F1 never truly stops, even as the year winds down. Here’s what’s happening in the world of Formula 1 today.
## Verstappen tops team bosses’ 2025 rankings
The annual team principals’ vote is in, and Max Verstappen has been crowned the best driver of the season.
World champion Lando Norris grabbed second place, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri rounded out the top three.
Perhaps the biggest surprise? Lewis Hamilton didn’t even make the top 10.
The British driver struggled through a difficult year with Ferrari. Despite winning the Scuderia’s first-ever Sprint in Shanghai, he couldn’t manage a single Grand Prix podium in 2025.
Want to see who else made the cut? Check out the complete rankings list!
## Verstappen’s GT3 team switches to Mercedes for next season
Max is making moves outside F1 too. His GT3 team will race with Mercedes-AMG cars next season, and the driver lineup is now official.
Chris Lulham and Daniel Juncadella will handle the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup duties in 2026.
For the longer Endurance Cup races, they’ll be joined by Jules Gounon.
## Where is Max spending the holidays?
Looks like Brazil!
Flight tracking of Verstappen’s private jet shows the four-time world champion has flown to Brazil. Kelly Piquet also posted a beach story on Instagram that seems to confirm their location.
Max previously mentioned his holiday plans on the Talking Bull podcast: “First Christmas together, then on holiday with some good friends as well. I’m really looking forward to that, first of all. I really need it.”
After a grueling championship battle, who could blame him for wanting some beach time?
## Bruno Michel: Formula 3 is a “drivers’ championship”
Formula 2 and Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel shared his thoughts about the junior categories in an exclusive interview.
The Frenchman believes F3 truly showcases driver talent above all else.
Want to know more? Read the first part of our exclusive interview with Michel now!
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