The championship resolved into a three-way contest between Norris, his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, and four-time defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing. Piastri took the championship lead at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and held it for 15 consecutive rounds, becoming the first Australian to lead the standings since Mark Webber in 2010. Norris eventually reclaimed the lead and entered the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a 12-point advantage over Verstappen, who had recovered from a deficit that once stood at 104 points.
Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi finale but Norris finished third, enough to seal the title by two points. Piastri placed third in the standings, 13 points behind Norris. Norris became the 35th World Drivers' Champion and the eighth to win driving for McLaren. McLaren had already secured the Constructors' title at the Singapore Grand Prix, accumulating ten championships and moving to second all-time behind Ferrari.
The Australian Grand Prix opened the season under changeable conditions with Norris winning from pole. At the Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton gave Ferrari their first sprint race victory; Piastri won the main race and took his maiden career pole position there. Verstappen won in Japan and then in Saudi Arabia, the latter result elevating Piastri to the championship lead. The Miami Grand Prix sprint saw Kimi Antonelli take sprint pole on debut, a notable moment for the youngest driver on the grid.
Through the middle rounds Piastri's championship lead fluctuated as all three title contenders exchanged victories. The finale in Abu Dhabi saw Verstappen cross the line first, but Norris's measured third place rendered the victory insufficient for a Verstappen title comeback.
Lewis Hamilton's move from Mercedes to Ferrari after twelve seasons was the defining transfer of the winter. Carlos Sainz Jr., displaced by Hamilton at Ferrari, signed a multi-year deal with Williams. Kimi Antonelli, a Mercedes junior, was promoted to the race seat Hamilton vacated. Franco Colapinto, who had impressed in nine late-season races for Williams in 2024, departed for an Alpine reserve role.
Haas entered with a completely new driver pairing: Oliver Bearman, promoted from Formula 2, and Esteban Ocon, who arrived from Alpine. Nico Hulkenberg moved to Sauber, partnering reigning Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto. Red Bull promoted Liam Lawson from Racing Bulls to replace Sergio Perez; after two under-performing rounds Lawson was returned to the junior team and Yuki Tsunoda made his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix. At Alpine, Jack Doohan lost his seat mid-season to Colapinto, who raced for the team from Emilia Romagna to the finale.
The minimum driver weight rose from 80 to 82 kilograms to accommodate taller and heavier competitors. A driver cooling system became mandatory at any event forecast above 30.5 degrees Celsius, with a 5-kilogram weight allowance added for the equipment. Rear wing deflection standards were tightened in stages to counter the mini-DRS technique. The fastest-lap championship point, in use since 2019, was abolished. Conduct rules introduced a three-tier penalty structure for offensive language, inappropriate gestures, or statements contravening FIA neutrality. Teams were required to field a rookie in free practice on two occasions per car per season. A new race-director power allowed severely damaged cars to be retired in place rather than driven back to the pit lane.
McLaren's championship double ended four consecutive Drivers' titles by Verstappen and represented the team's most complete season since 1998. The Constructors' haul of ten titles placed McLaren second in the all-time standings ahead of Williams, reflecting a rapid competitive resurgence that had begun only in the preceding season.
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