The 2025 Formula 1 World Championship concluded this past weekend in Abu Dhabi, marking the end of the current generation of racing cars. Following a demanding schedule of 24 races, the championship title was decided by a razor-thin margin in a three-way battle; only two points, less than half a percent, separated the winning driver from the second place when the checkered flag signaled the end on Sunday.
Entering Abu Dhabi, McLaren’s Lando Norris was positioned as the frontrunner, if not comfortably so. His strong start to the season was briefly overshadowed by a dip in performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, but he managed to recover his lead from Australian teammate Oscar Piastri during the October race in Mexico.
For a significant portion of the season, it seemed like a two-car race was unfolding. McLaren boasted both a superior car and formidable drivers, drawing comparisons to previous rivalries like that of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg driving for Mercedes. However, an unexpected twist was introduced by Red Bull, which surged in performance late in the season under the guidance of new team leader Laurent Mekies. This allowed four-time champion Max Verstappen to close the gap with McLaren through a series of outstanding performances.
Challenges also surfaced within McLaren's strategy. The team's dedication to fairness between Norris and Piastri occasionally put both at a disadvantage. A critical setback occurred in Las Vegas with a double disqualification that allowed Verstappen to catch up significantly.
Further complicating McLaren's path, last weekend's race in Qatar saw a perfectly timed safety car benefiting the entire grid, except for the McLarens leading the race. Pirelli's restriction of maximum stint lengths to 25 laps turned the race into a strategic quagmire, as all cars but the leading McLarens essentially received free pit stops. Consequently, Norris missed securing the championship in Qatar, pushing the intense rivalry to the season's final showdown in Abu Dhabi.