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2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Race 24 of 24 in the 2025 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of the Yas Marina Circuit
Layout of the Yas Marina Circuit
Race details[1]
Date 7 December 2025
Official name Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025
Location Yas Marina Circuit
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.281 km (3.281 miles)
Distance 58 laps, 306.183 km (190.253 miles)
Weather Clear
Attendance 203,000[2]
Pole position
Driver
Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Time 1:22.207
Fastest lap
Driver Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari
Time 1:26.725 on lap 45
Podium
First
Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Second
McLaren-Mercedes
Third
McLaren-Mercedes
Lap leaders

The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 7 December 2025 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was the twenty-fourth and final race of the 2025 Formula One World Championship.

The Grand Prix was the first World Drivers' Championship–deciding final round since 2021, and the first with more than two contenders since 2010. Lando Norris (408 points, McLaren), Max Verstappen (396 points, Red Bull), and Oscar Piastri (392 points, McLaren) entered the round with an opportunity to win the World Drivers' Championship. Verstappen converted his pole position to a victory, ahead of Piastri and Norris, the latter of whom achieved his maiden Drivers' Championship by two points, and McLaren's first since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

Background

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The event was held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the 17th time in the circuit's history, across the weekend of 5–7 December.[3] The Grand Prix was the twenty-fourth and final race of the 2025 Formula One World Championship and the 17th running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.[4]

This was the last Grand Prix to utilise the power unit configuration introduced in 2014. A revised configuration without the Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H), but with a higher power output from the Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K), will be introduced for 2026.[5] The event marked the final race of the ground-effect generation of cars introduced in 2022, and the last of the drag reduction system (DRS) introduced as an overtaking aid in 2011, as cars with active aerodynamics and moveable wings will be introduced in 2026.[6] This race marked Honda's last race as a power unit supplier to Red Bull and Racing Bulls, with the company exclusively supplying Aston Martin in 2026.[7] It was also Renault's final race as an engine supplier for its team Alpine, with the manufacturer planning to discontinue engine production post-2025; as such Alpine will become a customer of Mercedes engines from 2026.[8]

Championship standings before the race

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Going into the weekend, Lando Norris led the Drivers' Championship with 408 points, 12 points ahead of Max Verstappen and 16 ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri, who were second and third, respectively. McLaren, who won the Constructors' Championship at the Singapore Grand Prix, leads with 800 points ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, who were second and third with 459 and 426 points, respectively.[9]

Championship permutations

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With Norris being outscored by Verstappen and Piastri in the preceding Qatar Grand Prix, he was unable to secure the Drivers' Championship. As such, the Drivers' Championship was decided in this race, marking the first time the final round of the season was a championship decider since 2021, and also the first time more than two drivers were contenders for the Drivers' Championship at the last event since 2010. Norris and Piastri both had an opportunity to win their first title at this event, and McLaren's first Drivers' Championship since 2008, while Verstappen had an opportunity to win his fifth in a row.[10][11]

Norris had an opportunity to become Britain's first Drivers' Champion since Lewis Hamilton won in 2020 for Mercedes;[12] Verstappen could break Sebastian Vettel's record for the most championships won with Red Bull, and would have become the second driver to win five titles in a row after Michael Schumacher from 2000 to 2004 for Ferrari;[13] and Piastri could have become Australia's first Drivers' Champion since Alan Jones won in 1980 for Williams.[11]

The top three drivers had an opportunity to win the championship in the following manners:[14]

Norris would win if:
United Kingdom Lando Norris Netherlands Max Verstappen Australia Oscar Piastri
Pos. 3rd or better Any place Any place
4th or 5th 2nd or lower
6th or 7th 2nd or lower
8th 3rd or lower
9th or lower 4th or lower 3rd or lower
Verstappen would win if:
Netherlands Max Verstappen United Kingdom Lando Norris Australia Oscar Piastri
Pos. 1st 4th or lower Any place
2nd 8th or lower
3rd 9th or lower 2nd or lower
Piastri would win if:
Australia Oscar Piastri United Kingdom Lando Norris Netherlands Max Verstappen
Pos. 1st 6th or lower Any place
2nd 10th or lower 4th or lower

Entrants

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See also: 2025 Formula One World Championship § Entries

The drivers and teams were the same as published in the season entry list with two exceptions;[15] Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull Racing held the seat originally held by Liam Lawson before Lawson was demoted back to Racing Bulls from the Japanese Grand Prix onward,[16] and Franco Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan at Alpine from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onward on a race-by-race basis.[17]

During the first practice session, eight teams fielded alternate drivers who had not raced in more than two Grands Prix, as required by the Formula One regulations:[18]

The Grand Prix marked Nico Hülkenberg's 250th race start, and Charles Leclerc's 150th race start with Ferrari. The Grand Prix was Tsunoda's last as a Red Bull driver and the last Grand Prix to feature the Sauber team before they become Audi in 2026.[27][28]

Tyre choices

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Further information: Formula One tyres

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C3, C4, and C5 tyre compounds designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for teams to use at the event.[29]

Practice

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Three free practice sessions were held for the event. The first free practice session was held on 5 December 2025, at 13:30 local time (UTC+4), and was topped by Lando Norris (McLaren), followed by Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari).[1] The second free practice session was held on the same day, at 17:00 local time, and was topped by Norris, followed by Verstappen and George Russell (Mercedes).[1] The third practice session was held on 6 December 2025, at 14:30 local time, and was topped by Russell, followed by Norris and Verstappen. The session was red-flagged after Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) crashed at turn 9.[1]

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on 6 December 2025, at 18:00 local time (UTC+4), and determined the starting grid order for the race.[1]

Qualifying report

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Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Albon, Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto were eliminated in Q1. This marked Hamilton's third consecutive Q1 exit in the 2025 season.[30] Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz Jr., Liam Lawson, Kimi Antonelli, and Lance Stroll exited in Q2. In the third session (Q3), Max Verstappen claimed his 48th career pole position, ahead of title contenders Lando Norris, who qualified in second, and Oscar Piastri in third. George Russell and Charles Leclerc qualified in fourth and fifth, respectively, and Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Isack Hadjar, and Yuki Tsunoda completed the top ten.[31] Tsunoda, who suffered floor damage from a free practice incident with Kimi Antonelli, sacrificed his flying lap in Q3 to provide a tow for teammate Verstappen.[32][33]

Qualifying classification

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Pos. No. Driver Constructor Qualifying times Final
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 1:22.877 1:22.752 1:22.207 1
2 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.178 1:22.804 1:22.408 2
3 81 Australia Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.605 1:23.021 1:22.437 3
4 63 United Kingdom George Russell Mercedes 1:23.247 1:22.730 1:22.645 4
5 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:23.163 1:22.948 1:22.730 5
6 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 1:23.071 1:22.861 1:22.902 6
7 5 Brazil Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber-Ferrari 1:23.374 1:22.874 1:22.904 7
8 31 France Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari 1:23.334 1:23.023 1:22.913 8
9 6 France Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 1:23.373 1:22.997 1:23.072 9
10 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 1:23.386 1:23.034 No time 10
11 87 United Kingdom Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari 1:23.254 1:23.041 N/A 11
12 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Williams-Mercedes 1:23.187 1:23.042 N/A 12
13 30 New Zealand Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 1:23.265 1:23.077 N/A 13
14 12 Italy Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:22.894 1:23.080 N/A 14
15 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 1:23.316 1:23.097 N/A 15
16 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:23.394 N/A N/A 16
17 23 Thailand Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 1:23.416 N/A N/A 17
18 27 Germany Nico Hülkenberg Kick Sauber-Ferrari 1:23.450 N/A N/A 18
19 10 France Pierre Gasly Alpine-Renault 1:23.468 N/A N/A 19
20 43 Argentina Franco Colapinto Alpine-Renault 1:23.890 N/A N/A 20
107% time: 1:28.387
Source:[34][31]

Race

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The race was held on 7 December 2025, at 17:00 local time (UTC+4), and was run for 58 laps.[1]

Race report

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At the start of the race, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) made a significant gap and dived left to block any challenge from Lando Norris (McLaren). Norris tucked into second place ahead of Oscar Piastri (McLaren) as the three Championship contenders made it safely through turn one.[35][36]

Behind them, fourth-placed George Russell (Mercedes) made a poor start, and he was overtaken by both Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin). Russell was left in sixth place ahead of Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto, Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar, Haas' Esteban Ocon and hard-tyre starter Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull), who all maintained their starting positions before Piastri overtook Norris while on hard tyres to reach second place. Russell eventually overtook Alonso for fifth.[35][36]

On lap 11, Verstappen had built out a two-second gap ahead of Piastri, with Norris 4.3 seconds behind. Russell was the first of the top five to pit at the end of lap 14, switching to hard tyres to try to undercut Leclerc. Norris was next to pit at the end of lap 16 followed by Leclerc. After exiting the pits, Norris was tailing Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and Carlos Sainz Jr. (Williams), and on lap 19 he passed both Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) in a single move into the hairpin.[35][36]

Norris was now three seconds behind Tsunoda, the latter of whom was in third place behind Piastri and Verstappen. On lap 23, as Norris and Tsunoda battled on the straight section of the track, Norris left the track in an attempt to overtake Tsunoda, who was making multiple changes to defend his position. The FIA put both drivers under investigation: Tsunoda for making more than one change of direction and Norris for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. The FIA stewards later penalised Tsunoda for making more than one change of direction as Norris, whom the stewards decided not to investigate any further, was forced off the track to avoid a collision from Tsunoda's erratic driving. Tsunoda would later serve his five-second penalty at the pits by the end of lap 32, demoting him down to 18th.[35][36]

Meanwhile, Piastri's hard tyres were starting to show signs of wear, requiring him to pit for mediums a few laps later, eventually rejoining the track in second place.[35][36]

With Norris in third place, Verstappen's chances of getting a fifth World Championship became slimmer. Norris, on hard tyres, would face pressure from Leclerc but Leclerc was unable to get within two seconds of Norris, further slimming Verstappen's chances of a fifth World Championship. Verstappen would later win the race, with Piastri finishing in second and Norris in third. Norris' third-place finish was enough to crowd him his maiden World Drivers' Championship, while Verstappen's win would allow Red Bull to secure third place in the Constructors' Championship.[37] Lewis Hamilton's eighth place finish meant for the first time in his 19 year career he would go an entire season without recording a Grand Prix podium, ending a record breaking streak since his career began in 2007.[38]

Race classification

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Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 58 1:26:07.469 1 25
2 81 Australia Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 58 +12.594 3 18
3 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 58 +16.572 2 15
4 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 58 +23.279 5 12
5 63 United Kingdom George Russell Mercedes 58 +48.563 4 10
6 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 58 +1:07.562 6 8
7 31 France Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari 58 +1:09.876 8 6
8 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 58 +1:12.670 16 4
9 27 Germany Nico Hülkenberg Kick Sauber-Ferrari 58 +1:19.014 18 2
10 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 58 +1:19.5231 15 1
11 5 Brazil Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber-Ferrari 58 +1:21.043 7
12 87 United Kingdom Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari 58 +1:21.1662 11
13 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Williams-Mercedes 58 +1:22.158 12
14 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 58 +1:23.794 10
15 12 Italy Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 58 +1:24.399 14
16 23 Thailand Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 58 +1:30.3273 17
17 6 France Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 57 +1 lap 9
18 30 New Zealand Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 57 +1 lap 13
19 10 France Pierre Gasly Alpine-Renault 57 +1 lap4 19
20 43 Argentina Franco Colapinto Alpine-Renault 57 +1 lap 20
Source:[31][39]

Notes

  • ^1 – Lance Stroll finished ninth, but received a five-second time penalty for making more than one change of direction.[39]
  • ^2 – Oliver Bearman finished tenth, but received a five-second time penalty for making more than one change of direction.[39]
  • ^3 – Alexander Albon received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. His final position was not affected by the penalty.[39]
  • ^4 – Pierre Gasly received a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits. His final position was not affected by the penalty.[39]

Final championship standings

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For full season standings, see 2025 Formula One World Championship § Results and standings.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
  • Competitors in bold and marked with an asterisk are the 2025 World Champions.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 – F1 Race". Formula1.com. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  2. ^ "Record Attendance at 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix". GP Destinations. 9 December 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  3. ^ "Yas Marina". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  4. ^ "Grands Prix Abu Dhabi". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  5. ^ Nichol, Jake (21 January 2024). "Everything to know about F1's 2026 power unit revolution". RacingNews365. Archived from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  6. ^ Mitchell-Malm, Scott; Anderson, Ben (6 June 2024). "F1 reveals 2026 cars – Everything worth knowing". The Race. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Honda Teaming Up with Aston Martin for Formula 1 Racing in 2026". Car and Driver. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Alpine confirm they are to shut down works engine programme at the end of 2025". Formula 1. 30 September 2024. Archived from the original on 30 September 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Qatar 2025 – Championship". StatsF1.com. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  10. ^ Remsen, Nick (4 December 2025). "The F1 Drivers' Championship Comes Down to Abu Dhabi. But Determining the Winner Won't Be Simple". GQ. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  11. ^ a b Waterworth, Ben (1 December 2025). "How each driver can win the F1 title in Abu Dhabi". Speedcafe. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  12. ^ Jackson, Kieran (5 December 2025). "Lando Norris can play it down all he likes – an F1 world title would put him among the elite". The Independent. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: F1 session times, preview, stats & facts". ESPN. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  14. ^ Elizalde, Pablo (30 November 2025). "Abu Dhabi F1 showdown: How Norris, Verstappen, or Piastri can win the 2025 title". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  15. ^ "2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  16. ^ "Tsunoda to replace Lawson at Red Bull from Japanese GP as New Zealander drops down to Racing Bulls". Formula1.com. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Colapinto set to keep Alpine seat beyond initial evaluation". The-Race.com. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  18. ^ "2025 Formula One Sporting Regulations – Issue 5" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Cian Shields set for F1 weekend debut with Aston Martin". Formula1.com. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Paul Aron avec Alpine lors des Essais Libres 1 du GP d'Abou Dhabi". Autohebdo (in French). 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Every rookie to drive in FP1 in F1 2025". The Race. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Race Preview". Haas F1 Team. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  23. ^ "Luke Browning to hit the track in Abu Dhabi FP1 and Young Driver Test". Williams Racing. 12 November 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  24. ^ Kraaij, Tim (30 November 2025). "Lindblad replaces Tsunoda at Red Bull in Abu Dhabi". GPblog. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  25. ^ "Oscar Piastri set for critical Abu Dhabi disadvantage as McLaren replacement named". RacingNews365. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  26. ^ "Ferrari confirm Lewis Hamilton Abu Dhabi FP1 replacement". RacingNews365. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  27. ^ Benson, Andrew (2 December 2025). "Hadjar promoted and Lindblad, 18, gets F1 drive". BBC. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  28. ^ "Sauber to become Audi works F1 team from 2026". Formula One. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  29. ^ "In Abu Dhabi for a first step towards the F1 of the future". Pirelli. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  30. ^ "Hamilton admits Ferrari 'deserve better' after Q1 exit". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  31. ^ a b c "Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 – Starting Grid". Formula 1. 6 December 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  32. ^ "Verstappen beats Norris to crucial pole in Abu Dhabi". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  33. ^ Vinel, Ben; Cleeren, Filip (6 December 2025). "How Yuki Tsunoda sacrificed qualifying to help Max Verstappen to Abu Dhabi F1 pole". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  34. ^ "Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 – Qualifying". Formula 1. 6 December 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  35. ^ a b c d e "Norris secures maiden F1 title in Abu Dhabi with podium finish behind Verstappen and Piastri". Formula1.com. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  36. ^ a b c d e Hardy, Ed (7 December 2025). "F1 Abu Dhabi GP live commentary and updates - Race". Autosport. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  37. ^ Oracle Red Bull Racing (8 December 2025). "Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 Race Report". redbullracing.com. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  38. ^ Benson, Andrew (6 December 2025). "Hamilton feels 'unbearable amount of anger & rage'". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  39. ^ a b c d e "Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 – Race Result". Formula 1. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  40. ^ a b "Abu Dhabi 2025 – Championship". StatsF1.com. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
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