Verstappen wins Autosport’s Driver of the Year Award

Max Verstappen has won Autosport’s 2025 Driver of the Year Award, following a fan vote.

The Red Bull star scored eight wins as he battled McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the crown, falling just two points short despite a difficult start to the campaign with the RB21.

Autosport readers have voted Verstappen the best racing driver of 2025, ahead of world champion Norris, Piastri, IndyCar dominator Alex Palou, Formula E title winner Oliver Rowland and MotoGP star Marc Marquez.

Verstappen’s victory comes on the evening of the star-studded 38th Autosport Awards at London’s Roundhouse on 21 January.

The award, which has been running since 1982, is open to professional racing drivers competing at international level. It is the fifth consecutive time Verstappen has taken the accolade.

Previous winners include F1 world champions Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Sebastian Vettel, while the British drivers on the honours list are Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, who holds the record with eight successes.

Other categories decided by fan voting include Rookie of the Year, Moment of the Year presented by Bahrain International Circuit, Competition Car of the Year, Rally Driver of the Year and British Competition Driver of the Year. Two new awards for 2025 are Team of the Year and Creator of the Year.

Further awards, decided by expert judging panels, include the Pioneering and Innovation Award, Promoter of the Year and Brand Partnership of the Year.

To find out who our other award winners are, go to autosport.com/awards