Max Verstappen took an overwhelming pole position at the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but championship leader Lando Norris maintained his position by finishing second, winning his first drivers’ title.
Red Bull’s Verstappen, who trails Norris by 12 points heading into Sunday’s title-deciding race, completed two laps at the Yas Marina circuit, enough for pole position, but the Briton decisively edged out McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by three-hundredths of a second.
Norris will be guaranteed his first title if he finishes in the top three on Sunday, but he could win with a lesser result if Verstappen fails to win the race.
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Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, creating an epic season-defining race in Abu Dhabi.
Piastri’s already slim hopes of winning his first title have been dealt a blow, and it is likely that it will take a major misfortune for his rival for the Australian to overturn a 16-point gap to Norris and leapfrog Verstappen.
If Verstappen maintains the lead at the start, the Dutchman could use his position to push Norris and Piastri into the pack behind him.
“I improved my lap time a bit more so I’m very happy to be in first place,” Verstappen said. “That’s the only thing we can do, that we can control, that maximizes what we have and what we can do with the car. We definitely achieved that in qualifying.”
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Craig Slater explains what Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris need to do to win the title in Abu Dhabi.
George Russell, who finished fourth for Mercedes, is the most likely candidate to challenge McLaren from behind.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fifth, while Lewis Hamilton finished 16th on the grid after his third consecutive Q1 exit, continuing a disastrous end to his debut campaign with the Italian team.
Hiroki Tsunoda, who revealed earlier this week that he will lose his Red Bull seat next year, will start 10th after appearing to sacrifice his place on the grid to lead teammate Verstappen towards the end of the session.
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Lewis Hamilton suffered his final Q1 loss of the season in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen is the best, but Norris performs under pressure
Verstappen’s return to title contention was boosted by McLaren’s big mistakes in the first two legs of the final triple-header of the season, but this time the reigning world champion appeared to be in a league of his own.
Norris appeared to have the upper hand over Verstappen through the weekend’s three practice sessions, but as has often happened this season, the Dutchman delivered more when it mattered most.
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Anthony Davidson analyzes on Skypad how Max Verstappen led Lando Norris to pole position and created a spectacular finale in Abu Dhabi.
Thanks to his efficiency early in the session, Verstappen had spare fresh soft tires for the Q3 shootout that decided pole, and he took full advantage of that by recording his best first flying lap.
With the help of Tsunoda’s traction on the back straight, Tsunoda gained three tenths of a second over Piastri, and the McLarens were using expired tires in Q2, giving Norris an additional two tenths of a second.
Closing the gap to Verstappen completely seemed unlikely, especially considering the toe, but that proved to be the case.
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Oscar Piastri says he has not had “direct discussions” about helping teammate Lando Norris if necessary at Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Norris and Piastri both improved, but it was the Briton who narrowly set the fastest lap under heavy pressure to provide a little more cushion heading into Sunday’s race, with Verstappen gaining nearly 10 seconds on his final run to underline his dominance on the night.
“It was tough. Max did a good job so congratulations,” Norris said.
“I did everything I could. I think the lap was pretty good and I was pretty happy. Of course it’s disappointing not to get pole position on the final weekend, but I wasn’t fast enough today so I’ll try to do that tomorrow.”
Sky Sports F1 Abu Dhabi GP Schedule
Sunday, December 7th
9:10am: F2 Feature Race
11am: Grand Prix Sunday: Abu Dhabi GP Build-up*
1pm: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix*
3pm: Checkered flag: Abu Dhabi GP reaction*
4pm: Ted’s Notes
*Also held at Sky Sports Main Event
The 2025 F1 season will begin this weekend with the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix being broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s race ending at 1pm (meeting time starts at 11am). Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
