Advertisement<\/p>\n
Norris has the advantage going into the race, and will be out for redemption after McLaren missed out on a 1-2 finish in Qatar thanks to a botched pitstop call. Verstappen, meanwhile, is definitely the driver with momentum on his side. Despite a rough start to the 2025 season, the Dutchman’s year turned around following an upgrade package in Monza, and he has since won five out of eight races – including the last two rounds.<\/p>\n
However, Norris need only finishes in the top three to pick up a first drivers\u2019 crown. Despite this, only a fool would count Verstappen out at this stage \u2013 especially as his team has a history of overturning similar deficits at the UAE circuit. And, should the Dutchman squabble with his British rival in the opening laps, Piastri need only be on hand to sweep up the pieces to take a first title of his own.<\/p>\n
Sure, Norris is the favourite going into the weekend, but an in-form Verstappen and a McLaren team that seemingly jumps at every opportunity to make the wrong call means that the fight is still bound to be exciting \u2013 no matter how tough overtaking can be around the Yas Marina circuit.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing![\"Lando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/e7840f91246ec27a1f9cd044c4179230.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n
Midfield positions still to be decided \u2013 Ed Hardy<\/p>\n
Forget the 2025 Formula 1 title fight, because the true battle is in the midfield where several positions are yet to be decided. Racing Bulls<\/a> hold sixth, just 12 points above seventh-place Aston Martin \u2013 which is seven points ahead of Haas in eighth. There are then just five points separating Haas and ninth-placed Sauber<\/a>, so there is a lot to play for.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It may not seem important on the face of it, because quite frankly nobody is tuning in to see who finishes seventh, but it is of huge significance to the teams because the difference between these positions means approximately $10 million in prize money. And in a world where the midfield battle is incredibly tight, this kind of cash can help give a squad the edge for the coming years – so these teams won\u2019t be resting on their laurels just yet.<\/p>\n That\u2019s especially because so much can change in an instant as well, as even though Racing Bulls might look safe with a 12-point gap, it wasn\u2019t long ago in Mexico that Haas claimed a score of 14 with its fourth and ninth-place finishes.<\/p>\n Also last week in Qatar, for example, Aston Martin scored six points thanks to Fernando Alonso<\/a> coming home in seventh \u2013 so there is every chance that at least one of those positions in the constructors\u2019 standings will change come Sunday.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing<\/p>\n Antonelli on course to overhaul Hamilton \u2013 Haydn Cobb<\/p>\n At the start of the year, if you had predicted Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/a> to finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton<\/a> in the F1 drivers\u2019 world championship you\u2019d have raised a few eyebrows. If you had predicted that same feat around the end of the European stretch of the season, you would have been laughed at. But who is laughing now?<\/p>\n Had Antonelli not slipped off the track late on in Qatar, handing a place to Norris in the process, the Mercedes<\/a> rookie and seven-time world champion would be level on points going into the final. While accusations of deliberately letting the McLaren driver by at Losail are \u201cbrainless\u201d, per Toto Wolff\u2019s assessment of Helmut Marko, Antonelli bridging the two-point gap to Hamilton looks entirely logical for the Abu Dhabi GP.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n Why Helmut Marko isn’t the sole culprit in the Kimi Antonelli abuse storm <\/a><\/p>\n Helmut Marko apologises as Kimi Antonelli comments cause flood of online abuse <\/a><\/p>\n Antonelli has hit a purple patch of results; second in Brazil\u2019s sprint and grand prix, a promoted third in Las Vegas after McLaren\u2019s double disqualification, and a sixth place in the sprint and a fifth place in the Qatar GP to round out 53-point haul. In contrast, Hamilton\u2019s six-point tally over that same stretch is miserable.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Ferrari<\/a> impressed in Abu Dhabi 12 months ago with a double podium, which put it just short of overhauling McLaren to the F1 world constructors\u2019 championship. But that form isn\u2019t expected from the Scuderia this weekend, which means that Hamilton’s chances of holding off Antonelli remain slim. Whether the Brit finishes sixth or seventh in the drivers\u2019 standings won\u2019t really matter. But would ending up behind the rookie chosen to take his spot when he opted to leave Mercedes for Ferrari?<\/p>\n Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes<\/p>\n One last race for F1’s ground-effect cars \u2013 Ed Hardy<\/p>\n The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was an opportunity to say goodbye to several drivers who were leaving F1 due to the grid shake-up for 2025. That list included Zhou Guanyu<\/a>, Sergio Perez<\/a>, Valtteri Bottas<\/a>, Kevin Magnussen<\/a> and Franco Colapinto<\/a>, as they were all racing their final grand prix for the foreseeable future \u2013 though a few of them will be racing in 2026 \u2013 with many rookies coming in for this year.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Although that\u2019s not quite the case again this weekend, only Yuki Tsunoda<\/a> is dropping off the grid, the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be an opportunity to say goodbye to the ground-effect era instead. That\u2019s because a new set of regulations will come into force in 2026, with cars set to become lighter and smaller, while there will be an increased emphasis on electrical energy, which will have a near 50-50 split with the internal combustion unit next year.<\/p>\n So, find a moment to take in these cars because the racing promises to look very different in 2026. Is that a good thing? Well, it\u2019s debatable. Some argue the ground-effect era hasn\u2019t worked as intended because there\u2019s still a lack of overtaking and the cars haven\u2019t been the most enjoyable for drivers, but the pecking order has been incredibly tight and constantly changed\u2026<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Alexander Albon, Williams Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Alexander Albon, Williams<\/p>\n Can Yuki Tsunoda end his F1 career on a high \u2013 Owen Bellwood<\/p>\n Red Bull confirmed the driver lineups for its senior team and the Racing Bulls junior side this week, with Isack Hadjar<\/a> joining Verstappen at\u00a0Red Bull Racing<\/a>, and Arvid Lindblad<\/a> making the step up to F1 to partner Liam Lawson<\/a>. In the reshuffle, Yuki Tsunoda loses his full-time race seat to take a reserve driver role at Red Bull \u2013 bringing his stint in F1 to an end after five seasons.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n![\"Fernando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/92b94cf32862e3b3ddbe5782d5838b51.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/6954a50ff260145c102614e73862d485.jpeg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/90fe1b96eda869a76385cea7a5692bb5.jpeg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Andrea](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ff7adaaf1b87b9920e82b6970439a1b4.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/faff33e9de54f9b3830cc9d2d881b2ad.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b6b451672f2bcc2b343d7e08f5aae18f.jpeg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Yuki](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/41d80ad45eb25a039189fa9f84de1bea.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n