Ranked: 2025 F1 team bosses from best to worst

The 2025 F1 season saw McLaren win both championships as the team boss added another feather in his cap. The way Stella has taken to leadership has been like a fish taking to water. Interestingly, the fact that he's now been in the job for three years and has three titles in the bag already is astounding.

With that being said, what if we told you that in our list for the top team principals in 2025, Stella was not at the top? When it comes to being the team boss, there are many things that need to be implemented correctly. That includes how a team approaches a race, a session, a season, its drivers, and so much more.

So how do we rank the team bosses this season? Let's take a look.

Ranking F1 team bosses

#10 Flavio Briatore

At the bottom, we have Alpine boss Flavio Briatore. His position as such seems fluid, as he seems to be handling multiple roles. In essence, though, he's the one making the calls within the team, and it's safe to say that the team is not in great shape.

It gave up on the 2025 F1 season very early and has put all its eggs in the 2026 basket. For 2025, however, the manner in which Jack Doohan was handled was not the best, and the less we talk about the team's operational structure, the better.

#9 Fred Vasseur

Fred Vasseur finds himself in P9, and it is a dramatic fall from where he would have found himself in 2024. The team was expected to be a title contender in 2025, but the fact that it ended the year without a win was a shocker.

The manner in which Fred Vasseur handled the Ferrari misstep was also something in the spotlight, as it appeared that he was feeling the pressure.

2026 is crucial for Fred if he wants to keep his seat and continue to build within the team.

#8 Andy Cowell

Andy Cowell joined Aston Martin early in 2025, and it led to quite a few people having great things to say about the team's signing. The fact that he's out of his role already, after reportedly falling out with Adrian Newey, is surely something that goes against him.

If he were a part of the project for a longer period, we might have been able to give a better judgment on where he stands, but for now, P8 is where he finds himself.

#7 Ayao Komatsu

2025 should have been a step forward for Haas, but it does appear that the goldust that Ayao Komatsu carried with him in the 2024 F1 season has not carried forward into 2025.

The team's design issue early on and the lack of foresight to push the car even once during the pre-season test were things that stood out in terms of an operational issue.

Komatsu has excelled in terms of financially securing Haas, but tangible improvements are something that he would be keeping a keen eye on in 2026.

#6 Alan Permane

One of the hard-nosed paddock veterans who finally got a position at the top is Alan Permane. He had a tough job at hand, first with helping a broken young driver, Liam Lawson, fix himself and then taking over a team that was being led by Laurent Mekies.

Racing Bulls potentially could have done a better job this season, but with the turbulence it went through, this was a good result overall.

#5 Laurent Mekies

Laurent Mekies finds himself in P5, and a lot of it has to do with how he replaced one of the most successful F1 team bosses ever at Red Bull. The team was going through turbulence, and the 'vibe' was not good when he joined.

As a result, the manner in which the team has bounced back, and Max Verstappen has almost clinched his 5th F1 title, is something commendable.

#4 Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff ended the 2025 F1 season on a high as Mercedes finished 2nd in the championship. Considering where the team was at the start of the year, when there was uncertainty around the squad, especially Kimi Antonelli, Wolff now finds himself in a strong position, with the team expected to have a strong lineup for the new regulations.

#3 Andrea Stella

At #3, we have Andrea Stella, as the McLaren team boss has now made it 3 world championships in 3 years. The Italian was quite brilliant in his approach and how he ran the team in a battle with Max Verstappen.

Why is he not rated higher? Well, the F1 title battle should never been dragged into the last race of the season.

#2 Jonathan Wheatley

Jonathan Wheatley finds himself at #2 because the turnaround at Sauber and his role within the team cannot be understated. The key area where he has been remarkable is the team's operational efficiency.

Sauber was a laughing stock with how it handled the pitstops in 2024. The way it transformed this season and how some of the credit for Hulkenberg's remarkable results in the wet weather goes to Jonathan cannot be understated.

#1 James Vowles

At the top, we have James Vowles, who has helped Williams climb to the top of the F1 midfield. What's more interesting to see is that James has been setting these goals for the team ever since he stepped into the role.

The first couple of years were expected to be a struggle, and looking back, they were. The 2025 F1 season was expected to be a step up, and it was. The team has been making progress, and with Vowles at the helm, many are going to start taking them seriously.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli