A three-way title showdown, team tactics and curveballs: What to expect in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- Meghana Sree
- 9 hours ago
- 7 min read
F1's final round of 2025 promises everything from a spectacular title fight to intriguing team tactics in play. Max Verstappen starts on pole, Lando Norris in second only needs a podium to win his maiden title and Oscar Piastri isn't out of contention just yet. Here's everything to look out for in the season finale at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This is it, the final showdown of the 2025 season. With three drivers still in the championship fight, a first since 2010, and those very three drivers on the front rows for the race start, the tension was palpable after an intense qualifying that saw Max Verstappen take pole position under pressure.
Although Lando Norris is still in the driver’s seat of this championship, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri will no doubt make his life difficult throughout the race, and will be ready to pounce on the opportunity for title glory should things go sideways for the Briton.
Though the three-way title fight is the biggest headline of the weekend, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will also decide the mid-field championship standings: a crucial battle with high stakes ahead of the 2026 regulations overhaul.
With storylines buzzing everywhere you look ahead of a thrilling finale, here are five of the most important ones to keep an eye on for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The three-way title fight
A 104-point lead slashed down to just 12 points is a testament to Verstappen’s sheer relentlessness and ruthless consistency. Against all odds, the Dutchman finds himself second in the Drivers’ Championship standings, breathing down the neck of Norris and four points ahead of Piastri.
To secure a historic fifth consecutive world title, the title permutations are such that Verstappen must win and have Norris finish fourth or lower. With pole position secured, and the last 10 Abu Dhabi Grands Prix won from pole, Verstappen can easily clinch the race win.
The question is where Norris will finish. The Briton is just one podium away from winning a maiden F1 title, regardless of where Verstappen or Piastri finish.
Starting second on the grid, despite missing out on pole, Norris is arguably in the most comfortable position he could require. Verstappen will be ahead of him, meaning less risk of Norris going up against one of the most aggressive drivers on the grid at the first corner, and his teammate Piastri starts behind him, who surely won't compromise Norris' race in view of McLaren's driver management style.
Even if Piastri smoothly gets ahead of Norris, the Briton can afford to play it safe against his title rivals and cruise along to the podium to be guaranteed his title, provided he doesn’t finish lower than third.
Tactics and team orders
A short view back to the past, nine years ago during the 2016 Formula One season finale in Abu Dhabi. Nico Rosberg was leading the championship from Lewis Hamilton by 12 points, and would win his maiden F1 title if he finished anywhere on the podium. Hamilton meanwhile needed to win the race and have Rosberg finish fourth or lower to clinch a fourth Drivers’ title.
Leading the grid from pole, Hamilton sprinted away ahead of Rosberg who was cautious for much of the race, but in the latter stages, Hamilton began to slow his pace, backing up the pack in hopes of Rosberg being overtaken by their rivals in Ferrari and Red Bull.
Flash forward to 2025, and the permutations are exactly the same between Norris and Verstappen, with Verstappen on pole just as Hamilton was in 2016.
Questioned on whether he would employ the same tactics as Hamilton in 2016, Verstappen diplomatically stated: “It was also a different layout. I feel like now you get towed around a lot more around the lap, so it’s probably not as easy to do something like that. Cars also are completely different to back then.
“I felt like it was a lot easier back then to back it up because the tyres would overheat a lot when you would get close. I remember even in 2016, in some qualifying laps, you couldn’t go flat out in Sector 1 to keep the tyres alive in the last sector—which actually was here, for example. So yeah, very different times.”
However, the Dutchman did concede that he hopes it won’t be a straightforward race, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will play the tactical game during the 2025 season finale.
Meanwhile, at McLaren, a different conversation will no doubt be held between Norris and Piastri’s camps ahead of the race. The prickly topic of team orders has been brought up several times over the weekend, with both drivers giving clipped responses to the media over speculation on whether Piastri will aid Norris in his title campaign, even though he has a slim chance of winning it himself.
While whether McLaren will play the team game or not looks unsettled ahead of the race, over at Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda will be much more compliant to support Verstappen’s campaign. The Japanese driver, in his final F1 weekend with Red Bull, was already assisting his teammate on Saturday, giving him a tow on his first Q3 push lap.
McLaren has two horses to back, but Red Bull has the advantage of just one driver in the fight. Tsunoda could be critical in becoming a thorn in either McLaren drivers’ side well into the race after the pit stop cycles, if Red Bull play their cards right.
Other drivers having a hand in the title fight
After qualifying sixth, Fernando Alonso joked that he doesn’t want to be in the news on Monday by becoming a curveball in the three-way title fight — a luxury that Mercedes might not be able to afford.
George Russell lines up fourth, right behind our three championship protagonists, and along with Kimi Antonelli clawing his way up from 14th, will be intent on securing second in the Constructors’ Championship from Red Bull.
Russell’s pace looked promising on Saturday, and after missing out on the front row, the Briton will hope to rescue a podium to cement Mercedes’ P2.
Meanwhile, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified fifth for the race, and on the prospect of influencing the title fight, stated: "I will take massive risk tomorrow and try and be on the podium for the last race, that's all that matters to me.
"[...] The only thing I'm looking at is what I can do for Ferrari, and that is trying to maximise tomorrow's results no matter who I fight."
Having more drivers in contention for a podium with agendas of their own will indubitably mix up the title fight ahead, something McLaren will have to work around while Red Bull will hope it plays in their favour.
Mid-field teams in a battle of their own
Brewing underneath the frenzy of the title decider and the fight for second in the Constructors’, another key battle in the standings will be waged amongst the mid-field teams of Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Haas and Sauber.
All four teams are covered by 24 points, with Racing Bulls leading the pack in sixth. For the race, Alonso is in the prime position of getting a significant points haul, while Haas have two cars close to the points with Esteban Ocon in eighth and Oliver Bearman in 11th.
In the standings, Racing Bulls have the points advantage (12 points over Aston Martin) and can be expected to make progress during the race from ninth and 13th for Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson respectively.
Sauber too will be hoping to salvage a chunk of points in their final race before the switch to Audi, with Gabriel Bortoleto in seventh and Nico Hülkenberg starting 18th but with promising race pace.
With the mid-field caught up in a fight of their own, anything can happen between these cars to upend the race, with significant consequences on the title fight up the road.
The end of an era
For many on the grid, drivers and teams alike, this race will mark a last hurrah.
Starting with Red Bull, this will be their final race powered by a Honda Power Unit, as the team is set partner with Ford for the 2026 season. Current Red Bull driver Tsunoda is also set to depart the grid, making way for Hadjar who will become Verstappen’s new teammate next year.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin will enter a new era with Adrian Newey as their Team Principal and Honda as their engine suppliers in 2026, transitioning from a customer team of Mercedes to a works team.
Alpine will be doing the reverse, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix set to be Renault’s final race ahead of the Enstone-Viry squad’s switch to Mercedes engines for 2026.
For Sauber, this will be the final race under the Sauber name, with the arrival of Audi in 2026 who will operate as their own works team.
On a larger scale for the sport, this will mark the final race in the ground effect era under the current regulations, meaning this is the last we'll see of the Drag Reduction System (DRS).
The 2025 season is set to come to a thrilling close under the floodlights of Yas Marina, with plenty of history awaiting us as the lights go out at 13:00 GMT.
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