Max Verstappen etched his name in the history of Formula One racing in Abu Dhabi to clinch his maiden World Championship in the year 2021 in a triumph that would perhaps remain controversial depending
on one’s allegiances.
Fast forward to 2025 and Verstappen won the Yas Marina title in the season’s curtain call, but had to endure the dissolution of his four-year reign as the champion, with Lando Norris’s third place enough to give the McLaren driver his maiden title with just a couple of points over the Dutchman.
Verstappen pulled out all the stops in his valiant chomp-down of a 102 point lead Norris held at one point in the season, but the Brit got his first taste of success on the back of a strong season. And in sharp contrast, Norris’ compatriot, Lewis Hamilton went through his first season without a podium finish in his debut Ferrari campaign.
Seven-time winner Hamilton’s incredible record in the big leagues was handed a body-blow as he took Carlos Sainz’s seat at the Prancing Horse, only to watch the Spaniard lift Williams to a fifth place finish in the championship. Sainz achieved two podium finishes during the season, helping Williams accumulate 137 points by the year’s end.
Sainz has a history of improving the standings of the teams he races for. With Renault, he saw the team rise from ninth place in his debut season in 2016 to fourth place by the time he left in 2018. At McLaren, he helped the team move from sixth place in 2018 to third in 2020. His subsequent move to Ferrari saw him help the iconic team climb from sixth place to second before his departure last year.
