Lando Norris
(F1)

Driving McLaren’s pacesetting MCL39, Norris has bounced back from early errors and took the lead of the Formula 1 world championship with a dominant performance in Mexico. Seven grand prix victories and six poles have put the Briton in command with three events to go.

Alex Palou
(IndyCar)

IndyCar’s benchmark driver took his fourth title in five years in 2025. The Chip Ganassi Racing star scored eight wins and the Spaniard finally broke his duck in ‘The Big One’ with victory in the Indianapolis 500.

Oscar Piastri
(F1)

The Australian has had a late wobble but is still very much in the championship hunt. Seven GP wins helped him lead the standings for much of the season and he aided McLaren to its 10th F1 constructors’ title with six meetings remaining.

Oliver Rowland
(Formula E)

After a sometime roller coaster ride in Formula E, Brit Rowland became the 2024-25 all-electric single-seater world champion in some style. Four wins and three second places gave the Nissan driver a comfortable run to the crown before his home finale in London.

Marc Marquez
(MotoGP)

Any doubts over Marquez’s ability following his 2020 injuries were well and truly dispelled this season. Armed with a factory Ducati for the first time, he dominated MotoGP and his 15th GP podium of the campaign – from 17 races – secured his seventh top-tier title. So good, the Spanish rider has made it into our Racing Driver of the Year Award!

Max Verstappen
(F1)

Without the Red Bull car advantage he has enjoyed previously in the ground-effect era, Verstappen has dug deep and been brilliantly relentless in 2025. Seven poles and five wins have kept pressure on the McLaren drivers and a fifth title isn’t yet out of reach.

Taylor Barnard
(Formula E)

F2 race winner Barnard graduated to Formula E full-time after three races in 2023-24 and proved to be a sensation for McLaren in the team’s final season in the championship. Five podiums helped the 21-year-old Briton to fourth in the points, well clear of his veteran team-mate Sam Bird.

Ollie Bearman
(F1)

Bearman appeared to have a tough gig alongside Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon for his first full F1 season. The 20-year-old Brit had some wild moments but has shown impressive pace and his drives to fourth in Mexico and sixth in Brazil indicate he has already started to add maturity to his game.

Gabriel Bortoleto
(F1)

The reigning F2 champion, Bortoleto has compared well at times to underrated Sauber team-mate Nico Hulkenberg. He was a consistent points threat during a mid-season purple patch, though the 21-year-old will probably want to forget his troubled home weekend in Brazil.

Leonardo Fornaroli
(F2)

Fornaroli came into the F2 season with something to prove. He was the reigning F3 champion but had not taken a single victory on his way to the crown. The Italian has put that right this season, four wins so far with Invicta putting him into the championship lead.

Isack Hadjar
(F1)

Hadjar’s off before the start of the Australian GP was an inauspicious way for his first F1 campaign to begin but since then the 21-year-old Racing Bulls driver has put in several stellar performances. Qualifying sixth and finishing there at Monaco was an eye-opener before the Frenchman scored his first GP podium at Zandvoort.

Connor Zilisch
(NASCAR Xfinity Series)

Former Mazda MX-5 racer Zilisch has won in just about every category he’s tried but his first NASCAR Xfinity Series season was truly remarkable. The 19year-old ended the season as runner-up with JR Motorsports, having won 10 races, and will be going Cup racing full-time in 2026.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli
(F1)

Just 18 at the start of the year, Antonelli was thrust into the limelight as replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. It’s been an up-and-down first F1 season for the Italian but there have been flashes of his potential, most notably with pole for the Miami sprint and a fine second place ahead of Max Verstappen in Brazil.

Fermin Aldeguer
(MotoGP)

Aldeguer stepped up to the top class of motorcycle racing with the Gresini squad, riding a year-old Ducati alongside Alex Marquez. The 20-year-old Spaniard scored his first podium as early as round six in France and then took his maiden MotoGP victory in Indonesia in October.

Shane van Gisbergen
(NASCAR)

Supercars ace van Gisbergen had already shaken the NASCAR Cup establishment with victory on his debut in 2023 and was outstanding again in his first full campaign with Trackhouse Racing. Five road course wins brought the Kiwi the rookie crown and regulars should be worried about what will happen when he cracks ovals…

Chip Ganassi Racing
(IndyCar)

Chip Ganassi Racing again ruled the roost in IndyCar as Alex Palou dominated to take the drivers’ crown. Team-mate Scott Dixon was also a winner on his way to giving Ganassi a 1-3 in the standings, and Honda easily won the engine manufacturers’ title.

Ferrari AF Corse
(World Endurance Championship)

The Ferrari factory’s return to the top of international sportscar racing with AF Corse was completed in 2025, with the manufacturers’ title and drivers’ success for James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi. The satellite AF Corse entry won Le Mans and helped Ferrari score a 1-2-3 in the drivers’ standings.

McLaren
(F1)

After challenging Red Bull’s F1 domination in 2024, McLaren became the team to beat in 2025. Trying to play things completely fairly between its two drivers sometimes caused problems, but 14 wins (and counting) underlined the car’s pace – and a 10th constructors’ crown was secured with a quarter of the season to go.

Hendrick Motorsports
(NASCAR)

Legendary NASCAR Cup team Hendrick Motorsports ended a run of Penske Ford drivers’ titles in 2025. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver Denny Hamlin looked set to take the crown in the Phoenix finale but opportunistic strategy boosted three-time 2025 race winner Kyle Larson and third place brought the Hendrick Chevrolet racer the spoils.

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
(WRC)

Toyota once again demonstrated a tight grip on the World Rally Championship, clinching a fourth consecutive manufacturers’ title against Hyundai and M-Sport Ford opposition. After 13 rounds it had only lost once – and its 12 victories were shared by four different drivers.

Ducati
(MotoGP)

Ducati retained its place at the top of the MotoGP tree in 2025 and new factory signing Marc Marquez dominated the season. Eleven wins helped him clinch his seventh top-level title, while Ducati comfortably wrapped up both the constructors’ and teams’ contests.

Porsche
(Formula E)

Porsche didn’t have the performance advantage it has sometimes enjoyed in Formula E during 2024-25 but the factory team managed an impressive level of consistency with Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix de Costa. Podium threats almost every time out, they scored enough points to scoop both the teams’ and manufacturers’ titles.

Verstappen wins at the Nurburgring on his GT3 debut
(NLS)

Max Verstappen took a break from his F1 campaign to contest a Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie race on the fearsome Nordschleife in September. On his GT3 debut, the Dutchman ran away from the field and took victory in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 he shared with protege Chris Lulham.

Palou is victorious at Indy
(IndyCar)

Alex Palou has been the outstanding driver in IndyCar in recent seasons, but victory in the Indianapolis 500 had always eluded him – until 2025. Palou overcame 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson in the closing stages to add to his already impressive CV.

Kubica wins Le Mans with Ferrari
(WEC)

Robert Kubica completed his incredible motorsport comeback from his 2011 rally crash by playing a starring role as the AF Corse Ferrari 499P he shared with Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye took victory at Le Mans. In a competitive field the trio beat the leading Porsche by 14.1s after 24 hours of racing.

Norris takes British GP victory
(F1)

Every driver wants to win their home grand prix and Lando Norris achieved that in 2025. In a tricky, rain-affected race in which Max Verstappen spun and Oscar Piastri picked up a penalty, Norris kept his head to win at Silverstone in front thousands of his fans.

Rowland clinches the Formula E title in Berlin
(Formula E)

Oliver Rowland had a brilliant start to his 2024-25 Formula E campaign, taking four wins and three second places in the first nine races. That set up the Nissan driver to secure an emotional title in the all-electric series at the penultimate weekend in Berlin.

Marquez brothers are first brothers to finish 1-2 in MotoGP standings
(MotoGP)

History was made in 2025 as the Marquez brothers finished 1-2 in the MotoGP standings. In his first season on a factory Ducati, Marc Marquez took 11 wins and clinched the title in Japan with five rounds to go, before younger brother Alex secured second with a Gresini-run year-old Ducati.

Larson snatches NASCAR title without leading a lap in finale
(NASCAR Cup)

Denny Hamlin led most of the NASCAR Cup finale in Phoenix but lost out due to a late caution. Kyle Larson only took new two tyres instead of four at his final stop and third place in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was enough to secure his second crown. Even Larson was surprised after not leading a lap!

Lissie Macintosh

Brought a high-energy, female-led voice to F1 with engaging interviews and viral paddock-side storytelling that fans deeply engage with.

P1 (Matt & Tommy)

Delivered a relatable, fan-centric take on F1, driving community conversations through relatable humor, sharp commentary, and nonstop season-long presence.

James Coker

Produced highly-engaging POV and reaction-style motorsport content, pulling new fans into everything from F1 to grassroots racing with humor and education.

Kireth

Blended F1 coverage with sim-racing storytelling, building a connected community around both real-world and digital motorsport experiences.

Aarava

Developed personality-driven gaming and motorsport crossover content that mobilises a loyal fanbase and fuels cultural moments each season.

Tiggy Valen

Created approachable, personality-rich F1 commentary that introduces new U.S. fans to the sport and keeps existing fans engaged throughout the season.

Christina Roki

Combined humor and hands-on automotive storytelling, offering a bridge between car culture and F1 that appeals to a wide range of viewers.

Eric Estepp

Covered NASCAR with consistent, fan-focused commentary, providing accessible breakdowns and reactions that resonate across the wider racing community.

David Land

Delivered in-depth IndyCar analysis and news-driven content, helping fans stay informed and invested in ongoing storylines across the series.

Misha Charoudin

Shared on-track insights and long-format racing experiences, offering viewers an inside look at endurance racing and Nurburgring culture.

Luke Browning
(F2)

Williams Academy driver Browning has continued his impressive rise in 2025. The Hitech racer has been a consistent podium threat in his first season of F2, took feature race victory at Monza and lies third in the standings with two events to go.

James Calado
(WEC)

Already a Le Mans winner, Calado added a word title to his CV this season. The factory Ferrari 499P he shared with Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi won two races and scored two thirds during the team’s early-season domination to build a points lead they never lost.

Oliver Bearman
(F1)

After starring in a one-off for Ferrari in 2024, Bearman stepped up to F1 full- time this season and impressed. Often able to show great pace, he has also started to put together some consistently strong weekends and is 10 points ahead of Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon with three GPs to go.

Tom Ingram
(British Touring Cars)

Ingram and his Excelr8 Hyundai attained an incredible level in 2025. Always quick even with limited TOCA Turbo Boost, Ingram scored seven wins and 11 other podiums on his way to his second British Touring Car crown. He also starred in the wet at Goodwood, securing a second consecutive success in the RAC TT Celebration.

Oliver Rowland
(Formula E)

Rowland has carved out a niche for himself as one of the top Formula E drivers and he led Nissan’s charge with aplomb in 2025. The result was a deserved title for the 33-year-old, who is also helping the rise of Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad.

George Russell
(F1)

Alongside Max Verstappen, Russell has probably maximised his machinery more than any other F1 driver in 2025. When the Mercedes has been strong, Russell has nailed wins and podiums, and he has usually been comfortably clear of promising rookie team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Lando Norris
(F1)

Norris has built on his breakthrough 2024 campaign this season as McLaren has given him a car capable of challenging for the title from the off. Despite showing impressive speed, Norris’s mistakes early in the season hampered his efforts but he now seems to have hit form at just the right time.

Ferrari 499P
(WEC)

The 499P’s status as one of the great sports-racers was cemented in 2025. As well as scoring a third consecutive victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the revised machine also took 1-2-3 in the World Endurance drivers’ standings and brought Ferrari its first WEC manufacturers’ title in the top class.

Mercedes F1 W16
(F1)

The final Mercedes challenger of F1’s second ground-effect era hasn’t been able to fight for victory at all races but when it’s good – usually in cold conditions – it’s very good. Despite some errors from rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes is well-placed to beat Red Bull and Ferrari to second in the constructors’ table.

McLaren MCL39
(F1)

The benchmark car of the F1 season, the MCL39 has won more than half the races in 2025. The constructors’ championship was clinched at the start of October and could give McLaren its first title double since 1998 if Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri can get the job done in the final rounds.

Porsche 963
(WEC and IMSA)

Porsche couldn’t match Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship but it was a different story in North America’s IMSA series. Four straight wins, including Nick Tandy completing his set of victories in the 24-hour classics at Daytona, set Porsche on its way to manufacturer honours, while Matt Campbell/Mathieu Jaminet scooped the drivers’ crown.

Red Bull RB21
(F1)

Red Bull’s first F1 contender of its post-Adrian Newey era has given the team some headaches in 2025. It’s proved tricky to get the best out of, but Max Verstappen has consistently done just that – and five wins and seven poles show that the RB21 has kept McLaren on its toes.

Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
(WRC)

The GR Yaris Rally1 probably now has to be regarded as one of the great rally designs. Gradually developed since it arrived in 2022, the car has only been beaten to one major title – the 2024 drivers’ crown. Toyota has put that right this year and seems set to finish 1-2-3 in the drivers’ standings.

Elfyn Evans

He might not quite have reached the heady peaks of some of his Toyota colleagues, but Evans has been incredibly consistent in 2025. Eight top-three finishes from 13 rounds means the Welshman holds a three-point lead heading into the Saudi Arabian finale.

Thierry Neuville

It has been a tough campaign for all the Hyundai drivers this season and Neuville has been unable to defend his 2024 crown. Nevertheless, the 37-year- old Belgian has often been a threat and has scored four podiums against the might of Toyota.

Sebastien Ogier

Even as a part-timer, veteran Ogier is a championship contender. The 41-year- old Frenchman has taken an astonishing six wins, two seconds and a third from his 10 outings. The Toyota ace is still very much in contention to take a ninth World Rally crown.

Kalle Rovanpera

Double world champion Rovanpera returned to the WRC full-time in 2025 but found it tough to adapt the new Hankook tyres. The young Finn has still managed three victories for Toyota and has an outside chance of the title in Saudi Arabia, ahead of his switch to single-seater racing in 2026.

Oliver Solberg

The son of 2003 world champion Petter had a double success in 2025. The 24- year-old Swede comfortably scooped the WRC2 crown and sensationally took overall victory in Estonia on a one-off with the Toyota team. Watch out for fireworks as he goes full-time in the top class in 2026.

Ott Tanak

Prior to the Saudi Arabian decider, Tanak is the only non-Toyota driver to have won a World Rally event this season. The victory in Greece and four second places have made the Estonian the top non-Toyota driver in the championship standings.