F1 Abu Dhabi GP live: Norris leads three-way title decider as practice begins
The British driver would welcome a boost from his McLaren teammate over team orders, with Max Verstappen closing in on a famous comeback and fifth F1 world drivers’ championship
The 2025 Formula 1 season concludes this weekend and practice is here for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the F1 drivers’ title will be settled as Lando Norris bids to hold his nerve and triumph ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
The McLaren drivers will battle the Red Bull star on Sunday after a thrilling finale to the season, with Verstappen edging closer to Norris after victory in Qatar last week, chopping down the deficit to just 12 points after another mistake-ridden weekend for the British outfit.
The equation is simple for Verstappen, who will hope to land another win with Norris in fourth or lower to scoop a fifth title in as many seasons.
Team dynamics, and papaya rules, could impact how Piastri’s role evolves over the weekend, should his own chances of winning the title fade with 16 points separating him and his teammate.
Follow all the latest updates from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with The Independent:
FP1 underway:
With unusually cloudy skies overhead in Abu Dhabi, we are all systems go for the final race weekend of the 2025 season!
Nine rookie drivers in total in this session, with Oscar Piastri missing out among the title contenders.
Can Lando Norris and Max Verstappen use this extra hour of practice to their advantage?
Which rookie drivers are taking part in FP1?
- Pato O'Ward – McLaren
- Arthur Leclerc – Ferrari
- Arvid Lindblad – Red Bull
- Luke Browning – Williams
- Ayumu Iwasa – Racing Bulls
- Ryo Hirakawa – Haas
- Jak Crawford - Aston Martin
- Cian Shields - Aston Martin
- Paul Aron - Alpine
Analysis: Lando Norris can play it down all he likes – an F1 world title would put him among the elite
With barely any space to squeeze through the dozen-row deep horde of reporters and photographers, the three Formula One championship protagonists entered their first arena of the weekend. The FIA have been prone to lapses in common sense at times but, to the delight of all present, F1’s governing body grouped together the top three on Thursday.
It made for a background buzz rarely seen in modern-day sporting press conferences.
Full piece below:
Norris can play it down all he likes – an F1 title would put him among the elite
Start times in Abu Dhabi:
All times GMT
Friday 5 December
- Free practice 1: 9:30am
- Free practice 2: 1pm
Saturday 6 December
- Free practice 3: 10:30am
- Qualifying: 2pm
Sunday 7 December
- Race: 1pm
F1 2025 season awards: Why Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is by far the biggest disappointment
The F1 drivers’ championship comes down to the final race in Abu Dhabi this weekend, with Lando Norris primed for a maiden title and hoping to fend off Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
While the drama has been at the front of the grid, the woeful year for Ferrari, and in particular Lewis Hamilton, has been a painful storyline for fans of the seven-time world champion and the Scuderia.
The reshuffle for the grid in 2026 is now set, too, with Isack Hadjar’s rise at Red Bull and a debut campaign awaiting British teenager Arvid Lindblad.
While 2026 also signals the return of Adrian Newey as the new team principal at Aston Martin F1, taking over from Andy Cowell.
Here’s how everything went down in 2025 with Independent Sport’s picks:
F1 2025 season awards including why Hamilton is biggest disappointment
Lando Norris has 'more to lose' in F1 title fight
“I guess in terms of position, of course, I have the most to lose because I’m the one at the top. I’ll do my best to stay there for another few days.
“But if it doesn’t go my way, I will try again next year. It will hurt for a little while but that’s life and I’ll crack on and try and do better again next season.
“I also have the mentality that I have nothing to lose because it’s just a race for a championship and in 30 years time I won’t think of it all that much.”
COMMENT: Max Verstappen is laughing at McLaren – how many warnings do they need?
For all the smugness radiating off the face of Max Verstappen and, by the same token, the fumes of red mist emitting from furious McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, perhaps the first words should go to the true winner of the Qatar Grand Prix: Red Bull’s cool-headed strategy chief, Hannah Schmitz.
For it was Schmitz, the 40-year-old Cambridge-educated engineer, who made the critical call amid yellow flags and muddled thinking on Sunday night. On lap seven, a crash and a safety car created a door of opportunity. Red Bull, and every other team on the grid for that matter, walked straight through. McLaren, however, turned a blind eye.
More below:
Max Verstappen is laughing at McLaren F1 – how many more warnings do they need?
F1 constructor standings in full:
1. McLaren - 800 points (champions)
2. Mercedes - 459 points
3. Red Bull - 426 points
4. Ferrari - 382 points
5. Williams - 137 points
6. Racing Bulls - 92 points
7. Aston Martin - 80 points
8. Haas - 73 points
9. Sauber - 68 points
10. Alpine - 22 points
Lewis Hamilton on drivers' end-of-season dinner:
“Class of 2025. We’re the only people in the world to do what we do and for that we’re incredibly lucky. I’m grateful for this group of drivers I have the privilege of racing against and even though we’re competitors, there’s nothing but respect and I’m proud to call them friends.
“Hope to give you all a great last race of the season.”
ANALYSIS: The three F1 title finales that show why Lando Norris is far from safe in Abu Dhabi
Sweeping across the Gulf to Abu Dhabi, host of Formula One’s season finale for 12 consecutive years, Lando Norris really should be home and dry by now. Without those Las Vegas disqualifications a fortnight ago, Max Verstappen would be out of the running. Without last week’s mistakes in Qatar, McLaren could rest easy in the knowledge that the drivers’ champion would, at the very least, be donning papaya colours. Yet here we are; on we go.
This weekend’s three-way fight in the desert is the first F1 championship-decider involving more than two drivers for 15 years. Back then, a four-way hammer-and-tong concluded with a surprise champion at the chequered flag: Sebastian Vettel’s first of four triumphs, and other shock winners before him on the final day, are telling case studies for Sunday’s final curtain call.
More below:
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