The fireworks over the Yas Marina Circuit always look a bit different when a title is on the line. Honestly, the results F1 Abu Dhabi delivered in 2025 felt less like a standard season finale and more like a long-overdue exorcism for McLaren fans. Lando Norris is the World Champion. It feels weird to say, right? After years of the "can he actually do it" narrative, the British driver finally put the ghost of 2021 and every "near-miss" to bed.
Max Verstappen won the race. He was flawless. He did exactly what Max does—took pole, vanished into the distance, and controlled the pace like a metronome. But for the first time in half a decade, a Verstappen victory felt like a footnote. The real drama was happening fifteen seconds behind him, where a nervous, sweat-drenched Lando Norris was busy trying not to let a maiden title slip through his fingers.
What Really Happened with the Results F1 Abu Dhabi Standings
If you just look at the podium, you see Verstappen, Piastri, and Norris. It looks tidy. It wasn’t.
Going into the weekend, Norris had a 12-point cushion. In the world of modern F1, that’s basically one bad pit stop or a clumsy dive-bomb away from disaster. Verstappen knew it. He drove like a man with nothing to lose because, well, he didn't have much to lose. He converted pole into a win with a 1:26:07.469 total time, clawing back as many points as mathematically possible.
But Norris only needed to finish on the podium. That sounds easy in a McLaren that has been a rocket ship all year, but the Yas Marina tarmac has a way of getting under your skin. Oscar Piastri, Lando’s own teammate, didn't make life easy. He pulled off a monster move at the banked Turn 9 on the opening lap, demoting Norris to third. For a few laps, every McLaren fan on the planet was probably yelling at their TV. Why was Piastri racing him that hard? Because that's what racers do.
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The Mid-Race Heart Attack
The moment that actually decided the results F1 Abu Dhabi championship wasn't an overtake, though. It was a stewards' investigation. Yuki Tsunoda, acting as the ultimate wingman for the senior Red Bull team, spent his afternoon making Lando's life a living hell. On lap 23, they nearly touched. Tsunoda was weaving like a man possessed on the straight, forcing Norris onto the grass at high speed.
The radio went silent. You could almost hear the collective breath-holding in the McLaren garage.
If Norris gets a puncture there, the title goes to Max. If the stewards decide Norris gained an advantage by leaving the track, a five-second penalty could have dropped him behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Instead, the stewards actually got it right. They slapped Tsunoda with a penalty for "weaving" and let Norris go. It was the "all clear" Lando needed to breathe again.
A Brutal Day for the Rest of the Grid
While everyone was obsessing over the front three, the midfield was a literal scrap yard. Lewis Hamilton’s final race of the 2025 season was... well, it was vintage Hamilton, but the result was depressing for the record books. He started P16 after a shocker in qualifying. He fought like a lion to get up to P8, but that result confirmed a staggering statistic: 2025 was his first-ever season in Formula 1 without a single podium.
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Think about that. Since 2007, the man has always found a way to the steps. Not this year. The Ferrari he’ll be driving next year (or rather, the one he was technically already a part of in spirit) looked okay, but "okay" doesn't win championships against a McLaren-Mercedes package that has finally matured.
How the Teams Shook Out
- Mercedes actually managed to sneak into P2 in the Constructors' Championship. George Russell’s P5 was "invisible" but efficient. They beat Red Bull to the runner-up spot by 18 points.
- Ferrari finished a distant fourth. Leclerc drove his heart out to finish P4 in the race, but the car just didn't have the legs to hunt down the McLarens.
- Nico Hulkenberg signed off his 250th race with a P9 for Kick Sauber. It was a quiet, professional points finish that summed up his entire career.
The Numbers That Matter
Let's talk about the final gap. Two points. That is the distance between Lando Norris being a "talented driver" and a "World Champion." Verstappen finished with 421 points; Norris with 423. If Lando had finished fourth instead of third, Max would be a five-time champion right now.
It’s the kind of margin that makes you look back at every single race in the season. You start thinking about a random P7 in Hungary or a fastest lap point in Silverstone. Every single corner of the 24-round season led to that 16-second gap behind Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Result
The common narrative is going to be that Red Bull "fell off." That's lazy. Red Bull didn't fall off; Max won 8 races this year. He was spectacular. The real story of the results F1 Abu Dhabi is the reliability and consistency of the McLaren MCL38. It wasn't always the fastest car on a Saturday, but it was almost always the best car on a Sunday.
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Also, can we talk about Oscar Piastri? He finished third in the standings, just 13 points behind Norris. He’s going to be a problem for Lando in 2026. There is no "number one" driver in that garage anymore, regardless of who has the trophy in their house.
Practical Takeaways for the 2026 Season
If you're looking at these results and wondering what it means for next year, here’s the reality:
- McLaren is the new benchmark. They aren't the hunters anymore; they are the prey. How Lando handles the pressure of defending a title is a completely different psychological game.
- Mercedes is closer than they look. Securing P2 in the constructors means more money and a massive boost in morale for the Brackley squad.
- The "Max Era" isn't over. Coming within two points of a title in what was clearly the second-fastest car for most of the year is an terrifying omen for the rest of the grid. If Red Bull finds even half a tenth in the off-season, Max will be back on top.
The 2025 season ended with a British champion and a lot of orange smoke in the desert. It wasn't the "changing of the guard" many expected to be a landslide, but rather a gritty, ugly, and hard-fought transition. Norris didn't win it by being the fastest man on the final day; he won it by being the man who refused to break when the pressure was at its absolute peak.
Check the final standings once more, watch the highlights of that lap 19 double-overtake by Norris on Stroll and Lawson, and get ready for 2026. The gap is closing, the giants are vulnerable, and for the first time in a long time, the number one won't be on a Red Bull.