Abu Dhabi GP-Last race of the 2025 F1 season! A Drivers Cup is awarded, and driver changes for 2026! And driver furbaby pix!
- Colby Michaels
- 9 hours ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
We are at the last checkered flag of the season for the 24th F1 race, this time in Abu Dhabi! We have three drivers eligible to win the Drivers Cup (McLaren won the team Constructors Cup weeks ago) as we head into this weekend. Lando 12 points ahead of Max and 16 points ahead of Oscar. All Lando has to do is get himself on the top three podium, and he will dethrone Max, who has won the title the last four seasons. Paddock news we do have, as Red Bull has made the decision to release Yuki Tsunoda from his contract, and promote Sugar Free RB (official name- Racing Bulls), Red Bull's junior team, Isack Hadjar to Yuki's seat alongside Max Verstappen for 2026. Red Bull also promoted reserve driver Arvid Lindblad to take Isack's seat at Sugar Free RB. Yuki's future is obviously uncertain at this point, as he has several options, and he is being paid by Honda to drive, and Red Bull is switching over from Honda engines to Ford engines in 2026. Could IndyCar be calling? Or will Yuki wait till 2027 to join the Honda powered Aston-Martin team, should Fernando Alonso retire? Pieces on the chessboard, Zoomies! David will be very pleased I did my homework on the Yuki situation! oh, I just learned Yuki will be a reserve (backup) driver for Red Bull in 2026.
This will also be the last Formula One race for the Sauber name, as they will become Team Audi in 2026.
Post race buzz has it that asshat consultant Helmut Marko will be leaving Red Bull at the end of the year! If so, good riddance to bad rubbish!
Your final team/driver 2025 grid lineup-Colapinto has replaced Doohan, and for the last time, switch out Yuki and Liam:
This last race pics are a fan favorite: Drivers Pets! And yes, Leo will have his own gallery, cuz, DIVA! Before we move on to racing and pets, its the 2025 Driver's Dinner group photo!
All Practices 60 minutes- time does NOT stop for incidents.
Pet Alert: First off, to one who went off to Doggie Heaven this year, Sir Lewis Hamilton's companion and best friend for many years, Roscoe.
P1: This was the last practice that reserve drivers could get their laps in so we had NINE reserves/rookies on track. Not going to list them all, but will mention that Arvin Linblad was driving Yuki's car for Red Bull (harsh), and that Paul Aron driving Pierre Gasly's Alpine, not only a good race car driver, but commentator as well, as he was in the commentary box for P2, and was quite good! He is also my pick to replace Colapinto for that 2nd Alpine seat.
No incidents, other than Ollie Bearman's Haas car having a gremlin in its sensors, so they retired the car to sort that out.
P2: All our regular drivers on track, and no incidents. For this sunset practice, it was hazy skies with an almost red sunset in the desert!
P3: Another hazy day, temps in the 80's, 65% humidity, 8 MPH winds. 30 minutes in, and we get a RED FLAG, as Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari spins of track at Turn 9 and mildly crashes into the barrier (he's ok!). Lewis being the classy guy he is, picks up his own car's debris. Car cleared, 16 minutes left in this practice. with about 8 minutes left, Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes car comes out of the pit stop too early and rams Yuki's Red Bull car in the pit lane. Kimi is going to get a PENALTY for unsafe release! The "release mechanics" are going to get an earful from the Red Bull and Mercedes higher-ups! No further incidents, so onto....
The most intense Qualifying of the season! 75 degrees at night to a full house. But first...
Pet Alert: One of Alex Albon's cats.
Q1: 18 minutes. Ferrari was able to repair Lewis' car. No incidents, so bottom 5 are: Both Alpines- Franco and Pierre, Nico- Sauber, Alex Albon- Williams Racing, and for the third consecutive time, Sir Lewis does not make it out of Q1.
Q2: 15 minutes: No incidents, so next bottom five are: Kimi- Mercedes, Ollie Bearman- Haas, Carlos Sainz-Williams Racing, Liam Lawson- Sugar-Free RB, and Lance Stroll-Aston/Martin.
Q3: 12 minutes. No incidents, so your pole position (starting first) leader for Sundays final 2025 Grand Prix is Max! Close behind in 2nd is Lando, Oscar in 3rd (so very fitting, this top 3!),Georgie in 4th, Charles in 5th, Fernando Alonso in 6th, Gabi Bortoleto in 7th (!!), Esteban Ocon in 8th, Isack in 9th, and Yuki in 10th!
If this end up being the top 3 Sunday, then Lando wins the Driver's Cup; he just needs to finish in the top 3! Also of note, for the rest of the teams, big money is on the line depending on where they finish in the race and the final points....the difference could be tens of millions of dollars to single digit millions, so final grid placement is key, especially in the middle of the team standings! I'll have the final standings at the end of this post.
Pet Alert! The diva of the circuit, Charles Leclerc's favorite accessory and playmate, Leo!
Abu Dhabi GP: 58 laps, 17 turns, 3.84 miles per lap. Fans from 105 different countries have showed up for this F1 2025 finale. Weather is hazy, temps in the high 70''s. Tyre degradation and when to pit to change tyres will b a key to this race. Last race for the DRS system, btw. Oh, the only tyres that matter for me are the top 3, with Oscar on Hards, Max and Lando on Mediums. I'll be recapping this one a bit differently, and with what we know is on the line, its LIGHTS OUT, and Max lunges in front of Lando to prevent Lando from taking the lead from him (Max), and halfway thru Lap 1, Oscar passes Lando who is now in 3rd.
It's been a fair number of laps, with back of pack pitting to change, but nothing from the front 4 ....yep, I said 4, as Charles has been constantly been on Lando's rear wing, hoping to spoil Lando's podium chances. On Lap 17, both Lando and Charles pit for Hard tyres, and come out on the track 9th and 10th. On Lap 18, Lando makes two great overtakes (on a track not known for overtaking) to move up to 7th. Lap 19, Lando gets a 2 for 1 overtake on Stroll and Lawson and is now in 5th, behind Max's Red Bull teammate, Yuki! WARNING: DRAMA UP AHEAD!
Red Bull has told Yuki to do what it takes to keep Lando behind him (Max and Oscar still 1-2 up front, no tyre change yet). Lap 23, Lando makes his charge on the inside of Yuki's car and is forced off the racing line by Yuki's weaving, but manages to overtake Yuki, BUT...the stewards (rules folks) are investigating that incident, Lando for going off track, Yuki for impeding (you can only weave once). If Lando gets slapped with a penalty, his podium chances are basically toast. So we hold are breath, and wait...and wait...and wait...
PET ALERT: While we wait, Pierre Gasly's Simba making a run for Leo's diva status, but at the moment , just too cute to be a diva!
While we wait, Max pits on Lap 24 for Hard tyres, and comes out 2nd behind Oscar. Meanwhile, Charles' Ferrari is driving like a Ferrari car, and is once again on Lando's tail.
All cars are on Hard tyres, btw. Seven laps later, on Lap 30, we get the decision from the stewards: Yuki hit with a 5 second PENALTY for forcing another car off the track, no penalty for Lando (whew)! Charles pits on Lap 40 for Mediums, which is forces McLaren to box Lando for new Mediums, to keep ahead of Charles, and his 3rd place hold, leaving Oscar out there on 40 lap Hard tyres with Max close-up in his mirrors, and Max passes Oscar to take the lead, so Oscar pits to change to Medium tyres. Top three now are Max, Oscar, and Lando, with Charles still chasing down Lando.
For the rest of the laps, no change among the top three, which means Max is your Abu Dhabi GP winner, with Oscar in 2nd, and Lando fended off Charles for the 3rd place on the podium, which means LANDO NORRIS IS 2025 DRIVER'S F1 WORLD CHAMPION, beating Max by 2 points! Lando becomes the 35th Driver's Champion in F1 history!
Notes: Max voted driver of the day (really?). But he gets the final PET ALERT, as his cat, Donatello, and he have very similar facial expressions:
Outside of the performance of the Ferrari cars on this race, both Charles and Lewis will be very happy to junk those tractors of a car Ferrari put them in. Miserable year for both drivers.
Lando won't actually get his Driver's trophy until an F1 event on Dec 12th- thats seems dumb to me and other fans. Papaya Rules indeed, for the 2025 season!
If you want to read why I and other fans so wanted Lando to win a Driver's Championship, this story will give you a good idea why Lando is so unique from other drivers. A great read, of you ask me! https://www.espn.com/racing/f1/story/_/id/47257730/lando-norris-vulnerability-makes-unique-f1-champions
As any 26 year old, who has spent 18 years of his life for this moment would do, Lando celebrated HARD late, late into the night, definitely feeling good and no pain! This short video shows he can also sing! a little joy viewing for you all!
The final points standings, Williams had a very good year, and will get a nice chunk of money in the double-digit millions, for their efforts!
With that, we close the paddock doors on an exciting 2025 season. Major changes coming to the sport in 2026, which will add another element of unpredictability for the teams and drivers! Thanks for riding along, have a wonderful winter holiday, and see you back here in March 2026!
Yuki will wait (at RB - 'cuz Mekies treats him well) to be on the grid until 2027 and move where Honda wants him to... which is probably Aston Martin... we'll see how 2026 shakes out with the changes in cars and regs. :-) ...oh, and Darth Helmut has had a great eye for drivers which will be missed... just my humble opinion.