Max Verstappen won the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Oscar Piastri, whilst Lando Norris finished third to claim his maiden F1 title.
Verstappen led from lights out until his first stop on lap 24 and regained the lead from Piastri on lap 41, which he held until the checkered flag from the Australian to claim Red Bull’s last win under Honda before the Japanese power unit manufacturer moves to Aston Martin.
Norris however sealed the title with third place after he lost second to Piastri round the outside of Turn 9 on the opening lap, before he held off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the final podium finish which secured the championship by two points from Verstappen.
George Russell, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Lewis Hamilton, Oliver Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten, but Bearman received a five-second time penalty post-race which demoted him to 12th and elevated Hulkenberg to ninth and Lance Stroll into tenth.
Knowing that the title was out of his hands at lights out, Verstappen sliced across Norris to protect his lead from the Brit who lost second to Piastri as the Aussie swept round the outside of Turn 9 on faster hard tyres as McLaren split strategy to cover Red Bull’s approach off.
Russell meanwhile suffered wheelspin at the start and slipped to sixth behind Alonso and Leclerc but managed to pass the Spaniard for fifth on lap 4.
Up front, Verstappen controlled the pace as Norris was the first of the title contenders to pit on lap 17 whilst Piastri sat circa two seconds behind Verstappen under instructions to keep the four-time champion “under pressure” to limit his strategy options.
Norris rejoined ninth but quickly recovered to fifth within three laps before he caught and passed Tsunoda on lap 23, although he was shoved out wide beyond the white line during the overtake as Tsunoda obeyed Red Bull’s order to hold him up by dangerous weaving across the track.
Stewards consequently investigated Tsunoda for his reckless weaving and Norris for completing his pass off track and gave him a five-second stop-and-go penalty.
Up front, Verstappen reeled in Piastri at a steady pace and passed the Aussie for the lead at Turn 6 on lap 41, just as Norris pitted to cover off Leclerc who made a surprise second stop a lap earlier.
Piastri made his stop for medium tyres on lap 42 which saw him rejoin 24 seconds behind Verstappen just as Leclerc cleared Russell for fourth, and set about hunting down Norris who was five seconds ahead of the Monegasque and on course for his maiden title.
Verstappen attempted to stay out on his one-stop strategy but Piastri by the end of lap 47 got within the Dutchman’s 21-second gap needed for a pit stop, which left him with no option but to go to the checkered flag and take his eighth win of the season from Piastri.
Norris meanwhile kept Leclerc at a four-second gap to secure third which ensured that he claimed his maiden title and became the 11th different Brit to win at least one F1 crown, and the 35th individual driver to achieve that feat in the sport’s 75-year history.
On the cooldown lap, Norris thanked McLaren and his parents for making his ambition a reality.
“Thank you guys, you made a kid’s dream come true, I love you guys. I love you mum, I love you dad.”
F1 now prepares for a new wave of technical regulations in 2026 which will take effect from a private first pre-season test at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona between 26-30 January, before Bahrain host the last two tests across 11-13 and 18-20 February respectively.
The season will then begin in Melbourne, Australia, on the weekend of 6-8 March.
| Position | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 58 | 1h 26m 07.469 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 58 | + 12.594 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 58 | + 16.572 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 58 | + 23.279 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 58 | + 48.563 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 58 | + 67.562 |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 58 | + 69.876 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 58 | + 72.670 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | 58 | + 79.014 |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 58 | + 79.523 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 58 | + 81.043 |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 58 | + 81.166 |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 58 | + 82.158 |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 58 | + 83.794 |
| 15 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 58 | + 84.399 |
| 16 | Alex Albon | Williams | 58 | + 90.327 |
| 17 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 57 | + 1 Lap |
| 18 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 57 | + 1 Lap |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 57 | + 1 Lap |
| 20 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 57 | + 1 Lap |
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