Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Takeaways: A three-way showdown that wasn't
F1 NewsWednesday, 10 December 2025 at 14:30
The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was supposed to be the grand finale with Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri all gunning for the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship.
However, the race in Abu Dhabi ended up being a mundane affair since it was clear after the first few laps what the outcome would be unless someone broke down or crashed or if a freaky spell of rain hit the Yas Marina Circuit on that night, but apparently there was no cloud seeding on that afternoon.
Verstappen drove steadily, waiting for some miracle or a McLaren blunder like in Las Vegas and Qatar, but nothing of that sort happened, as he will now have to get used to seeing the #1 on Norris' McLaren in 2026.
The Dutchman did all he could, delivering the perfect weekend by taking both pole and the win, but that was not enough for him to retain his Drivers' Crown on a night where Norris just did what he needed to do and McLarens somehow kept their act together. I say "somehow" because Piastri's strategy was not ideal, not for him, that is.
And so we now have a new Champion, the 35th in F1's history, as young Lando has joined the prestigious club of F1 Champions last Sunday.
As we now look ahead towards the 2026 F1 season with its sweeping new regulations and a consequent full reset, let us come up with some Takeaways for a final time this year.
Here are our Takeaways from the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Was that really a showdown?
As soon as Verstappen took pole after Qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, discussions and analyses went into overdrive about the tactics Red Bull and their four-time Champion will resort to in order to make McLaren's life more difficult.
There were talks that Verstappen may back the field up behind him so Norris and Piastri may be attacked by the likes of George Russell and Charles Leclerc, who were starting fourth and fifth. But Russell was AWOL and drove an anonymous race after reporting brake issues at the start of the race.
Leclerc, on the other hand, did what he usually does: show an early fight when the tyres are still alive before dropping back to preserve his tyres after failing to pass Norris. He then settled into his rhythm, making sure he finished fourth.
With reference made to the 2016 intra-Mercedes battle between Lewis Hamilton, who backed Nico Rosberg hoping to deny him the Title, we saw none of that in Abu Dhabi 2025.
There was none of the drama we saw at the venue in 2010 when Sebastian Vettel overcame a 15-point deficit to take his maiden title. We also witness none of the controversy of 2021 between Hamilton and Vettel.
From there, Verstappen and Red Bull made sure they secured the win, while Norris made sure he finished on the podium.
As for Piastri, he had a great start despite being on Hard tyres and passed his teammate on Lap 1, but all his attempts to attack Verstappen were in vain, and the top three finished as they started.
Did the best driver win the Championship?
The simple answer is NO. Max was the best driver this season, while Lando and Oscar were on an equal footing within McLaren.
GrandPrix247 Editor-in-Chief Paul Velasco penned an article in the buildup to the season finale in Abu Dhabi and reflected on this point in particular.
Moreover, in an interview with Fernando Alonso ahead of the weekend in Abu Dhabi, he was asked who he thought deserved to win the F1 Drivers' Title.
The Spaniard first diplomatically said they all three contenders deserved it but then cunningly added that while it was fitting that McLaren won the Constructors' Title since they had the best car, it would also be fitting that the best driver won the Drivers'.
For me, and keeping in mind that Fernando must be hurting from the days he drove his heart out in bad machinery only to end up losing, what he said made sense.
The best driver this season was Verstappen, and I believe he drove his best season in F1 so far and was only failed by Red Bull and the lemon they gave him this year and that brain fade moment in Barcelona.
I know Max gets pissed when that incident with Russell is mentioned, but matters would've been different had he not banged wheels with the Briton on that day.
Norris wins his maiden Championship
While he was not the best driver in 2025, Norris made the most out of the best car on the grid, as McLaren have built a rocket ship of a car in the form of their MCL39.
While Norris was on the back foot at the start of the season with Piastri dominating the intra-team battle, the Briton did fight back and comprehensively beat his teammate, who started to falter, especially since Baku.
It was far from smooth sailing for Norris with incidents like in Canada, where he rear-ended Piastri, blemishing his season, not to mention the weaknesses he showed in close racing conditions. His pure pace was never in doubt, though.
We also cannot ignore the times McLaren dropped the ball with strategy and, of course, that disastrous disqualification in Las Vegas, where Norris could've sealed the Title.
It was clear McLaren and their drivers were not used to fighting for Championships, especially against formidable rivals like Verstappen and Red Bull Racing, but so dominant was their MCL39 that they managed to walk away from Abu Dhabi with both trophies.
Verstappen won the most races in 2025, which is quite telling, but in the end, points decide the Championship, and it was Norris who bagged the most.
Now having mentioned Lando's shortcomings in close racing, it was quite fitting that, on the day when he became Champion, he did execute some clinical moves after McLaren pitted him into traffic in Abu Dhabi to go back up the order.
He is now an F1 World Champion, and it will be interesting to see how he develops from here, as the pressure of securing the first Title is now off his shoulders.
But for now, Congratulations are in order!
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Quick Hits
- What a relief it must be for Hamilton to finish his disastrous debut season with Ferrari, a relationship that promised a lot but failed on all fronts.
He had a miserable final weekend in Abu Dhabi, and the only silver lining was finishing eighth after starting from P16.
Lewis will definitely have many notes ready for Ferrari ahead of the 2026 season. - Staying with Ferrari, they said they started focusing on their 2026 car in April as Fred Vasseur attempted to explain their disastrous performances.
That is not the first time Ferrari wrote off a season early to focus on the upcoming one. That hasn't worked before, and there is no guarantee they succeed this time. Lewis, Charles, and the Tifosi should brace themselves. - Alonso delivered a feisty drive to finish in the points for Aston Martin. Lance Stroll also scored.
- In their last race as Sauber, Nico Hulkenberg scored points for the team, who will become Audi in 2026, under the eyes of team founder Peter Sauber, who joined the team in Abu Dhabi.
- Despite the highs of two podiums in 2025, Carlos Sainz and Williams had a bad weekend in Abu Dhabi, as both the Spaniard and Alex Albon finished outside the points.
- Also a bad weekend for future Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar, as he and his teammate Liam Lawson both failed to score points.
- It was Yuki Tsunoda's final race in F1. And what an exit that was. His defense against Norris was pathetic, especially after his confident message saying that he knew what he needed to do.
He did not manage to delay Norris at all and ended up getting a five-second penalty for his efforts.
Tsunoda in F1 was never going to happen if you ask me. He was simply there as Red Bull indulged Honda in the early days of their partnership.
Honda is now gone, and duly so is he. Maybe he should try his hand at other racing categories.
Takeaways will be back in 2026. Enjoy the break and the festive season...
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