In Pictures: Abu Dhabi 2025
Abu Dhabi hosted the final Grand Prix of the season, marking the last race weekend for the current 2022-era tire dimensions and the final use of DRS before it is replaced by a 'manual override engine mode' which provides a temporary boost in hybrid power.
Starting next season, while retaining the same 18-inch rim diameter, the tires will be slightly narrower to suit the new generation of cars developed under the overhauled 2026 technical regulations. On the Tuesday following the Grand Prix (December 9), the Yas Marina Circuit will host a group test with race drivers at the wheel of mule cars adapted for the 2026 tire range.
THE TRACK
Yas Marina has hosted the final race of the Formula 1 season 13 times. This modern, cutting-edge facility features a 5.281-kilometer layout with 16 corners. Drivers know it well, as it has long been the venue for the post-season test. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the track underwent a significant update four years ago that slightly reduced its length while making it faster and more flowing, creating more overtaking opportunities, especially along the 1.2-kilometer straight between the slow Turns 5 and 6.
Another demanding section runs through Turns 10, 11, and 12, where drivers brake hard and generate heavy lateral loads. The track surface, made with aggregate imported from England, provides medium levels of abrasiveness and grip. To smooth out some uneven areas, the surface was resurfaced this year from Turn 1 through Turn 4.
As with all night races, temperatures drop noticeably between the early and late sessions. Track conditions vary depending on when cars are running and will also be influenced by how much rubber is laid down by the support series, including Formula 2.
FRIDAY
The opening FP1 session at 1:30 p.m. took place in warmer conditions, with Norris again topping the timesheets ahead of Verstappen, this time by a much smaller margin.
Piastri sat out FP1 as Pato O’Ward took over his McLaren, one of nine rookie drivers participating in the session (with a rookie officially defined as a driver who has started no more than two Grands Prix). This year, every driver is required to give up his car for two practice sessions to accommodate rookie mileage. All three compounds were used during FP1.
By the end of Friday’s running, it was McLaren’s Lando Norris who held the early advantage in free practice for the title decider, going quickest in both sessions on the soft tire. The two sessions were held at different times of day, with FP2 offering conditions more representative of qualifying and the race.
Verstappen was the first of the frontrunners to switch to the softs as the sun began to set with half an hour remaining, before moving on to longer runs on the medium compound for race simulations. As most teams bolted on softs toward the end of the session, Norris secured the upper hand by 0.3 seconds.
One of the standout performances came from Oliver Bearman, who finished FP2 in P4, while Piastri—another of the three championship contenders, ended the day in P11.
SATURDAY
Track temperatures were the hottest they had been all weekend, 36°C (96.8°F), for FP3. Running was limited early on due to the non-representative conditions, but eventually all drivers headed out on a mix of medium and soft compounds, with Aston Martin the only team to scrub in the hard tire. In the closing minutes, as track evolution increased grip, Mercedes’ George Russell went quickest on the softs, beating Norris by just 0.004 seconds. The session was interrupted by a red flag halfway through after Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, the most successful driver in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix history, went off.
Qualifying began under the lights in ambient temperatures of 25.6°C (78.1°F) and track temperatures of 27.5°C (81.5°F), which remained largely consistent throughout the hour.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was hoping a remarkable Abu Dhabi statistic would hold true again: the driver starting from pole had won the race for the previous ten years. His times on both his first and second runs in Q3 were good enough for pole, ending up two-tenths clear of the McLarens, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lining up second and third.
All three title contenders therefore started the decider together on the front row after an extremely close qualifying session. Tactics played a role as well, with several drivers trying to benefit from aerodynamic tows down the circuit’s long straights.
SUNDAY
Lando Norris became the 35th different world champion in Formula 1’s 75-year history after taking the third place he needed at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with his McLaren team having already secured the constructors’ title in Singapore.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race from pole, while the other title contender, Oscar Piastri, finished second. All three championship protagonists ran different tire strategies over the 58-lap race, which began at 5:00 p.m. in daylight and continued for nearly two hours into the night.
Verstappen started on the medium compound before switching to the hards on lap 24, while Piastri did the opposite, starting on the hard tire and moving to the mediums on lap 42. Norris, however, made two pit stops: starting on the mediums and then completing two stints on the hard compound to reach the finish.
Piastri managed to pass his teammate on the opening lap despite being on the harder tire, but the strategy chosen for Norris ultimately secured him the final podium position he needed to clinch the title by two points over Verstappen.
With no safety cars, retirements, or yellow flags, it was a straightforward fight to the finish, with the three drivers who defined the season locking out the podium.
““Oh, God. I’ve not cried in a while. I didn’t think I would cry, but I did. It’s a long journey. First of all, I want to say a big thanks to my guys, everyone in McLaren, my parents. I’m not crying. My mom, my dad, you know, they’re the ones who supported me since the beginning. Oh, I look like a loser!” ”
From the low points of crashing in Canada, a DNF at Zandvoort, and a disqualification in Las Vegas, to the ecstasy of becoming world champion, Norris completed a remarkable journey. He is only the 35th driver to hold the title since the championship began in 1950, a moment of history written under the lights of Abu Dhabi.
Excerpts and media courtesy of Pirelli S.p.A. and the official Formula 1 team press offices. All images are provided via Getty Images through the respective team media platforms and are credited to their rightful copyright holders. Used for editorial purposes only. Not for sale.
