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8 Minutes
Overview: Midfield Excellence in the First Half of the 2025 Season
The 2025 summer break gives us a good moment to evaluate which drivers have stood out in midfield machinery. This third instalment of our summer rankings covers positions 10 through 6 — drivers who have consistently delivered strong racecraft, tyre management and strategic nous to extract points from cars that aren’t always front-runners. Throughout the review we focus on driver performance independent of team mistakes or limitations in the car, highlighting how each pilot’s skillset and race approach have shaped their season so far.
10) Esteban Ocon — Haas
Season highlights
Best finish: 5th | Championship position: 10th
Esteban Ocon’s move to Haas was framed as a fresh start and, while the American-based team has lost a little relative pace to the midfield pack, Ocon has consistently impressed. His racecraft has been a stand-out: a notable performance in China saw him promoted from seventh on the road to fifth after post-race adjustments, and in Bahrain he recovered from a qualifying crash to finish inside the points. Monaco was another strong weekend where he qualified eighth and finished seventh, showing composure on a track that punishes mistakes.
Car, specifications and setup
Driving Haas’ 2025 chassis, Ocon has demonstrated an ability to find a setup that balances tyre life and straight-line speed. The team’s aerodynamic package has been competitive in high-load corners, but it’s Ocon’s tyre management — particularly his skill at stretching a stint on hards — that has regularly converted midfield pace into points. An example came in Austria where an early switch to hard tyres and a long second stint allowed him to climb from 17th to score the final point.
Performance characteristics and comparisons
Ocon is a driver who thrives when races turn tactical. Compared with some rivals who rely on outright qualifying pace, his strength is consistent race pace, especially over long stints. If Haas can evolve its aero and mechanical grip package, his results would likely scale up significantly.
Verdict
Under the radar but highly effective, Ocon’s ability to balance tyre wear, strategy and overtakes makes him an asset in midfield battles. More competitive machinery would elevate his impact and public recognition.
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9) Nico Hülkenberg — Sauber
Season highlights
Best finish: 3rd | Championship position: 9th
Hülkenberg’s switch to Sauber raised eyebrows, yet he has repaid the team with clinical, experience-led driving. From a 17th-place start to seventh in Melbourne and a string of consistent points finishes, he finally ended his long wait for a podium at Silverstone — a testament to opportunistic racecraft and strong strategy execution.
Car, specifications and upgrades
Sauber’s mid-season upgrade package — the team’s aerodynamic and suspension tweaks — unlocked valuable lap time and stability. Hülkenberg made the most of improved chassis balance and mid-corner traction, turning incremental gains into one of Sauber’s best results in years.
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Performance characteristics and comparisons
Hülkenberg’s hallmark is race intelligence: tyre conservation, clear tyre window calculations and clean overtaking. His main weakness remains qualifying pace; being out-qualified by teammate Gabriel Bortoleto in recent rounds shows there's room to improve single-lap speed. Compared to younger teammates, Hülkenberg still brings calm and fine-tuned feedback for car development.
Verdict
A very strong first half of 2025. If Hülkenberg tightens up qualifying, his consistency and strategic nous could make him a regular podium contender when Sauber hits the right setup.
8) Pierre Gasly — Alpine
Season highlights
Best finish: 6th | Championship position: 14th
Amid off-track upheaval at Alpine, Pierre Gasly has been the stabilising factor. He’s regularly extracted competitive results from a car that can be temperamental, notably a strong wet-weather performance at Silverstone where he finished sixth.
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Car, specifications and design traits
The Alpine A525 has proven challenging to drive across different tracks — rear grip inconsistency and sensitivity to setup changes have been recurring themes. Gasly’s ability to identify the car’s sweet spot—balancing downforce and rear stability—has been crucial. When the aero balance aligns with his driving style, he can exploit the package to its fullest.
Performance characteristics and comparisons
Gasly’s strengths are adaptability and race intelligence; he often outperforms the car’s expected ceiling, especially in mixed conditions. Compared with team-mates or rivals in similar machinery, Gasly has been Alpine’s most reliable scorer this season, masking deeper instability in the A525.
Verdict
Alpine would struggle without Gasly. His ability to deliver points despite technical gremlins and setup-sensitive car behavior makes him indispensable to the team’s midfield positioning.
7) Isack Hadjar — Racing Bulls
Season highlights
Best finish: 6th | Championship position: 13th
Rookie Isack Hadjar has combined raw speed with rapid learning. After a difficult start — including a formation-lap crash in Australia — he found form with Q3 appearances and points finishes in Japan and Monaco. His Monaco sixth place, following practice incidents, showcased his mental resilience and precise car control.
Car, specifications and team positioning
Racing Bulls’ 2025 package has provided Hadjar with a platform to showcase his talent. The team’s focus on aero efficiency and tyre degradation control suits his aggressive but maturing driving style. Qualifying progress and consistent race trims indicate a positive development curve for the rookie.
Performance characteristics and comparisons
Hadjar is fast and occasionally combustible — typical of young drivers transitioning into F1. Against teammate Yuki Tsunoda, he’s shown he can compete and occasionally out-perform. With Red Bull’s junior roadmap in play, a potential promotion to a top team in 2026 isn’t out of the question if his trajectory continues.
Verdict
A revelation this season. Hadjar’s combination of tyre management, qualifying improvements and on-track bravery suggests he’ll climb further up the rankings before year-end.
6) Alex Albon — Williams
Season highlights
Best finish: 5th | Championship position: 8th
After a turbulent end to 2024 and the arrival of Carlos Sainz at Williams, Albon needed a strong 2025 — and he’s delivered. A top-five finish in the opener and multiple points hauls, including a nervy duel with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at Imola, have shown Albon remains the benchmark at Williams.
Car, specifications and design
Williams’ 2025 car has proven competitive at certain circuits, offering strong mechanical grip and predictable tyre degradation. Albon’s setup preferences — leaning towards a balanced chassis with stable rear-end behavior — have translated into better race trims and qualifying resilience. Reliability issues have cost a few opportunities, but where the car performs, Albon maximises it.
Performance characteristics and comparisons
Albon currently holds the edge over Sainz in both one-lap and race pace, a significant achievement given the pressure on team leadership. Compared to other midfield drivers, Albon blends aggressive defence with consistent lap times, keeping Williams in the top 10 of the championship for the first time since 2020.
Verdict
Albon needed a strong season to cement his status; so far he’s done that. With Williams shifting development focus towards 2026, Albon’s best chance for an eye-catching result this year will be seizing opportunities at tracks that favour the team’s current strengths.
Final thoughts: Midfield trends and what to watch next
The midfield battle is being decided not just by raw power unit output or aero alone, but by tyre management, set-up responsiveness and driver intelligence. Teams that refine chassis balance and maximise tyre windows will turn consistent midfield cars into regular points-scorers. For the drivers covered here — Ocon, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Hadjar and Albon — their respective strengths (tyre conservation, experience, adaptability, raw pace, and consistency) make them the drivers to watch in the second half of 2025.
Key performance factors moving forward: ongoing aerodynamic upgrades, improved power unit integration, reliability upgrades and strategic tyre choices across race weekends. Expect tight margins at grand prix weekends where strategy and tyre wear can swing several positions — and remember, when the car and driver click, midfield drivers can turn a good weekend into a headline-making result.
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