2025 F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Preview and Predictions

The 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi GP will host the championship decider for the first time since that fateful night in 2021. We have Lando Norris leading the championship by just 12 points, with Max Verstappen in P2 and Oscar Piastri in P3, a further 4 points behind.

At the midway point of the season, not many would have expected a scenario where Oscar Piastri would be third in the championship, and Max Verstappen would have a realistic chance of winning the title. Such have been the twists and turns that here we are now, after four years, with a title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit.

So what can we expect from the F1 Abu Dhabi GP? Let's take a look at our preview for the race.

2025 F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Preview

Key Storylines

#1 The title battle permutations

If Lando Norris finishes the F1 Abu Dhabi GP on the podium, he's won the title. It's as simple as that for the British driver. At the same time, though, this is a condensed field where the gaps in pace between the teams are not much.

At the same time, there's not much clarity on who could have the faster car here, as both Red Bull and McLaren would have their respective strengths and weaknesses. What we know for sure is that come race weekend, we're going to have Max Verstappen, who had his team take the mind games to a whole other level.

#2 The debacle of Qatar and the Papaya Rules

One thing that would have shaken the confidence of McLaren is what happened in Qatar. That was a debacle of epic proportions where the team more or less gifted Max Verstappen a win. The issue with such a situation is that the team has been gifting points to the Dutch driver in plenty in the last couple of races, and now it is starting to hurt.

To add to this, McLaren goes into the F1 Abu Dhabi GP with not one but two title contenders. How does it maintain 'fairness' and how it does not end up coming out of it with a loss is going to be crucial for the team's long-term confidence and success.

#3 Shades of 2016 title decider

For new fans, the 2016 F1 title decider is possibly the best reference material if they're trying to understand how the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi GP could pan out.

In that race, Lewis Hamilton slowed down the entire field and held Nico Rosberg behind with the hopes of other drivers jumping the German and helping the Brit win the championship.

With Max Verstappen needing to win the race and Lando Norris finishing off the podium as the requirement to win the title, we might be looking at something similar should the Red Bull driver be in the lead of the race and the McLaren driver right behind him.

Form Guide

In Form

It's hard to look beyond Max Verstappen here. The Dutch driver has been on a rampage in the second half of the season and now has the same number of wins as the McLaren duo. He might be 12 points behind Lando Norris in the championship, but form-wise, he might just be the favorite to win it all this weekend.

Out of Form

It's the 2025 F1 Constructors champions that are woefully out of form coming into the F1 Abu Dhabi GP. The gifted points to Max Verstappen in Las Vegas when both cars were disqualified. They ended up having a poor strategy for both the drivers in Qatar, and hence we're here.

In Abu Dhabi, the team is desperate for a straightforward race where there are no tough calls needed to be made because it does appear that the team might not be too trusting of the calls by the strategy unit after the last few events.

Driver with the biggest spotlight

If Max Verstappen wins the championship, he will become the first driver since Michael Schumacher to win five consecutive championships. He also betters his record of overcoming the biggest ever points deficit to win the title.

Most importantly, this is the weekend when he has the momentum, and all the attention in the world is going to be on him.

2025 F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Predictions

Who wins the race?

This might be an easy one because it's hard to look beyond Max Verstappen right now. Even in the worst-case scenario, Red Bull is going to be the second-fastest car, and the driver is starting the race on the second row.

It would come as a surprise to no one if Max Verstappen divebombs his rivals into the lead at the start or at the end of the two long straights. From that point onwards, it's all about managing the race. Whether he wins the title or not is still a bigger question, but if we're making the call on who wins the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, then our pick is Max Verstappen.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Team)

Kimi Antonelli's recent form has been a shining light for Mercedes, as the young rookie has shown impressive progression over the season. In the last four races, Antonelli has finished ahead of his teammate thrice.

The fact that the teammate is George Russell is an even bigger positive. For the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, the Mercedes is going to be a decently competitive car, and we expect young Kimi to be a factor in the battle for the podium.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Driver)

Long straights have generally been a Williams forte this season as the car has continued to put together good weekends. With P5 in the championship sealed and momentum on its side, expect the team to mix things up with the frontrunners.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Team)

Yuki Tsunoda's F1 run might be coming to a halt after the Abu Dhabi GP. If the rumors are to be believed then the Japanese driver might be on his way out of Red Bull and replaced by Isack Hadjar.

The Japanese driver would be hoping to do well, but at a team where the second driver often gets neglected, that might not be happening this weekend either.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Driver)

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but this might not be the best weekend for McLaren. The team has a tendency of making wrong calls when times are stressful. They won't get any more stressful than the title decider, and we might see a few questionable calls by the team in the F1 Abu Dhabi GP.