5 Things We Learned From the Abu Dhabi GP

Instead, it was the favourite, Lando Norris, who triumphed for the first time in his career by finishing on the podium.

Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished second behind Verstappen on Sunday and claimed third in the standings, 13 points behind the British driver.

With the 2025 F1 season complete, we take a look at five things we learned from the Abu Dhabi GP:

5 – Kimi Antonelli cements ‘rookie of the year’ title

The Italian finished off the season with several strong performances. He ended his rookie season with Mercedes with three podium finishes and one pole position to claim seventh in the driver’s championship.

4 – Lewis Hamilton secures sixth in the championship

The seven-time F1 champion has endured a frankly terrible first season at Ferrari. The dream move of the world’s biggest driver to the sport’s biggest team failed to produce any podium finishes. In Abu Dhabi, he failed for a fourth consecutive time to advance from the first part of qualifying. The 40-year-old worked his way through the field to finish eighth on Sunday to secure sixth place in the championship.

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3 – Charles Leclerc’s brilliant drive to P4

The Monegasque driver ended 2025 with a remarkable drive in an unremarkable car. The SF-25 simply hasn’t been quick enough to keep up with the front-runners, yet Leclerc has scored seven podium finishes. The 28-year-old started on the third row of the grid and ended up behind Norris at the end.

2 – Verstappen and Red Bull’s outstanding second half of the season performance

The Dutch driver scored eight victories in 2025, more than any driver. He was over 100 points behind the championship leader after 15 races and lost the championship by a mere two points. His three consecutive victories to end 2025 were an illustration of how far Red Bull has come in the second half of the season.

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1 – Norris’ consistency paid off

The Briton needed to finish on the podium to secure his first world title, and that’s exactly what he did by finishing third behind Verstappen and Piastri. In the end, just two points separated him and Verstappen, but it was his consistency that saw him get over the line first. 18 podium finishes from 24 races, with seven wins, was an incredible achievement for the 26-year-old. He is the 11th British F1 driver to win a world championship.

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