The event was the 17th running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 17th time it had been held at the Yas Marina Circuit, across the weekend of 5–7 December. It marked the last Grand Prix to use the power unit configuration introduced in 2014, including the Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H), which would be removed for 2026's revised configuration. The race was also the final event for the ground-effect generation of cars introduced in 2022 and the last to feature the drag reduction system (DRS) introduced in 2011, as cars with active aerodynamics and moveable wings would debut in 2026. The race was Honda's last as a power unit supplier to Red Bull and Racing Bulls, with Honda exclusively supplying Aston Martin from 2026. It was also Renault's final race as an engine supplier to Alpine, with Alpine set to become a Mercedes customer from 2026. The Grand Prix marked Nico Hülkenberg's 250th race start and Charles Leclerc's 150th race start with Ferrari. It was Yuki Tsunoda's last Grand Prix as a Red Bull driver and the last to feature the Sauber team before their rebranding as Audi in 2026.
Entering the weekend, Lando Norris led the Drivers' Championship with 408 points, 12 points ahead of Max Verstappen and 16 ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. McLaren had already won the Constructors' Championship at the Singapore Grand Prix and led with 800 points, ahead of Mercedes (459 points) and Red Bull Racing (426 points).
With Norris outscored by Verstappen and Piastri in the preceding Qatar Grand Prix, the championship remained open. It was the first time since 2010 that more than two drivers had been contenders for the title at the final event. Norris and Piastri both had the opportunity to win McLaren's first Drivers' Championship since 2008, while Verstappen could have won his fifth title in a row. Norris also had the chance to become Britain's first Drivers' Champion since Lewis Hamilton won in 2020.
The driver lineup was as published in the season entry list with two exceptions: Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull Racing had replaced Liam Lawson, who was demoted back to Racing Bulls from the Japanese Grand Prix onward; and Franco Colapinto had replaced Jack Doohan at Alpine from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onward on a race-by-race basis.
During the first practice session, eight teams fielded alternate drivers as required by Formula One regulations: Jak Crawford and Cian Shields for Aston Martin (replacing Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso respectively — Shields making his Formula One practice debut); Paul Aron for Alpine (replacing Pierre Gasly); Ayumu Iwasa for Racing Bulls (replacing Liam Lawson); Ryō Hirakawa for Haas (replacing Esteban Ocon); Luke Browning for Williams (replacing Alexander Albon); Arvid Lindblad for Red Bull (replacing Tsunoda); Patricio O'Ward for McLaren (replacing Piastri); and Arthur Leclerc for Ferrari (replacing Hamilton).
Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C3, C4, and C5 compounds designated hard, medium, and soft respectively.
The first free practice session on 5 December 2025 at 13:30 local time (UTC+4) was topped by Norris, followed by Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. The second free practice session on the same day at 17:00 was topped by Norris, followed by Verstappen and George Russell. The third practice session on 6 December at 14:30 was topped by Russell, followed by Norris and Verstappen. That session was red-flagged after Lewis Hamilton crashed at turn 9.
Qualifying was held on 6 December at 18:00 local time. Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Albon, Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto were eliminated in Q1. Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz Jr., Liam Lawson, Kimi Antonelli, and Lance Stroll exited in Q2. In Q3, Verstappen claimed his 48th career pole position ahead of Norris in second and Piastri in third. George Russell and Charles Leclerc qualified fourth and fifth, followed by Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Isack Hadjar, and Yuki Tsunoda — who, having suffered floor damage from a practice incident with Antonelli, sacrificed his flying lap in Q3 to provide a tow for Verstappen.
The race was held on 7 December 2025 at 17:00 local time and run for 58 laps.
At the start, Verstappen cut to the inside to block any challenge from Norris. Norris tucked into second ahead of Piastri as the three title contenders cleared turn one. Piastri then overtook Norris for second in the opening lap. George Russell, fourth at the start, made a poor start and was overtaken by both Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso, dropping to sixth.
By lap 11, Verstappen had built a two-second gap over Piastri, with Norris 4.3 seconds further back. Russell was the first of the top five to pit, at the end of lap 14, switching to hard tyres in an attempt to undercut Leclerc. Norris pitted at the end of lap 16, followed by Leclerc. Exiting the pits, Norris passed both Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson in a single move at turn 5 on lap 19.
On lap 23, Norris and Tsunoda — who was running third behind Piastri and Verstappen — battled on the straight between turns 5 and 6. Norris left the track attempting to pass Tsunoda, who was making multiple changes of direction to defend. Both drivers were investigated: Tsunoda for making more than one change of direction and Norris for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. The stewards penalised Tsunoda for making more than one change of direction, ruling that Norris had been forced off the track to avoid a collision. Tsunoda served his five-second penalty at the pits by the end of lap 32, dropping to 18th. Piastri's hard tyres subsequently showed wear, requiring him to pit for mediums and rejoin in second place.
Norris on hard tyres faced pressure from Leclerc but Leclerc could not get within two seconds. Verstappen won the race, with Piastri second and Norris third. Norris's third place was sufficient to crown him World Drivers' Champion. Verstappen's win allowed Red Bull to secure third in the Constructors' Championship. Lewis Hamilton finished eighth — the first time in his 19-year career he had gone an entire season without recording a Grand Prix podium, ending a record-breaking streak dating from his debut in 2007.
Lance Stroll finished ninth but received a five-second time penalty for making more than one change of direction. Oliver Bearman finished tenth but also received a five-second penalty for the same infringement. Alexander Albon received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, though his final position was unaffected. Pierre Gasly received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, which also did not affect his position.
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