us excitement, twists and turns, unexpected podiums, and a truly fierce world championship battle. Of its twenty drivers, some stood out for their competitiveness and consistency, while others were inconsistent and unsuccessful. Today, we take a look at who failed to make the grade this season.
Lewis Hamilton
The leader of this group could only be the seven-time world champion. The joy of being part of the Ferrari world quickly faded, due to a lack of fit in Maranello and a feeling that was never achieved aboard the SF-25. Charles Leclerc consistently outperformed the Brit, who needs to make the most of this time away from the track to find himself and come back stronger than ever in 2026.
Oscar Piastri
The defeated world champion, the man one step away from triumph: the loss of the title falls entirely on the Australian, who, after a truly formidable first part of the season, saw everything change after the summer break. We discovered a new side to Piastri, more vulnerable than we expected. Despite his recovery in the last few races, nothing helped him regain the lead. And while we can justify what happened because it was his third season in Formula 1, in 2026 consistency and determination are urgently needed: there is no more time for mistakes.
Yuki Tsunoda
A year to forget for the Japanese driver, who even lost his seat in Formula 1. His experience at Red Bull was a failure, where he was more than doubled by Max Verstappen in the world rankings. He made too many mistakes and showed too many shortcomings, with few races in which he managed to change the minds of the Milton Keynes bosses: his seat goes to Hadjar and for Yuki, only the bench remains. Is this a dramatic farewell to the Circus or will we see him back on the track in 2026? From his reserve position, he will be watching closely.
Franco Colapinto
Moving on to the Argentine, the drama increases: no points since his debut at Imola; at least Gasly brought home 22. No big wins for Colapinto, who can count on another season to try to change the minds of the Enstone bosses. He will be the one to watch in 2026.
Esteban Ocon
It has been a season of ups and downs for the Frenchman, who lost the internal battle with Oliver Bearman, who proved to be more consistent than Ocon over the course of the 24 races. In 2026, he will have to show his vast experience, otherwise trouble could be just around the corner.
Lance Stroll
There is little to say about the Canadian, whose future in Formula 1 is increasingly in doubt with every race. The saying “a permanent seat thanks to daddy” is inevitable. His performance in wet conditions is commendable: has he chosen the wrong competition? Who can say, but what is certain is that his enthusiasm is zero.
The ones who got a pass
Finally, we find those who did not have a terrible season but who definitely disappointed during the season. In first place is Alex Albon, who, after an incredible start, lost his way. The Thai driver even found himself watching Sainz's comeback, who brought Williams back to the podium twice. Next up is Fernando Alonso: the Spaniard has had many ups and downs, partly due to a truly unreliable car. He himself has reiterated that he wants to write off 2025 and focus on 2026: who are we to contradict him? We give him a big pass, with the hope that the arrival of Newey and the regulatory change will bring our super Nando back to success.
We continue with Liam Lawson: despite the setback and the loss of his Red Bull seat, the New Zealander managed to find himself at Racing Bulls, even scoring several points. However, he loses the internal battle with Hadjar, who also takes the seat alongside Max Verstappen. 2026 is a time of recovery and reconfirmation for Lawson, who will see another rookie alongside him, Arvid Lindblad: this duo promises sparks. Pierre Gasly closes the group, and we wish him a 2026 worthy of his talent: 22 points earned with such a complicated car are truly admirable. We hope that this assessment will prove fruitful and lead us to promote him with flying colors next season.
Read also: F1 2025 - The report card for those who passed: who are the best of the season?
