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Abu Dhabi GP 2025: The Finale The dust settles on Yas Marina
The story so far...
So, we've had a long season. Max has been fast. Lando has been chasing. And this weekend? It all came down to the wire. (Well, sort of. Lando just needed to keep it together and not hit anything).
Lando Norris: Job Done
It actually happened. Lando Norris is the 2025 F1 World Champion.
He finished P3. It wasn't the prettiest drive of his life—he looked a bit nervous early on and came under serious threat from Charles Leclerc—but he did what he needed to do. It’s McLaren's first title since 2008!
We rated him an 8.3/10 for this one. It feels a bit harsh to criticise a guy who just won the World Championship, but he did let Oscar Piastri sneak past him on Lap 1. Speaking of Oscar, he pulled off a brave move into Turn 9 to finish P2. He goes into the winter break happy (and with an ELO bump of +5).
Max was... Max
Max Verstappen started on pole. Max Verstappen finished first.
He didn't try to back Lando up into the pack. He didn't play games. He just dominated from the front instead. He delivered a perfect weekend—we gave him a 9.5/10—but he finishes the season two points short of a fifth title.
Statistically, he is still the one to beat. He sits at the top of our ELO rankings with a massive 1867 (up +4 this weekend). He wins the battle, but loses the war.
The Shining Light
If anyone rivalled Max this weekend, it was Charles Leclerc.
Given how difficult that Ferrari has looked to drive recently (just ask Lewis), Leclerc extracted the absolute maximum from it. He qualified fifth, had a lightning start, and hunted down the McLarens. The tyres eventually gave up on him, but a 8.7/10 rating feels entirely justified. He’s closing the gap in the rankings too, sitting 3rd overall with 1794 ELO.
The "Meh" and the Nightmares
Not everyone had a great time out there.
Lewis Hamilton (6.3/10): The nightmare season continues. He failed to make it out of Q1 for the third week in a row. He got stuck behind Ocon and finished eighth. He says he's putting his phone in the bin for the off-season. (Honestly, I feel you, Lewis).
George Russell (6.9/10): A bit underwhelming. Sluggish start, finished in no man's land. His ELO took a hit too, dropping -4.
Yuki Tsunoda (4.6/10): Dropped for 2026 and you can see why. His pace was poor and his defence against Lando was weak. Bye Yuki.
Movers and Shakers
We love statistics here, so let's look at who actually climbed the ladder.
Esteban Ocon ended his year on a massive high. Q3 and points? You can't ask for much more. He jumped +9 in the ELO ratings.
Fernando Alonso is aging like fine wine. A top-six finish and a +7 jump in ELO.
Alex Albon had a shocker. Knocked out in Q1, no progress, and a painful -8 drop in his rating.
Wrap up
So that's it. Lando is Champ. Max is still terrifyingly fast. Lewis needs a holiday.
To the 0 people who realised that this article is late, I am a uni student who has *lots* of exams (so cut me a little slack). We'll be back next year with hopefully some slightly competent analysis.
See you in 2026.
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