The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been one of the most electric events on the Formula 1 calendar as it brings each season to a close, and 2025 was no different where it doubled up as a nail-biting championship decider. The energy was palpable all weekend long, and with all the action on and off-track, Yas Marina never fails to close out the season in an epic fashion.
Despite the best efforts from Max Verstappen, his Grand Prix win was not enough to claim his fifth world title, as Lando Norris secured his maiden championship by finishing P3. There was plenty to talk about on track, with penalties, team tactics and overtakes galore – but those weren’t the only stories from this epic weekend. Here are some magic moments you should know about from the season finale.
Championship celebrations
You never forget your first world title – and Norris certainly won’t be forgetting this one. In his seventh Formula 1 season, the Brit finally became a World Champion in Abu Dhabi, and the emotion hit him as soon as he took the chequered flag!
As he climbed out of the cockpit, his parents, Cisca and Adam, were already there waiting for him, who could barely contain their pride. Then came Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, his title rivals all year long, offering genuine smiles and warm embraces – a heartwarming moment from each competitor after such a hard-fought season.
But things really kicked off when Lando made it back to the McLaren garage, where the team launched straight into full celebration mode, drenching him with an avalanche of champagne. We hope someone fetched him a towel!
And because no British celebration is complete without it, the night ended with videos circulating of Norris belting out “We are the Champions” and “Sweet Caroline” in a club, sat on shoulders, arms aloft. A perfect finale to an unforgettable day.
Wholesome moments at the drivers’ annual dinner
If you follow any of the drivers on social media, then we’re almost certain you won’t have missed this! Before the on-track tension of the season finale kicked in, the grid kept up what’s fast becoming a tradition: the annual drivers’ dinner. Nearly the full grid turned out for a relaxed evening dining together as a last chance to catch-up before the pressure of the final race takes over.
The now-iconic group photo made its annual return too, flooding everyone’s social media feeds as each driver posted the same shot with their own spin on the caption. Norris reassured everyone that no food was thrown, Yuki Tsunoda bemoaned some of the drivers missing the white shirt memo, and Alex Albon joked about the grid making bets for the title.
The dinner has happened every year since 2022 – serving as a wholesome reminder that even at the most high-stakes weekend of the year, there’s still room for a little camaraderie in the paddock.
Emotional goodbyes
Abu Dhabi has a way of blending end of season celebrations with nostalgia, and the 2025 finale leaned fully into both. Beyond the title fight wrapping up and the final race drama, teams and fans took some moments to say farewell to a few familiar faces and eras coming to an end.
A new chapter for Tsunoda
Sunday’s Grand Prix is the last time we’ll see the #22 on the grid for a little while, as Abu Dhabi marked Tsunoda’s final race before stepping into a reserve role for the team in 2026. Tsunoda even had the support of some of his biggest fans who joined him in the garage ahead of lights out.
One of the most heartwarming moments from the weekend came post-race, when Tsunoda performed a helmet swap with his best friend on the grid, Pierre Gasly – we’re sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!
And to top it off, actor Jason Statham and model Emily Ratajkowski joined the Japanese driver on Sunday to give him the send-off he deserves – and we can’t tell who was more star-struck! Taking on the role of the third driver next season, Tsunoda will be around the paddock next season, and we are already looking forward to seeing him!
The Sauber era comes to a close
It wasn’t just drivers saying goodbye in Abu Dhabi – this weekend also marked the end of the Sauber name in F1. After their debut in 1993, the team has taken some different identities during its three decade-long involvement in the sport, with countless races, iconic drivers and a legacy that stretches far beyond its most recent stint as the glowing green of Kick Sauber.
The team marked their final race by welcoming founder Peter Sauber to the garage for one last time with the Sauber name, as they go on to prepare over the winter to step into their new chapter as Audi.
Mercedes bid farewell to Bottas (again)
And speaking of familiar faces we’ve loved having around… Valtteri Bottas has been just as present in the paddock this year – not only in his crucial role as Mercedes’ reserve driver, but as one of the grid’s most reliable comedic sources. Few people can deliver a simulator session by night and a perfectly timed meme by day quite like Valtteri.
The team used the finale to celebrate the eccentric Finn before he heads to Cadillac for 2026, and of course in true Valtteri style, it was pure social media gold. There was one last Valtteri Explains instalment, a full slate of media work, a perfectly timed photobomb during the team photo, and of course, getting thrown into the harbour post-race. Peak Valtteri behaviour that we hope continues right into his time at Cadillac.
Goodbye, DRS
And finally, there was a surprisingly emotional farewell to… DRS. After over a decade of helping deliver some of the biggest overtakes in recent F1 history, Abu Dhabi marked its final outing before the brand-new regulations shake things up next season. Teams embraced the moment with playful tributes across social media in the form of some surprisingly emotional farewell videos – with Kimi Antonelli having the honour of being the last one to open his rear wing.
FP1 rookie radio chaos
Nine rookies jumped into the cars for FP1 in Abu Dhabi – and with nine new voices on the radio, chaos was practically guaranteed… Names were mixed up, engineers made some interesting improvisations, and the airwaves quickly turned into some of the most memorable moments of the weekend.
At Ferrari, the team were quite literally seeing double as Arthur Leclerc joined his older brother Charles Leclerc for the session. Some engineers quickly realised that two Leclerc’s could get a little confusing for their drivers, so had to get creative. Verstappen’s engineer Gianpiero Lambiase took the most logical route, calling Arthur “Leclerc Junior,” which the Dutchman (and us) found highly amusing. Later on, things escalated further when Gabriel Bortoleto’s engineer Jose Manuel Lopez casually referred to Charles as “the big Leclerc.” Yes – it was that kind of day.
And the sibling dynamic was on full display too. When Charles spun early in FP1, Arthur was straight on the radio – but no – he was not worried. “I think Charles is doing some burnouts for the fans!” he joked. A classic younger brother comment.
Things only got more confusing for George Russell’s race engineer Marcus Dudley, as he mixed up the names of two rookies, but thankfully George was on hand to help clarify things! Racing Bulls couldn’t help but poke fun at the whole situation… All in all, FP1 kept everyone on their toes!
Drivers feeling glam
Fast cars, celebrities and high drama – it goes without saying F1 and glamour go hand-in-hand, but Abu Dhabi took things up a notch with the arrival of Cole Walliser’s infamous Glambot. And with it, the paddock became a Hollywood red carpet as drivers eagerly lined up to strike their most dramatic slow-motion poses… with varying degrees of success.
There were power stances aplenty, lots of crossed arms, and obviously a Bottas moustache special – the glam bot certainly delivered the goods.
Hadjar household
In another incredibly heartwarming moment over the weekend, Isack Hadjar hosted a very special guest in his garage – his dad Yassine Hadjar! The French-Algerian rookie has often spoken about how instrumental his father has been throughout his rise to F1, even honouring the scientist with the physics and quantum-mechanics equations that featured on his helmet.
Yassine looked right at home as he climbed into his son’s car, unsurprisingly firing off plenty of questions to understand every detail of his son’s world in a moment we’re sure neither will ever forget.
Hadjar wasn’t the only one with family in his car, as Nico Hulkenberg possibly looked to inspire his daughter by getting her behind the wheel (in the safety of the garage) with her mother Egle Ruskyte.
A moment for the Abu Dhabi looks
The final race of the season is the perfect excuse for drivers to don special edition helmets, and this year was no different.
Hulkenberg reached a huge milestone in Abu Dhabi, – reaching a staggering 250 races over his 15 years in F1! He celebrated with a gladiator-style helmet, and after battling his way to P9 from 18th on the grid – we think the design was pretty apt!
Purple was the theme for Williams this weekend as they celebrated their fantastic season with special edition helmets for both drivers. Carlos Sainz’s design even paid tribute to his lucky charm, “Sparkles”, who helped him to an incredible P3 in Baku this season – here’s to hoping we’ll see more of Sparkles next year!
The Ferrari duo also went all out on their helmets for the final race. Leclerc’s helmet celebrated his impressive milestone of 150 races for the Maranello-based team, while Hamilton marked the end of his first season with the Scuderia with a mirror-styled lid, finished with gold glitter – another super eye-catching design from the seven-time World Champion!
French duo Gasly and Esteban Ocon also marked the end of the season with one-off helmets, completing a sea of spectacular designs.
Celebs filled the finale
A title decider of this magnitude was always going to draw in famous names from across the world, but this may have been the most star-studded paddock of the year. Actress Ana de Armas spent time in Williams’ and Ferrari’s garages, before drawing the season to a close by waving the final chequered flag of 2025.
Sports stars were enticed by the drama of the weekend, with those in attendance including tennis players Jannik Sinner and Ons Jabeur, boxer Chris Eubank Jr, former footballers Thierry Henry and Micah Richards with their co-host Kate Scott, ex-NBA players Julius Erving, and Matt Barnes, streetball player Grayson ‘The Professor’ Boucher, cricketer Rashid Khan, and Ballon d’Or winning ex-footballer Ronaldinho.
In what proved to be a very musical weekend, rappers Central Cee and Skepta, singers Camila Cabello, Benson Boone, Katy Perry, Sam Ryder, will.i.am, the band Metallica, and DJs Peggy Gou, Adam Port, DJ Snake and Carl Cox were either performing or simply enjoying the race weekend in the desert.
Finally, there were plenty of personalities from your screens at Yas Marina, including actors Idris and Sabrina Elba, Jessica Chastain, Madelaine Petsch, Jung Hae-in, Terry Crews, Liu Yifei, Marsai Martin, Winston Duke, Song Kang-Ho, TV host Molly Qerim, Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Yasmin Abdulaziz, models Yasmine Sabri, influencer Youmna Khoury and TikToker Khaby Lame. How many did you spot?
