The podium
Max Verstappen wins ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. This means: Norris is world champion! Max Verstappen has been dethroned.
The scene of the race
Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri – three drivers still had a chance at the World Championship title at the start of the race. Max Verstappen gave it his all and drove to a lights-to-flag victory. But McLaren didn't make a single mistake in this race! They held their nerve. A third-place finish was enough for Lando Norris to clinch the title. In the end, the Briton had a two-point lead – what a thriller! Never before in history has it been so close.
In lap 23, Lando Norris had a crucial moment. He was behind Verstappen's teammate Tsunoda due to his pit stop and needed to overtake him to regain third place. Tsunoda resisted unfairly and received a five-second penalty. However, Norris's maneuver also had to be reviewed – he escaped a time penalty and thus secured the world championship title.
This is how Sauber fared.
Sauber was a fixture in Formula 1 for 33 years. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked the end of an era. Peter Sauber himself was also present in Abu Dhabi. The Sauber name will disappear from next season onwards. Audi has taken over the racing team. However, from a Swiss perspective, the Hinwil headquarters will remain – ensuring that Switzerland retains a small presence in Formula 1. A look back at the Sauber era can be found here.
The commotion in the stands
Before the race, a picture was taken of two giants from other sports. Football icon Ronaldinho posed with tennis superstar Jannik Sinner. But the two weren't the only celebrities present – it was a veritable star-studded affair. Incidentally, fans from 105 countries are making the pilgrimage to the World Cup final.
This is how it continues
Now it's time for a break – at least after a wild World Cup celebration. Test matches will be held in Barcelona at the end of January. The 2026 season then kicks off on March 8th in Melbourne, Australia.
