Formula 1’s 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Review
Norris Clinches His Maiden Title as Verstappen Wins the Finale
After 24 rounds, a three-way title fight, and momentum swings between McLaren and Red Bull, the 2025 Formula 1 season came down to one last showdown under the Yas Marina lights. Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri arrived in Abu Dhabi with a mathematical shot at the crown, but only one could walk away as World Champion.
In the end, Verstappen did everything he could by winning the race, Piastri chased him home in second, but Lando Norris’s third place was exactly what he needed to secure his first Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, edging Verstappen by just two points in the final standings.
Qualifying — 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The final qualifying session of the 2025 Formula 1 season delivered the intensity expected from a three-way title fight, with Max Verstappen producing a decisive lap to secure pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After Oscar Piastri topped Q1 and George Russell led Q2, Verstappen struck when it counted most in Q3, setting a 1:22.207 to place himself ahead of championship rivals Lando Norris and Piastri.
Norris pushed hard on his final run but settled for P2, just 0.201s adrift, while Piastri followed closely in P3, ensuring all three title contenders will launch directly from the front of the grid in Sunday’s decider. Russell locked in P4 for Mercedes after a strong showing throughout the session, and Charles Leclerc delivered one of Ferrari’s more competitive qualifying performances of the late season with P5.
Fernando Alonso continued his consistent form with P6 for Aston Martin, while Kick Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed with P7, one of his best qualifying results of the year. Esteban Ocon secured P8 for Haas, followed by Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls in P9, with Yuki Tsunoda — in his final qualifying outing as a Red Bull Racing driver — taking P10 despite being unable to complete a final flying lap.
Major eliminations included Carlos Sainz in P12, Liam Lawson in P13, Kimi Antonelli in P14, and Lance Stroll in P15. Lewis Hamilton suffered another early exit with P16, just hours after crashing in FP3. Alex Albon followed in P17, Nico Hulkenberg in P18, and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto ended the day 19th and 20th.
Final Classification — Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:22.207 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:22.408 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:22.437 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:22.645 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:22.730 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:22.902 |
| 7 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 1:22.904 |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:22.913 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:23.072 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | DNF |
2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2025 Formula 1 World Championship came down to a single night under the Yas Marina floodlights — and Lando Norris delivered the drive he needed to secure his first-ever Drivers’ Title. Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Oscar Piastri, but Norris’ controlled and hard-fought third place sealed the championship by just two points.
Verstappen started the decisive finale from pole position, with Norris and Piastri directly behind him. A mostly uniform grid lined up on the medium tyre, except for Piastri, Tsunoda, Antonelli and Stroll on hards, while Hamilton, Hulkenberg and Albon gambled on softs.
When the lights went out, Verstappen launched cleanly, maintaining the lead into Turn 1. Norris initially held second, but the biggest early moment came halfway through Lap 1: Piastri swept around the outside of Norris at Turn 9, a bold move that dropped the championship leader to third but still kept him in the title-clinching zone. Behind them, Charles Leclerc attacked aggressively, trying to unsettle Norris with repeated DRS attempts into Turn 9.
Further back, George Russell suffered heavy wheelspin off the start and fell from fourth to sixth, forcing a recovery drive. Alonso briefly occupied fifth, but Russell reclaimed the position at the Turn 6/7 chicane once his brake pedal issues stabilized.
Hulkenberg, celebrating his 250th Grand Prix, was the first driver to pit, switching from softs to hards. Several midfield incidents were noted by race control — involving Colapinto, Stroll, Hamilton, Antonelli, Albon and others — but no major penalties were applied at this stage.
At the front, Verstappen controlled the pace with Piastri shadowing him and Norris trying to maintain the gap to Leclerc. McLaren asked Piastri to push harder to help give Norris breathing room, while Red Bull advised Verstappen to consider extending his first stint for strategic flexibility.
The first major strategic window opened when Russell, Hadjar and Bearman pitted on Lap 12. McLaren and Ferrari responded shortly after: Norris, Leclerc and Alonso boxed at the end of Lap 16, with Norris rejoining just ahead of Russell — but behind several yet-to-stop cars, forcing him to fight through traffic at the most stressful stage of his title bid.
Norris delivered. He passed Antonelli, Stroll and Lawson decisively to reclaim clean air. Behind him, Leclerc and Russell also worked their way forward, but Norris kept just enough of a gap to stay protected.
Then came the race’s most tense moment.
Norris vs Tsunoda — the championship flashpoint
Running an offset tyre strategy, Yuki Tsunoda defended fiercely when Norris caught him. On Lap 23, Tsunoda squeezed Norris onto the edge of the track on the run to Turn 6/7, forcing Norris briefly onto the grass before Norris committed to a clean pass under braking.
Race control immediately noted the incident for:
- Tsunoda — erratic defending / forcing another driver off the track
- Norris — leaving the track and gaining an advantage
The outcome would directly impact the world championship.
Minutes later, the stewards issued their decision:
- Tsunoda: 5-second penalty for weaving
- Norris: no further action
It was a massive relief on the McLaren pit wall and a turning point in his title push.
Strategic divergence sets the final battle
With Norris cleared of investigation, all attention returned to the leaders.
Piastri remained out long on his hard tyres, briefly inheriting the race lead when Verstappen stopped for hards. Norris’ pace was strong enough to maintain a comfortable buffer over Leclerc, who pitted again on Lap 40 to switch to fresh mediums.
McLaren immediately covered Ferrari: Norris boxed a lap later for hards, rejoining safely ahead of Leclerc.
Verstappen quickly reeled Piastri into DRS range and swept past on the back straight. Once Piastri finally made his own stop for mediums, he rejoined in P3 with significantly fresher tyres — too far to attack Verstappen for the win, but easily positioned to secure second place.
The Final Laps — Calm, Measured, Champion-Level Driving
With Verstappen stretching clear, and Piastri locked into P2, the world title hinged solely on Norris’ performance. Leclerc briefly looked threatening earlier in the race, but Norris rebuilt a gap that grew to more than five seconds, neutralizing any final-lap jeopardy.
A few small midfield penalties reshuffled the order (Stroll for erratic driving, Bearman for multiple direction changes, Tsunoda for weaving), but the top of the field remained stable.
Verstappen crossed the line to claim his eighth victory of the season — but behind him, Norris completed the work of a full year, finishing third to officially become the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion. The final margin?
Norris 413 points
Verstappen 411 points
Piastri 400 points
FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2025 – RACE RESULT
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 58 | 1:26:07.469 | 25 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 58 | +12.594s | 18 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 58 | +16.572s | 15 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 58 | +23.279s | 12 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 58 | +48.563s | 10 |
| 6 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 58 | +67.562s | 8 |
| 7 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 58 | +69.876s | 6 |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 58 | +72.670s | 4 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 58 | +79.014s | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 58 | +79.523s | 1 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 58 | +81.043s | 0 |
| 12 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 58 | +81.166s | 0 |
| 13 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 58 | +82.158s | 0 |
| 14 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 58 | +83.794s | 0 |
| 15 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 58 | +84.399s | 0 |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 58 | +90.327s | 0 |
| 17 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 19 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 20 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 57 | +1 lap | 0 |
Conclusion – Norris the Champion, Eyes Turn to 2026
The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix delivered exactly what a title decider should: tension, strategy, and three elite drivers performing at their peak. Max Verstappen claimed a superb victory and pushed the fight all the way. Oscar Piastri underlined his arrival as a true title-calibre driver. But ultimately, Lando Norris absorbed the pressure, managed the risk, and brought home the result he needed to become Formula 1 World Champion for the first time.
With just two points separating Norris and Verstappen in the final standings, and Piastri only 11 points further back, the stage is set for another incredible battle next year. The 2026 season kicks off on March 6 in Australia, and if this season is anything to go by, you won’t want to miss a single lap.
Sources
