Max Verstappen seized a vital pole position for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating championship leader Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after McLaren had led the way in practice. With Verstappen starting ahead of both McLarens for the title decider at Yas Marina, qualifying has dramatically reset the balance of power before Sunday’s showdown.
Aston Martin received a €50,000 fine at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll skipped a mandatory fan event on Friday. With fans left waiting “for several hours in the heat”, the FIA stewards sanctioned the team for breaching the sporting regulations, underlining how seriously Formula 1 now treats fan engagement duties.
George Russell disrupted the title narrative in Abu Dhabi by going quickest in FP3 ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. As Mercedes finds form at the last moment, McLaren and Red Bull remain closely matched, setting up a high‑pressure qualifying session that could decide the outcome of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Yuki Tsunoda began his final Grand Prix as a Red Bull race driver with a poor FP2 at Yas Marina, ending the session just 17th and far from Max Verstappen’s pace. As Helmut Marko highlights Red Bull’s uncomfortable position against McLaren, Tsunoda’s struggles mean Verstappen is effectively left without meaningful support in Abu Dhabi.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has warned that the team “cannot rely on mistakes” from McLaren to save its Abu Dhabi weekend. With Max Verstappen lacking confidence in his car and Lando Norris leading the way, Marko concedes Red Bull is “not in a very comfortable situation” and must find genuine performance instead of banking on a third error from its main rival.
Lando Norris set the fastest time in both free practice sessions at Yas Marina yet insists he is “not totally confident” with his McLaren. While the Briton leads the way on paper, he and team‑mate Oscar Piastri – who struggled on the soft compound – believe there is still significant work to do before qualifying and the race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
After the first day of running at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen acknowledged that Red Bull lacked pace compared to Lando Norris’ McLaren. Despite solid long runs, the Dutchman believes the team must find performance overnight to challenge for pole and victory at Yas Marina.
