A Data Recap of the 2025 Formula 1 Season

With the 2026 Formula One season kicking off this weekend, it felt like the right moment to look back at what was, at least to me, a competitive and fun title fight. If you missed it, let data provide a recap.

The short version: Lando Norris finally won his first World Championship. He beat Max Verstappen by two points. Two points. Over 24 races the gap between champion and runner-up came down to roughly the value of a single fastest lap bonus, a point that was scrapped for the 2025 season.

But there's a lot more to the story than just the final standings. Let's dig in.

Kimi Antonelli. Photo by author.

McLaren Took Over, But Not Easily

When people say McLaren dominated 2025, the numbers back them up. The team won 14 of the 24 races and finished the Constructors' Championship with 833 points, 364 more than second-place Mercedes. By those numbers, it looks like a walkover.

What's interesting, though, is how that dominance played out. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each won exactly 7 races. They were nearly inseparable on pace for most of the year, which sounds great for McLaren but made for an unexpectedly messy title picture since technically both drivers were taking points from each other every weekend.

Verstappen, despite driving a Red Bull that was clearly a step behind McLaren, won more races than either McLaren driver individually. Eight wins to their seven. An impressive feat, considering the car wasn't the fastest one.

A Three-Way Fight

For the first half of the season, Oscar Piastri was arguably the best driver on the grid. He led the championship for 15 consecutive rounds and looked like he was going to run away with it. Then something shifted.

Norris won in Mexico City, took the championship lead for the first time, and never gave it back. Piastri faded slightly over the final stretch, not through any dramatic collapse, just enough to let his teammate edge past in the standings.

What makes this chart worth staring at for a while is how long all three stayed in contention. This wasn't a battle between two where the third competitor fell away early. Verstappen was within striking distance almost until the final few rounds, and Piastri was mathematically alive going into the finale in Abu Dhabi.

What Happened in Vegas

One of the most dramatic moments of the season didn't involve a crash or a controversial call during the race but hours later, in the stewards' office. Both McLarens were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after the race for excessive skid wear. Norris had finished first on the road; Piastri was also classified before the DSQ.

The result: Verstappen inherited the win, George Russell moved to second, and Kimi Antonelli—Mercedes' 18-year-old rookie—ended up on the podium in third. For Norris, it was a painful hit to his championship lead. For the story of the season, it was the moment that made sure nothing was decided early.

Champagne on the Podium

Norris ended the year with 18 podium finishes, more than anyone else. Piastri had 16. Verstappen managed 15. Russell's 9 podiums were the bulk of Mercedes' second-place constructors' finish.

Beyond the top four, the podium picture was thin. Charles Leclerc had 7 podiums but zero wins, a pretty clear summary of Ferrari's frustrating season. And then there were the outliers: Nico Hülkenberg took a third-place finish for his first podium in 239 starts. Isack Hadjar, a rookie driving for Racing Bulls, got a third at Zandvoort. And Lewis Hamilton, unfortunately, had his first-ever season without a podium finish :( (I'm a Lewis fan).

What Changes in 2026

New season, new technical regulations, and 22 cars on the grid. Whether McLaren can carry their momentum into a completely new regulatory era is one of the biggest questions hanging over this weekend's season opener. History suggests that the teams that dominated under old rules often struggle when the rulebook changes. But we won't know until the lights go out.