The marathon 2025 season, which ran from March through to December, delivered a new world champion as Lando Norris brought Max Verstappen’s dominance to an end, halting his reign of four consecutive titles.

From the summer break onwards, however, the Dutchman refused to go quietly. After appearing all but out of the fight following the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen mounted a remarkable comeback, dragging the title battle all the way to the final round — only to fall short by a razor-thin margin of just two points.

The biggest disappointment, though, was reserved for Oscar Piastri. The Australian led the championship for an extraordinary run of 15 consecutive Grands Prix, opening up a commanding 104-point advantage over Verstappen after Zandvoort, only to slip back in the closing stages of the season and ultimately finish behind both his team-mate and the four-time world champion.

The 2025 season delivered plenty of drama and a host of unforgettable moments. From Max Verstappen’s stunning overtake on Oscar Piastri at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which earned him the FIA’s Overtake of the Year.

Or again, Lando Norris’s shock retirement at Dutch Grand Prix, or Verstappen’s breathtaking comeback at São Paulo Grand Prix, echoing his heroics from the year before.

Add to that the sensational double disqualification for Ferrari in China, McLaren’s exclusion in Qatar, and — of course — the Abu Dhabi showdown, a truly thrilling finale in which Norris held his nerve under immense pressure.

There is also, potentially, Lewis Hamilton’s first — and so far only — victory with Ferrari, even if it came in the Sprint during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. It ultimately proved to be the seven-time world champion’s lone genuine highlight of an otherwise difficult season.