The former Aston Martin head of strategy’s decision to name Oscar Piastri as the best driver of the recently concluded season caused quite a stir, with the Australian finishing third overall after a significant — and somewhat inexplicable — drop-off in form towards the end of the campaign.

By contrast, the other two title contenders stepped up when it mattered most, with Lando Norris clawing back a 34-point deficit after his Zandvoort retirement to clinch the title by the narrowest of margins over Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi — the Dutchman himself having previously erased a gap of more than 100 points following his home race in the Netherlands.

Yet while her fellow pundits had no hesitation in naming the four-time world champion as the best driver of 2025, Collins opted to reward the Australian’s campaign — one he led for as many as 15 races before relinquishing the championship lead in Mexico.

Collins even placed Verstappen behind the newly crowned world champion, despite the Dutchman managing to haul himself back into a title fight that had looked all but over when considering Red Bull’s results and performance during the first half of the season.

Thanks to his pole position and victory in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen was at least able to take some consolation by ending the season as the driver with the most wins and pole positions, despite the MCL39 proving clearly superior to the RB21 for large stretches of the year.