For the first time in a generation, the 2025 F1 World Championship reached its final act with three drivers still alive in the hunt — a scenario not seen for 15 years. Abu Dhabi had staged many season-defining moments, but never with tension quite like this. Lando Norris arrived at Yas Marina with a slender cushion over Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, leading by 12 points and 16 points respectively. On paper, a podium seals it for Norris. In reality, this title fight has been anything but predictable — strategy gambles, technical storms, and razor-thin margins have shaped the season, leaving the sport’s biggest prize within touching distance for three drivers yet far from guaranteed.
The path to the finale in recent rounds had been sculpted by drama. A costly disqualification in Las Vegas rewrote the momentum, stripping the McLarens of valuable points. Then came Qatar — a masterclass in strategic divergence where McLaren fumbled and Red Bull, with Max Verstappen, capitalised. And so we arrived in Abu Dhabi with history poised on a knife-edge. Three title contenders, one race, and one champion to be crowned — Formula 1 hadn’t felt as electric as this in years.
Race Guide
Season: 2025 F1 World Championship
Race weekend: 5 December 2025 – 7 December 2025
Race date: Sunday, 7 December 2025
Race start time: 17:00 local time
Circuit: Yas Marina Circuit
Laps: 58
Circuit length: 5.281km
2024 winner: Lando Norris
| Pole position | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | TBC | TBC | |
| Time | TBC | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | TBC | TBC | |
| Time | TBC | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | TBC | TBC | |
| Second | TBC | TBC | |
| Third | TBC | TBC | |
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit had evolved into one of Formula 1’s standout finales — a sleek, neon-wrapped purpose-built track. The layout revisions introduced in 2021 transformed the venue from stop-start to flow and aggression, replacing fiddly chicanes with fast, sweeping radius corners designed to let cars follow more closely across its 3.281-mile lap. That evolution mattered now more than ever, with three title contenders about to throw everything at a circuit built for risk.
Overtaking remained a calculated art rather than a guarantee, but if a move is coming, you’d see it at Turn Six or Turn Nine — the big braking zones that crown the back-straight duels and often decide races under the spotlight. From there, the lap tightened into the technical, downforce-hungry final sector, where balance, tyre life and confidence through the long right-handers can make or break a stint. A perfect Yas Marina lap demands patience on the throttle and bravery on the brakes — exactly the blueprint a championship shootout deserves.
The weather wouldn’t play a wildcard here. Abu Dhabi was set for its signature desert calm, with no rain expected and track temperatures peaking around 28°C during daylight running. As the sun drops and the floodlights take over, the circuit would cool to around 23°C for qualifying and race conditions — a swing that sharpens grip, energises tyres, and can flip the competitive order session to session.
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 5 December 2025 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm local time |
| 5 December 2025 | Free Practice 2 (FP2) | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm local time |
| 6 December 2025 | Free Practice 3 (FP3) | 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm local time |
| 6 December 2025 | Qualifying | 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm local time |
| 7 December 2025 | Race | 5:00 pm local time |
Saturday qualifying summary to follow…
Sunday race summary to follow…
Championship background
In the final round of 2025, Lando Norris entered the Abu Dhabi curtain-closer holding the cards — 12 points clear of Max Verstappen and 16 ahead of Oscar Piastri — with mathematics suggesting that a simple podium would crown him world champion. But Formula 1 seldom deals in simplicity. One lock-up, one safety-car twist, one strategy misread, and everything would change. Verstappen and Piastri knew that only victory would realistically keep their hopes alive, each needing not only perfection but a slice of fortune — or misfortune for the Norris ahead — to flip this title on its head in the final hour of the season.
Beyond the drivers’ war was another duel simmering beneath the spotlight. McLaren had already wrapped up the 2025 Constructors’ Championship, but the fight for the second step of the table remained tense: Mercedes carried a 33-point advantage over Red Bull as they arrived at Yas Marina, each hungry to end the year with momentum heading into the unknown. Because Abu Dhabi wasn’t just a finale — it was the end of an era. These were the final laps for the current generation of cars before the 2026 regulations swept in, threatening to reshape the hierarchy and close — or widen — the gaps we’d come to know.
Race entries
The lineup of drivers and teams remained the same as the 2025 season’s entry list, apart from:
- A driver swap at the sister teams, Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, where Yuki Tsunoda moved up to the parent Red Bull team and Liam Lawson headed in the opposite direction back to Racing Bulls, for round three at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.
- Jack Doohan stepping out of the race seat at Alpine (post Miami), beginning with the following round, the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The team confirmed that former Williams and Alpine reserve driver, Franco Colapinto, would take his place alongside number one driver, Pierre Gasly.
Aside from these changes, all the drivers from the start of the season took to the track during FP1, FP2, FP3, Qualifying, and the Grand Prix.
Tyre choices
Pirelli tyres summary to follow…
FIND OUT MORE
Free Practice
FP1 report post-session.
FP2 report post-session.
FP2 report post-session.
Free Practice 1 Classification
FP1 of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on 5 December 2025 from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm local time.
Free Practice 2 Classification
FP2 of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on 5 December 2025 from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm local time.
Free Practice 3 Classification
FP3 of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on 6 December 2025 from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm local time.
Qualifying
Full report post-session.
Qualifying Classification
Qualifying for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on 6 December 20255 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm local time.
2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Starting Grid
The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying session.
What happened in the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
Full race report to follow…
2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race results
The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race was held on 7 December 2025 at 5:00 pm local time.
2025 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
2025 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
2025 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
Seen in:
