NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Formula 1 heads from Lusail to Yas Marina for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend, marking the 24th and final round on the 2025 calendar.

FP1 and FP2 will take place on Friday, December 5, followed by FP3 and Qualifying on Saturday, December 6 and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, December 7.

Vital statistics

• First Grand Prix – 2009
• Track Length – 5.281km
• Lap record – 1m 25.637s, Kevin Magnussen, Haas, 2024
• Most pole positions – Lewis Hamilton (5)
• Most wins – Lewis Hamilton (5)
• Trivia – Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Max Verstappen all sealed their maiden F1 world titles in Abu Dhabi
• Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 194 metres
• Overtakes completed in 2024 – 96
• Safety Car probability – 38%
• Virtual Safety Car probability – 50%
• Pit stop time loss – 21 seconds

The driver’s verdict

Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: The circuit has been improved as it used to be quite fiddly, but they’ve got rid of the wishy-washy chicanes that are now Turn 5 and Turn 9.

As a result, it’s a much quicker circuit and better for racing. There are good overtaking opportunities under braking into Turn 6 and then at the exit toward Turn 9.

The triple right-hander near the end of the lap is the trickiest part. You’re blind braking into Turn 12, so it’s easy to make a mistake. It’s been widened, but Turn 13 is still tricky and it’s important to get the car placement right.

The final sector is the least enjoyable to drive in many ways, but it’s where you can win or lose a huge amount of time.

As the last race of the season, it’s always a nice feel overall.

Last five Abu Dhabi GP pole-sitters

• 2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2020 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Last five Abu Dhabi GP winners

• 2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2020 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Tyre and strategy insight

“Historically, the Yas Marina track sees graining on the tyres, but as from last year this phenomenon seems to be relatively limited,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview.

“The greater resistance of the current tyres could reduce it to such an extent that even the soft, usually only used in Qualifying, could be a tyre around which to put together a race strategy.

“At this track, degradation is thermal in nature and is generally seen on the rears due to the requirement for traction especially in the final sector of the track.

“In Yas Marina last year, 19 drivers fitted the medium for the start, the sole exception being Lewis Hamilton, who went with the hard.

“The one-stop was the quickest strategy, using the hard for the second stint. Of the top 10 finishers, only Fernando Alonso pitted twice. Just one driver ran the soft with the sole aim of setting the fastest race lap.

“Graining and degradation were both limited and so, even those who pitted before half-distance managed to run just two stints with no difficulties.”

Current form

After 23 action-packed rounds, it all comes down to this.

Three drivers with seven race wins apiece in 2025, covered by just 16 points. Only one of them will leave Abu Dhabi with the World Championship title under their belt.

Will it be Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri as a first-time champion? Or can Max Verstappen complete the most remarkable of comebacks and make it five titles on the bounce?

The next few days will gives us that coveted answer.

Verstappen arrives as the man in form, having won five of the last eight Grands Prix and slashed a 104-point deficit post-Zandvoort to just 12, while also boasting four of the last five victories at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Norris and McLaren were winners here last year, though, and the Briton knows that by finishing on the podium this weekend, there is nothing either Verstappen or Piastri can do to stop him taking the crown.

Behind that headline battle, there are plenty of other scores to be settled, such as the race for P2 and P6 in the Teams’ Championship, and ego-boosting positions in the Drivers’ standings.

Stay tuned to F1.com to discover how it all plays out.

Iconic moment

There have been loads of thrilling battles and title-deciding weekends in Abu Dhabi over the years, meaning no shortage of options to choose from.

However, with everything that’s on the line this weekend, it seems appropriate to revisit the 2010 championship showdown, when Red Bull team mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton all arrived with a shot at title glory.

What followed was a tense and dramatic encounter that saw Vettel, some 15 points off the title lead heading into the race, complete an incredible turnaround with a charge to victory over Hamilton, while Webber and Alonso endured traffic-related nightmares.

Relive how the race unfolded in the video player below...