Under the floodlights of Yas Marina, the 2025 Formula 1 season reached a boiling point as qualifying set the stage for a dramatic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen seizing a crucial pole position and championship tensions ramping up, while Kiwi Liam Lawson was left to rue a razor-thin miss at the top 10.
From shock Q1 exits to a heart-stopping title decider in the desert, the weekend delivered strategy gambles, wheel-to-wheel battles and a championship fight that went down to the final laps of the season finale.
Qualifying:
Qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix delivered high drama under the Yas Marina floodlights, with Max Verstappen securing a crucial pole position as the championship battle tightened at the season finale.
Q1 saw Oscar Piastri top the timesheets, while Lewis Hamilton suffered a shock early exit. Alex Albon, Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto also failed to progress.
In Q2, George Russell led the field as the margins became incredibly fine. Kiwi driver Liam Lawson narrowly missed out on reaching Q3, falling just 0.08s short after Racing Bulls’ tyre strategy had left him with only one fresh set for his final run. Teammate Isack Hadjar advanced, while Gabriel Bortoleto impressed by moving into the top 10.
Q3 belonged to Verstappen, who produced a decisive lap to claim pole. Lando Norris secured second and Piastri third, locking out the front three for the title contenders.
The rest of the top 10 was completed by George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda.
Lawson admitted frustration after qualifying and said an overly conservative tyre plan and limited running had cost him a spot in Q3. He lined up 13th on the grid for the race, aiming to fight forward and help Racing Bulls in their battle for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Grand Prix:
Most of the field opted to start on the medium compound tyres, including championship rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, while Oscar Piastri committed to an alternative strategy by starting on the hard compound.
Yuki Tsunoda (10th), Kimi Antonelli (14th) and Lance Stroll (15th) also lined up on the hard tyres.
Liam Lawson (13th) and Isack Hadjar (9th) started on mediums. The only drivers to gamble on the soft tyres were Lewis Hamilton (16th), Alex Albon (17th) and Nico Hülkenberg (18th).
At the green flag, Verstappen launched strongly and immediately covered Norris into Turn 1, holding firm as Norris retained second ahead of Piastri. Behind them, Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc went wheel-to-wheel in a tense battle for fifth.
Further forward, Norris and Piastri ran side-by-side before Piastri swept around the outside through Turns 9 and 10 to claim second place – a decisive early move in the championship fight.
Lawson made a sharp start, gaining two positions on the opening lap to run 11th after passing Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman. Hadjar also made progress, overtaking Esteban Ocon to move into eighth.
Hamilton gained three spots across the opening two laps to climb to 13th, though he came under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, before being cleared by race control. George Russell endured a difficult start, dropping two places to Leclerc and Alonso and settling into sixth.
After five laps of the 58-lap race, Verstappen had opened a 2.3-second lead over Piastri, with Norris just over a second back and outside of DRS range. Leclerc sat a second behind Norris in fourth, while Russell recovered to fifth by passing Alonso at the end of Lap 4 and trailing Leclerc by nine-tenths.
Hülkenberg and Hamilton were the first to pit on Laps 8 and 9, shedding the soft compound for hard tyres.
From Gabriel Bortoleto in seventh to Antonelli in 15th, a nine-car DRS train formed, featuring Bortoleto, Hadjar, Ocon, Tsunoda, Lawson, Bearman, Sainz, Stroll and Antonelli, all struggling to find a way through.
While defending from Bearman for 11th, Lawson was investigated for erratic driving and subsequently handed a five-second time penalty.
Hadjar, Bearman and Russell stopped on Lap 15, all switching to the hard compound. Russell’s stop was an attempt to undercut Leclerc in the fight for fourth.
At the front, Piastri gradually began to eat into Verstappen’s advantage, cutting the gap to 1.6 seconds.
Norris pitted on Lap 17, with Leclerc and Alonso also stopping. Norris rejoined in ninth, ahead of Leclerc and Russell, but behind a DRS train led by Lawson.
Norris then produced a stunning sequence of overtakes: passing Antonelli for eighth on Lap 18, Sainz for seventh, and then diving down the inside to overtake both Stroll and Lawson in a single move to climb to fifth. Ocon’s pit stop shortly after promoted Norris into fourth.
Lawson pitted on Lap 22, serving his five-second penalty alongside a slow 3.9-second stop. He rejoined at the rear of the field, 10 seconds behind Franco Colapinto.
Norris soon found himself battling Tsunoda, who had been instructed by his team to hold Norris up for as long as possible. Tsunoda could only delay him briefly, as Norris completed an outside pass with two wheels off the track after being squeezed wide.
Tsunoda was later handed a five-second time penalty for forcing another driver off the circuit, while Norris was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Verstappen pitted on Lap 24, handing the lead to Piastri. Verstappen rejoined in second, 18.8 seconds behind Piastri and 5.2 seconds behind Norris. Leclerc also cleared Tsunoda to move into fourth.
With 20 laps to go, Piastri had yet to stop and led the race, while Verstappen steadily closed the gap to 5.5 seconds. Norris ran third, 5.5 seconds behind Verstappen. Leclerc followed 5.8 seconds adrift in fourth, with Russell 17 seconds back in fifth.
After his penalty and stop, Lawson struggled to recover, running 18th, 3.5 seconds behind Colapinto. Hadjar sat 13th, under pressure from Hamilton in DRS range.
Albon received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Leclerc made his second and final stop on Lap 40, rejoining in fifth, 2.2 seconds behind Russell. Norris responded immediately, pitting on Lap 41 and rejoining in third, 29 seconds behind Piastri.
Piastri finally stopped on Lap 42, fitting a fresh set of medium tyres and rejoining 4.7 seconds ahead of Norris in second. Verstappen now led the race with a commanding 24.4-second advantage.
The fight intensified over the final 12 laps, with Piastri pushing hard on fresh tyres to reel in Verstappen. Behind them, Norris came under increasing pressure from Leclerc, who was faster on fresher mediums and closing in as Norris protected the points he needed to secure the title.
In the closing laps, Leclerc began to struggle with rear tyre degradation, the gap to Norris stretching from four seconds to eight. Piastri reduced Verstappen’s advantage to 13 seconds with two laps remaining, while Norris edged closer to Piastri, the gap shrinking to three seconds.
Norris was instructed to manage the situation, back off the pressure and bring the car home to secure both a double McLaren podium and the world title.
Verstappen took victory in the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by 12 seconds from Piastri, with Norris finishing third and securing the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship by just two points.
Verstappen finished runner-up in the standings, with Piastri third.
Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Russell in fifth. Alonso, Ocon, Hamilton, Bearman and Hülkenberg completed the top ten. Lawson finished 18th in his final race of the season, just behind teammate Hadjar in 17th.
Formula 1 returns on 6–8 March 2026 for the opening round of the new season at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Header Image: Formula 1 via X
