No change in approach, but McLaren call for teamwork
McLaren will hold talks ahead of qualifying and the final race about how and if they will use team orders to secure the driver’s championship. Going into Abu Dhabi, Norris has a twelve-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, and is seen as the favourite for the title.
The easiest way for Norris to win the championship is by finishing on the podium, but there are scenarios where he may need the help of Piastri, who may need to play the team game. You can find full scenarios later in this post.
Stella said, “I think whatever call we make in terms of using the collaboration of our drivers will have to follow some of our fundamental principles, which are foundational to our approach. We want to be fair to our drivers, we want to race with integrity, and we want to race in a way that doesn’t surprise our drivers.”
“So, before Abu Dhabi, there will be further conversation with Lando and Oscar. We will confirm our racing approach, but certainly what I can say is that if any of the drivers is in condition to pursue the quest to win the title, then we will respect this.”
Piastri has indicated he will play the team game. One scenario where McLaren could opt to use team orders is if Norris is fourth and Piastri is third or second, they could opt to swap positions or back the third-place driver up so Norris can overtake.
Stella added, “There will be further conversation with Lando and Oscar. We will confirm our racing approach, but certainly what I can say is that if any of the drivers is in condition to pursue the quest to win the title, then we will respect this.’
McLaren have refused to back one driver throughout the season, with chief executive Zak Brown saying last month he would rather lose the championship to Verstappen than favour one of his drivers. Stella confirmed this remains the case for Abu Dhabi, until the situation where a driver needs to help his team-mate, so the team can win the Drivers’ Championship.
Piastri has indicated he would be willing to play the team game in this scenario. Stella was McLaren’s rival in 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen beat both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to win the title by a point. But also, has lost out in these situations in a four-way fight in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and Sao Paulo in 2012, both with Alonso.
Stella is wary of this happening again, which is why he is still backing Piastri, who is the least likely to be champion on Sunday at 16 points behind Norris.
Stella said: “We have seen before in the history of Formula 1 that when you have this kind of situation, sometimes it’s the third one that actually wins. We have seen it I think, in 2007, in 2010 and Oscar is fast, I think he deserves to be able to just realise his performance.”
“We will let the drivers be in condition to race each other but above all, what’s important for us is that we are in condition to beat Verstappen with one of our two drivers.”
A victory for Verstappen in Abu Dhabi with Norris not on the podium would mean the Dutchman wins a fifth straight title, regardless of what Piastri does, so Stella’s main target is for the team to execute a clean weekend, having made a strategic blunder last Sunday in Qatar.
He says the first priority has to be to execute a perfect weekend because the car has the pace, but while the drivers have done a perfect job in recent races, the team has let them down by not giving them the car to capitalise on it. Addis, “When it comes to the fact that we have two drivers in the quest for the World Championship, our philosophy and our approach will not change.
“We will leave both Oscar and Lando the possibility to compete and pursue their aspiration. Oscar from a points point of view, is definitely in condition to win the title.”
McLaren drivers prepared to play team game
Lando Norris has admitted he would “love it” if McLaren team orders with Oscar Piastri rescued a championship victory for him in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a scenario where Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was otherwise headed for the title.
But the championship leader said, “I don’t want to ask” the team for them, while both Norris and Piastri also insisted that McLaren had not discussed the possibility of such tactics with them.
Championship contenders Norris, Piastri and Verstappen sat alongside each other in Thursday’s pre-event press conference in Abu Dhabi ahead of F1’s first final-race decider since 2021, and the first featuring more than two drivers since 2010. Norris leads Verstappen by twelve points with Piastri four further behind and needs a top three as his easiest way to the championship, as it wouldn’t depend on where his rivals finished.
When that scenario and the wider topic of team orders were put to the McLaren team-mates in the press conference, Norris said: “It hasn’t been discussed. Honestly, I would love it! But I don’t think I would ask it because.. I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s up to Oscar whether he would allow it. I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me.”
Adding, “It’s the same if it was the other way around. Would I be willing or not? Personally, I think I would because I feel like I’m always like that and that’s how I am.”
“It’s not really up to me. I don’t want to ask it because I don’t think it’s necessarily a fair question. If that’s how it ends and Max wins, then, that’s it. Congrats to him, and we look forward to next year. It doesn’t change anything.”
However, both drivers confirmed that the team haven’t discussed the use of team orders yet. CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella have maintained that both drivers would be allowed to fight for the title as long as they remain mathematically in contention.
However, among the various permutations of the Abu Dhabi race, McLaren could make a call if Verstappen leads and Norris is out of the podium positions.
Piastri concurred and stated that he was waiting for McLaren to clarify any team orders situations before he had any thoughts about that scenario. He added, “It’s not something we’ve discussed. Until I know what’s kind of expected, I don’t really have an answer until I know what’s expected of me.”
“I’ve been on the opposite side of the championship battle in the junior categories and I know what that felt like, and it was pretty tough. Coming into it from the least to lose out of us three is quite different for me.”
To me, I think this could be a bit of media spin to manage expectations. I think that Piastri between the lines, would want to play the team game, and McLaren are facing a huge decision here that they didn’t want because Verstappen is in the hunt. In Baku, I think, they were talking about eliminating Red Bull from the championship race, then they would let the drivers fight fairly they can’t do that.
While Verstappen declared that “everything is a bonus” on his side after a remarkable post-summer recovery and Piastri played into his own outsider status, Norris was later asked if he feels there is more to lose as the championship leader.
He added, “I guess in terms of position, of course I have the most to lose, because I’m the one at the top. I’ll do my best to stay there until the end of the year – a few more days! At the same time, if it doesn’t go my way, I’ll try again next year. It’ll hurt probably for a little while, then that’s life, we’ll crack on and try and do better next season.
Hadjar to partner Verstappen, Lindblad replaces Tsunoda
Red Bull announced on Tuesday that they will promote Isack Hadjar to be Max Verstappen’s teammate from next season, with the eighteen-year-old Arvid Lindbland replacing the French Algerian. Lindblad, who races under the British flag and has a Swedish father and British Indian mother, will be the fifth British driver on the grid.
Lindblad will be teammate to New Zealander Liam Lawson at second team Racing Bulls. The shuffling of Red Bull’s driver line-up sees Japanese Yuki Tsunoda lose his seat on the grid after five seasons.
Hadjar will become Verstappen’s sixth teammate in seven years. His promotion follows an impressive rookie season at Racing Bulls, which included an outstanding podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Lindblad joins five other drivers with British nationality on the grid next year Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, George Russell, Ollie Bearman and Alex Albon, who races under the Thai flag but holds British citizenship.
The Englishman has been marked out as a potential future star by Red Bull since he was twelve years old. Discussing the young driver programme, Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko said last year that Lindblad “looks really promising”, praising his “pure speed”.
Red Bull has been working for the last eighteen months to get him ready for a debut next season. He has completed two runs in F1 practice sessions, at the British and Mexico City Grands Prix.
Marko said, “In one of the Formula 3 races [at Silverstone in 2024], he overtook, in one lap, I don’t know, ten or fourteen other drivers. He won the race from being last in these tricky conditions, wet, dry and so on. If I look back, I met him first in Portimão (in Portugal). Portimão have a very attractive go-kart circuit, and we had a Formula 1 race, and I met him and his father.”
Though Hadjar failed to start in Melbourne after crashing on the formation lap, his season has been pretty solid, regularly being in the points, and he has outqualified Lawson twenty-two times from twenty-six qualifying sessions, including sprints.
But he faces a stiff challenge against Verstappen, who has comprehensively outperformed all his team-mates since Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of 2018.
Tsunoda determined to get back into F1
Yuki Tsunoda says he is determined to work his way back to F1 after losing his seat for next season. As reported above, on Tuesday, Red Bull announced that Isack Hadjar would replace Tsunoda for the 2026 season, with eighteen-year-old youngster Arvid Lindblad taking Hadjar’s vacant seat at its Racing Bulls sister squad.
With all 2026 race seats now accounted for, the Japanese will move into a test and reserve role for Red Bull next year. This means Tsunoda will spend a year on the sidelines following his five-year stint in F1 as a race driver. Making his first public statement since the news was announced, Tsunoda admitted losing his seat was “incredibly tough”, but said he is determined to fight his way back onto the F1 grid.
He wrote on social media, “Finding out I won’t have a race seat in 2026 was incredibly tough, but I’m determined to work harder than ever with Red Bull as test and reserve driver to develop with the team, and prove I deserve a place on the grid. Life’s full of setbacks, and this is mine. It’s not going to deter me from being the best F1 driver I can be.”
Tsunoda has had a difficult season, scoring thirty points since joining Red Bull in April, while team-mate Max Verstappen is still in contention for the world title at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi season finale.
Tsunoda showed glimpses of speed in the tricky-to-drive Red Bull RB21 and qualified close to Verstappen on several occasions, but never managed to gain any momentum due to a variety of mistakes – some of his own making and some on the team’s side.
How the championship will be decided
- If Lando Norris finishes first, second or third in Abu Dhabi, he will win the world championship – it doesn’t matter where his rivals finish.
- If Norris doesn’t finish on the podium but does finish ahead of both Verstappen and Piastri, then he wins the title.
- Any other scenario for Norris to win the championship requires him to finish within 16 points of Verstappen and Piastri.
- Max Verstappen’s clearest route to the title is for him to win in Abu Dhabi and Norris to finish fourth or worse.
- If he does not win the race, he needs to out-score Norris by at least 13 points while also ensuring Piastri does not out-score him by five points or more.
- Piastri wins in Abu Dhabi, and Norris finishes sixth or worse, then Piastri wins the title.
- However, if Piastri finishes second, Norris would need to finish in 10th place or worse and Verstappen fourth or worse for him to win the title.
- Any other scenario for Piastri to win the title requires him to finish 17 points ahead of Norris and five points ahead of Verstappen.
Talking Points Abu Dhabi
After twenty-four races this season, it all comes down to Abu Dhabi, as the sun sets on not only the 75th world championship but also the V6 hybrid era after eleven years and this generation of cars.
It’s rare now for the championship to come down to the last race of the season, and even rarer for a three-way fight. The last time we had more than two drivers in contention was here in Yas Marina in 2010 and the last three-way fight was in 2007. Like that three-way fight two drivers take on the reigning champion and both McLarens, though its Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who is the champion.
The Dutchman won’t give up and has been working hard to reduce the points gap in the second half of the season as he looks for title number five.
For the last decade, the winner of Abu Dhabi has gone on to win the next years championship. Last year Norris won from pole to help McLaren win their first constructors’ championship since 1998, but Ferrari kept McLaren sweating until the end, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finishing on the podium.
Yas Marina has hosted the most final races since it joined the calendar in 2009, including that controversial 2021 decider. The day-to-night visual of Abu Dhabi always creates a special feel, while climactic championship, carries that added element of drama, joy and despair under the fireworks that greet cars crossing the finish line.
But the feeling for McLaren, like in 2007, going into this race is they threw away the chance for Lando Norris to wrap the title up in Doha after thanks to a botched pitstop call. Verstappen, meanwhile, is definitely the driver with momentum on his side.
Despite a rough start to the 2025 season, the Dutchman’s year turned around following an upgrade package in Monza, and he has since won five out of eight races – including the last two rounds. Norris has the easiest route to the championship a podium would secure it regardless of what his rivals do.
Given the pace of the McLaren, the title picture still remains firmly in their hands with Norris, but as Team Principal Andrea Stella pointed out on Sunday night, they will need to execute better than they have at the last two races.
While the focus will be on the drivers, the constructors’ runner-up spot is set to be decided between Mercedes and Red Bull, to retain second Mercedes need to out-score Red Bull by eleven points. Ferrari is guaranteed to finish fourth, and Williams fifth, but sixth could in theory be anyone’s but that would require a big result for the bottom four teams.
Racing Bulls hold sixth, just twelve points above seventh-place Aston Martin, which is seven points ahead of Haas in eighth. There are then just five points separating Haas and ninth-placed Sauber, so there is a lot to play for. Each position is key for each team as it is worth millions
If Racing Bulls are able to hold onto the sixth place they currently occupy, they will end the year on a high and say goodbye to one of the stars of the season as Isack Hadjar prepares to move up to Red Bull in 2026.
Red Bull have confirmed the talented Frenchman will partner Max Verstappen next season, with the rookie having impressed in a debut year that featured a podium in Zandvoort and two other top-six finishes – so far at least – as he currently sits 10th in the Drivers’ standings.
Abu Dhabi marks the final race of the ground effect era cars that were introduced in 2022, with an emphasis on trying to create impressive aerodynamic performance from the floor while also making it easier to follow another car more closely.
It has been a very fruitful era for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, but it has also seen the return of McLaren as a force at the front of the field, while Ferrari came close to the championship last year and Mercedes have also won races.
When the chequered flag drops on Tuesday, following the test, there will be less than fifty days until testing in Barcelona.
Mercedes has a “very good shot” of sealing second
George Russell believes that Mercedes has a “very good shot” of sealing second place in the constructors’ this weekend. Mercedes has a thirty-three-point lead over Red Bull, and Ferrari has sealed third or fourth in the championship.
Asked for his thoughts on the upcoming event in Abu Dhabi during Thursday’s media day, Russell reiterated that the team’s aim is to secure that all-important runner-up spot in the championship.
He said, “It’s another race, to be honest. Obviously, we want to try and secure P2 in the Constructors’ Championship. It was a bit of a shame we couldn’t achieve that in Qatar, but we have a very good shot this weekend and [we’ll] just go out and enjoy the last race of the season.”
Reflecting back on how the squad performed last time out in Lusail, Russell, who finished sixth, suggested that the final result did not necessarily reflect the team’s potential.
He said, “It’s another race, to be honest. Obviously, we want to try and secure P2 in the Constructors’ Championship. It was a bit of a shame we couldn’t achieve that in Qatar, but we have a very good shot this weekend and [we’ll] just go out and enjoy the last race of the season.”
Reflecting back on the performance in Russell suggested that the final result did not necessarily reflect the team’s potential. He added, “I think, thanks to Isack [Hadjar], I had quite a long race in traffic! I think, unfortunately, we were very competitive. I think it was only really Oscar [Piastri] who was more competitive.”
While looking back at the season, he said, “I think both seasons were very strong. I’d say this season, without doubt, has been my most competitive.
Antonelli will complete his maiden F1 season in Abu Dhabi. He reflected, “I think 2022 was really challenging, experiencing porpoising for the first time and the challenges we were going through as a team and also my first year against Lewis [Hamilton]. But I think this has been a strong year.”
“It’s been going very fast, faster than expected. Melbourne feels not long ago, and I’m actually sad we’re already at the end of the season. I would like to have a few more races – of course it’s not possible, but I’ve been enjoying quite a lot. A season of ups and downs, but we’ve been having a strong second last part of the season.”
Hamilton’s damming verdict of the current regulations
Lewis Hamilton has given a damming verdict of the current generation of cars, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix being the last race before the regulations change substantially from the 2026 season. Unsurprisingly, the seven-time champion’s opinions are damning following a challenging four years fighting against the ground-effect cars.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s race, he said, “There’s not a single thing I’ll miss about these cars,” he told the media. “It is as simple as that. I have not enjoyed it.
Asked to compare these ground-effect era cars to previous regulations, the 105-time race winner ran through the more rewarding eras. He replied, “2017 was cool because it was a bigger, wider car. It just looked beefier and had more downforce. It was mega. This generation was probably the worst one, I would say. And I’m praying that the next one is not worse than that.”
From 2026, F1 moves to a new regulations package with reduced downforce, a vastly different powertrain, and active aerodynamics. Hamilton has started simulator work with Ferrari, and while he didn’t criticise the changes, he admitted his hesitancy.
Adding, “I think it’s really, really hard to predict what it’s going to be like. I don’t want to say too many negative things. It feels so much different and I’m not sure you’re going to like it. But maybe I’ll be surprised and maybe it’ll be amazing. Maybe overtaking will be incredible. Maybe it’ll be easier to overtake. I don’t know.”
He continued, “We have less downforce, more torque. Driving in the rain, I can imagine it’s going to be very, very, very tough. Much harder than it is already with what we have today.”
He also admitted how different he expects the racing to look as the drivers manage energy and hybrid deployment in more visible ways.
Alpine confirm 2026 car launch
Alpine have announced they will hold their 2026 on Friday 23rd January at the Circuit de Catalunya – Barcelona, three days before the first pre-season test at the circuit. The French team made the announcement in a social media post which does not disclose much information as to what will actually happen, and whether its actual 2026 challenger might be revealed; Motorsport understands only a livery unveil is planned.
The team will be hoping to bounce back after a difficult time under the current regulations introduced in 2022, and after the worst season in its forty-year history as it will finish last in the constructors. The team made a conscious decision to switch resources to its 2026 project quite early, which partly explains its downturn in performance this year.
Pierre Gasly said last month, “If it gives me better results next year, I literally do not care about this season – and it will be all worth it. Because the reality is what we could have fought for this year is still not good enough for us. And these couple of weeks or months can potentially give us a head start on some other teams and bring much better success, which is what we are seeking, ultimately.
Alpine’s line-up will be unchanged in 2026, with Franco Colapinto joining Gasly again. The Frenchman recently signed a long-term contract until 2028, while the Argentine was confirmed only last month amid doubts that his form was up to par.
Toyota becomes Haas title sponsor
Toyota will strengthen its relationship with the Haas F1 Team in 2026 when they become title sponsor of the American team, replacing digital payment firm MoneyGram.
The Japanese manufacturer returned to the sport for the first time since 2009 last year with Haas as part of a technical partnership through their motorsport and research and development division, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR). Last year Haas and the Japanese manufacturer created a joint testing programme, which launched earlier in the year.
Haas says the enhanced arrangement will see the “further bonding of the core objectives” of the two companies and focus on “’People, Product, Pipeline’, which includes the development of essential human resources such as drivers, engineers and mechanics to build a sustainable motorsports industry and culture”.
Team Principal Ayao Komatsu said: “Our working relationship to-date has been everything we hoped it would be. It’s been evidenced through our successful TPC running this season but there’s been so much more going on behind the scenes too – including the development and installation of the simulator at our Banbury facility for 2026.”
“The cultivation of personnel, all working collaboratively between Haas F1 Team and TGR, has benefited us greatly and that’s something that will only increase as our partnership matures.”
Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, Akio Toyoda said: “Throughout our challenges in the 2025 season, I witnessed young TGR drivers and engineers begin to believe in their own potential and set their sights on even greater dreams. Seeing this transformation moved me deeply.”
“And today, I can say this with confidence, Toyota has finally begun to move – really move. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for standing alongside our young members, believing in their potential, and facing the future with the same passion and perspective.”
The deal will run alongside Haas’s current longstanding partnership with Ferrari, which includes the supply of the Italian team’s power unit and gearbox, plus other selected parts and use of Ferrari’s simulator at Maranello.
FIA Election 25 – Result set to be challenged in court
The FIA can return sole candidate Mohammed Ben Sulayem as president next week but faces a legal challenge in February, a lawyer for opponent Laura Villars said on Wednesday. Villars had sought an injunction from Judicial Court of Paris seeking to suspend the election after FIA statutes prevented her and fellow candidate Tim Mayer from standing.
The election is scheduled for Tashkent on December 12 with Ben Sulayem set to serve a second four-year term.
“The urgent applications judge held that this dispute must be heard on the merits, and we will therefore continue this litigation against the FIA before the judges sitting on the merits. A first hearing is scheduled for 16 February 2026,” said Villars’ lawyer Robin Binsard in a statement.
Villars’ legal team said the election’s “validity, in light of the objections raised, may be reviewed, challenged, or annulled by the court” at the future hearing.
Villars announced her surprise candidacy in September but was unable, like Mayer, to put together the required slate of potential vice-presidents from an official list of 29 by the October 24 deadline.
“She will continue this action before the judges on the merits to ensure that the electoral process complies with the standards of governance expected from an international organisation.”
There was no immediate comment from the FIA.
Every candidate must name one person from all the FIA global regions but there is only one South American on the official list, Fabiana Ecclestone, the wife of former F1 CEO Bernie, and she is already on Ben Sulayem’s team.
