After years of lackluster, sometimes boring, ends to the past few F1 seasons, fans are going to be treated to sports cinema in Yas Island, as Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri all have a shot at winning the drivers’ championship.

Lewis Hamilton’s phone’s going in the bin, it’s a farewell to Renault engines, Sauber, and DRS, and—oh, already—the 2026 launch plans are taking shape. Autoweek rounds up some of the non-title talking points from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old Norris became the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, and he also denied Max Verstappen a fifth straight title.

Coming into Abu Dhabi, McLaren’s Lando Norris was, if not a comfortable favorite, then at least the driver with the highest odds of prevailing. After a strong start to the season, the British driver’s form dipped at the Dutch Grand Prix.

ABU DHABI, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Lando Norris recognised life would change as Formula One world champion, although he hoped to stay the same as a person, and an immediate sign was the decision made on Monday to race with the number one on his McLaren next season.

Oscar Piastri won the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race from pole position to move 22 points behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris heading into Sunday’s main Formula 1 race.

F1 grid: Starting positions for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - F1 heads to the Yas Marina Circuit for the final race of the 2025 season, with Lando Norris 12 points clear of Max Verstappen