Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Norris held his nerve when it mattered most

Everything that could make this difficult for Norris happened. Piastri passed him on lap 1, Leclerc pressured him hard in the first stint, he emerged from his pit stop in traffic, and then Tsunoda tried to physically block him on the straight. Through all of it, Norris kept his composure. The double overtake past Stroll and Lawson at turn 6 was decisive. Third place, two points. Britain's 11th world champion, McLaren's first since Hamilton in 2008. Not the most exciting race, but the tension was unbearable.

MAX DID EVERYTHING HE COULD

Eight wins this season. More than either McLaren driver individually. Won this race from pole by 12 seconds. And it still wasn't enough because of what happened earlier in the year. The Red Bull was nowhere in the first half of the season and the upgrades came too late. Verstappen drove the best season of any driver on the grid and lost the championship by two points. If that doesn't tell you what kind of competitor he is, nothing will. Norris deserved it for consistency but Max was the best driver of 2025.

A championship decider that lacked a decisive moment

The numbers tell the story: Verstappen won by 12 seconds from Piastri, with Norris a further 3 seconds back in third. The top three were never really in danger from anyone behind and they never really fought each other on track. Leclerc was the only driver who threatened Norris and even that faded after the first stint. The Tsunoda incident added some jeopardy but it felt manufactured rather than organic. Final standings: Norris 423, Verstappen 421, Piastri 410. Two points. Razor thin, but the race itself was not.

I was shaking the entire time

I know the race itself was a bit processional but I genuinely could not sit still for 58 laps. When Piastri passed Norris on lap 1, my heart sank. When Leclerc was all over the back of him with DRS, I thought it was falling apart. And when Tsunoda started weaving to hold him up I was screaming at the TV. But Norris handled it all. The moment he crossed the line and his engineer said it on the radio, I cried. First championship decider at the final race since 2021 and it delivered on the tension if not the racing.

A worthy champion, an unworthy race

Norris winning the title by two points after a season this long and competitive feels right. He was the most consistent frontrunner all year and delivered under immense pressure at the end. But Abu Dhabi itself was disappointing as a championship decider. The top three spread out early and never converged. Verstappen was untouchable at the front. The midfield apparently had over 100 overtakes but the cameras never showed any of it. Hamilton finishing P8 and completing his first full season without a podium was a sad footnote to a miserable year at Ferrari.

A season to forget for Ferrari

Hamilton in eighth from 16th on the grid was the best he could do in a car that simply wasn't good enough. His first full season without a single podium. Leclerc in fourth was the ceiling. This was supposed to be the year Hamilton brought his champion's mentality to Ferrari and instead it was a regression for everyone involved. The team finished fourth in the constructors' after being leapfrogged by both Mercedes and Red Bull. Watching Norris celebrate while wearing red felt bittersweet.

The worst championship decider since 2014

A three-way title fight going to the last race should have been electric. Instead we got Verstappen disappearing at the front, Piastri running his own race in second, and Norris managing third with occasional stress from Leclerc and Tsunoda. The Tsunoda blocking incident was the only moment of genuine drama and that was over in seconds. Compared to 2008, 2010, 2012, or even 2021, this was painfully anticlimactic. The right man won the championship but the circuit failed to provide a fitting stage for it.