AUTOhebdo's Top 50 Drivers of 2025 – 30th to 26th: from Théophile Naël to Pato O'Ward

Notation method: The journalists at AUTOhebdo each submitted their top 50 from a pre-defined list of 80 names. The driver in first place received 50 points, down to the fiftieth, who received one point. The average of the votes produced a ranking based on the driver's (or crew's) performance in their category during the year 2025.

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30. Théophile Naël

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• Winner of the Macau Grand Prix
• Eighth in FIA F3

Eighth overall with three podium finishes in his Formula 3 debut, the French driver shone in Asia in November, winning the always highly competitive Macau Grand Prix, which this year again served as the Formula Regional World Cup. This victory earned him a trip to Uzbekistan to collect his prize, as you can see in the selected image!

29. Mathys Jaubert

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• Third in the European Le Mans Series
• Three victories

As a member of the Genesis Magma Racing team at IDEC Sport, Mathys Jaubert had a successful season in ELMS, securing three victories with his teammates Dani Juncadella and Jamie Chadwick. The Frenchman, also in fine form in the heats of Porsche Having competed in the Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup France series, he is being rewarded by Genesis as he will be one of the six drivers who will pilot the GMR-001 next year, for its debut in WEC.

28. Lucas Moraes

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• World Rally-Raid Champion
• A victory

The main beneficiary of Nasser Al-Attiyah's penalty at Rally From Morocco, it's him! Lucas Moraes has clinched an improbable World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) title, a perfect farewell gift to Toyota, who will drive for Dacia in 2026. Moraes won his first victory at the Portugal rally-raid, which launched him towards the title against Al-Attiyah and the second Toyota, driven by Henk Lategan.

27. Carlos Sainz

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• Ninth in the World Championship Formula 1
• Two podium finishes in Grand Prix, one in Sprint

The "Smooth Operator" struck again in 2025! Defector from Classic Ferrari for sale toward Williams, Carlos Sainz he himself had admitted needing time to adapt to a new car and a new team. So it was no surprise that his start to the season was inconsistent, and he confirmed it with a thunderous second half of the season, racking up two podium finishes in Grand Prix, in Azerbaijan and Qatar.

26. Pato O'Ward

© Penske Entertainment: Chris Owens

• Runner-up inIndyCar
• Two victories

The Mexican driver was the one who best withstood Álex Palou's exceptional IndyCar season this year. Victorious twice and unlucky in Nashville during the finale, where a flat tire ruined his hopes of a third win, Pato O'Ward gained consistency over the past year. Can he once again prove to be the sole obstacle to Palou's now expected dominance in 2026?