IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Twenty three races down, one to go, and still three drivers in with a chance of becoming the 2025 World Champion. The season is set for a thrilling finale this weekend, and on top of the three-way battle there are plenty of other positions to be finalised, and reactions to be given, at the last race of the year in Abu Dhabi.

Title permutations and McLaren’s reaction

A week ago, it was only Lando Norris who could win himself a Drivers’ Championship, but the two other contenders managed to keep themselves in the frame in Qatar, even if there were differing emotions as a result.

What looked set to be an Oscar Piastri victory – likely ahead of Max Verstappen in second and Norris in third – changed on Lap 7 in Qatar when McLaren were the only team not to bring their drivers into the pits during a Safety Car period. With the entire rest of the field doing so, it lost out on race time and the path was clear for a Verstappen victory.

Piastri still salvaged second but could not challenge Verstappen, while Norris was limited to fourth place behind Carlos Sainz. The upshot of all that was Norris retained his championship lead, but Verstappen moved into second place – 12 points adrift – and Piastri dropped to third, 16 points behind his team mate.

The equation for Norris is simple this weekend, as a podium finish will guarantee him the title. Beyond that, it’s easiest to focus on what the other two contenders need to do.

Verstappen has to finish on the podium – with neither McLaren driver doing so – to have any chance. A win for Verstappen coupled with fourth or lower for Norris will win him the championship, while if the Red Bull driver is second he needs Norris no higher than eighth, or if he’s third then Norris no higher than ninth.

For Piastri, a top-two finish is necessary to be in the frame, and a win would be enough as long as Norris doesn’t finish in the top five. If Piastri is second, he will need Norris to be 10th or lower, and Verstappen to not finish on the podium.

Given the pace of the McLaren, the title picture still remains firmly in their hands with Norris, but as Team Principal Andrea Stella pointed out on Sunday night, they will need to execute better than they have at the last two races.

P2 in the Constructors’ Championship

While Mercedes are in control, there remains a chance that Red Bull could still earn second place in the Teams’ Championship off the back of Verstappen’s drivers’ title charge.

Kimi Antonelli’s mistake late on in Qatar drew misguided questions from Red Bull for a spell after the race, as the Italian rookie lost a position to Norris. Red Bull have since said they “sincerely regret” comments that the move could have been intentional, after Antonelli received online abuse.

The impact of the error that cost Antonelli fifth place was not only two extra points for Norris, but two fewer for Mercedes in their fight against Red Bull for second in the standings. Verstappen’s win meant Red Bull closed in by seven points on Sunday, and sit 33 adrift heading into the final round.

There are a maximum of 43 points on offer, so Mercedes simply need to add 11 points of their own to cement second place, but given a strong overall showing from Yuki Tsunoda in Qatar – where he scored points in both the Sprint and grand prix – it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Red Bull could pick up enough points to put pressure on if Verstappen is able to win the race.

Other positions to be decided

The final race weekend of the season always brings clarity on the final results, but sometimes there are more positions decided than is the case this year.

In the Drivers’ Championship, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli are separated by just two points for sixth place, while Alex Albon in eighth could still theoretically be overtaken by any one of four drivers in Carlos Sainz, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg or Fernando Alonso.

Below them, everyone is also in a position that could change – albeit only a win would move Franco Colapinto up in the standings – with Oliver Bearman in 13th theoretically able to climb as high as ninth or drop as low as 19th.

But the final Teams’ Championship positions are deemed more important this weekend, given the extra prize money that comes with each place a team gains.

Ferrari are guaranteed to finish fourth and Williams fifth, but sixth is still up for grabs, with Racing Bulls 12 points ahead of Aston Martin. Haas in eighth (19 points behind Racing Bulls) and Sauber in ninth (24 adrift) can also both technically climb as high as sixth, though they would need big results to do so.

Hadjar’s Red Bull promotion

If Racing Bulls are able to hold onto the sixth place they currently occupy, they will end the year on a high and say goodbye to one of the stars of the season as Isack Hadjar prepares to move up to Red Bull in 2026.

Red Bull have confirmed the talented Frenchman will partner Max Verstappen next season, with the rookie having impressed in a debut year that featured a podium in Zandvoort and two other top-six finishes – so far at least – as he currently sits 10th in the Drivers’ standings.

The second Red Bull seat has been a difficult one to occupy in recent seasons, with Sergio Perez replaced 12 months ago, Liam Lawson only getting two races with the team at the start of this year, and then Yuki Tsunoda managing just one top-six finish of his own in that car.

It will be an emotional weekend for Tsunoda as he loses his race seat for next year and becomes reserve at Red Bull, with Arvid Lindblad a new name on the grid next season at Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson.

The British-Swedish driver steps up after just one year in F2 – where he currently sits sixth in the championship with two wins to his name – and will continue the Red Bull tradition of providing opportunities to young talents.

One race away from two new names

Abu Dhabi marks the final race of the ground effect era cars that were introduced in 2022, with an emphasis on trying to create impressive aerodynamic performance from the floor while also making it easier to follow another car more closely.

It has been a very fruitful era for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, but has also seen the return of McLaren as a force at the front of the field, while Ferrari came close to a Teams’ Championship last year and Mercedes have also won races.

As the field bunches up towards the end of a regulatory cycle, naturally the small differences in cars make it harder for drivers to overtake. But four teams have won races, and nine of the 10 have stood on the podium across the past three seasons, while every team finished in the top six at some stage this year.

The new regulations in 2026 provide the chance for a complete reset of the competitive order, but will also see two new names joining the fray as Audi and Cadillac become part of the grid. Audi are taking over the Sauber team, while Cadillac represent an expansion to 11 constructors, and there promises to be some exciting storylines to follow from both next season.

When the chequered flag drops on Sunday night, there will be just 50 days until the new cars are running for the first time during a private shakedown in Barcelona, and both Audi and Cadillac will be able to say that they will be on the grid for the next race, in Australia on March 8.