I think we were all looking forward to an epic finale. Three drivers – Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri – all still in the Formula 1 title hunt. We haven't had that in 15 years!
For Formula 1, it was the perfect chance to present itself as exciting and dramatic to a global audience, because surely plenty of people tuned in who normally wouldn’t bother switching on the TV.
Even at our place we had visitors who dropped by for those two hours on Sunday – people who usually follow races only through our live ticker because they don’t pay for F1's coverage, but who didn’t want to miss the prospect of a great three-way title fight on screen.
But what we got was – given the circumstances – a real snoozer. And honestly, looking at the calendar, that was obvious beforehand: Abu Dhabi.
The track may look glamorous, with the hotel and yachts giving the series the shine it craves, but from a sporting perspective it’s the first race I’d drop.
In fact, it was clear from the start that Verstappen would win. Do you know who the last driver was to win at Yas Marina without starting from pole? Let me tell you: Nico Rosberg. That was in 2014!
Eleven straight wins from pole – not even Monaco is that bad.
A few years ago, we did a track ranking in the newsroom. Each F1 editor had to list all 24 races from 1 to 24 – one point for the worst track, 24 for the best.
Abu Dhabi ended up 22nd with 28 points from seven editors – just ahead of Bahrain (27) and Qatar (18). Though that was mainly thanks to the 10 points our Germany editor-in-chief Christian Nimmervoll gave it (perhaps after one glass of wine too many – he’ll forgive the joke).
For more than half of us, it was one of the two worst tracks. I gave it the single pity point.
So yes, I admit I’m biased when it comes to Abu Dhabi. But Sunday’s title decider only confirmed my view. In the newsroom we all agreed: had it not been for a hint of tension because of the championship situation, the grand prix would’ve been a strong contender for the most boring race of the year.
Verstappen’s win was never in doubt, and I also never truly feared for Norris’ title. Simply put, too little happens in this asphalt arena. The track is wide enough for what feels like ten cars, and if you run wide you just drive through the paved runoff.
Evidence: all 20 cars finished without trouble.
Of course, Abu Dhabi has had good races – 2010 springs to mind, when Sebastian Vettel surprisingly won the title in the most recent finale with more than two contenders. Or 2012, when Vettel produced a wild comeback and Kimi Raikkonen wanted to be left alone.
But that was a long time ago.
Yes, we remember the title deciders of 2016, when Lewis Hamilton backed up Rosberg, and 2021. But let’s be honest: even 2021 was completely dull until Nicholas Latifi put his Williams into the barrier. What people remember are the safety-car phase and the final lap.
The 2025 F1 finale didn’t even have that, and it will hardly go down as a classic, even though the starting situation with three title contenders couldn’t have been much better. And I fear it will stay this way for years, because Abu Dhabi will host the season finale until at least 2030.
A shame, because there are far better venues in sporting terms. But these days, in “sport” (or should we call it business), different values matter.
There were, however, other candidates who could reasonably have had a restless night: naturally the two title losers, Verstappen and Piastri.
But neither of them looked like they’d lose any sleep – even though neither knows if he’ll get another chance next year. Piastri surely knew his chances were slim, and Verstappen sleeps soundly anyway with his four titles.
Yuki Tsunoda would’ve been a good pick too. He’s the only driver who won’t be on the grid next year. P14 made his final race a flop, and he couldn’t help Verstappen either, despite boldly announcing over the radio: “I know what to do. Leave it to me.”
He couldn’t hold up Norris, and instead got a penalty for an illegal change of direction – one even his team admitted afterwards was over the top.
He didn’t want to accept the penalty, and on Saturday he was convinced he hadn’t exceeded track limits in qualifying. He had. All in all, not a happy farewell.
And that’s also true for Formula 1 today. I feel sorry for my guests that their final impression before the winter break is an Abu Dhabi finale that promised a lot but delivered little.
I honestly doubt the race provided any good reason for them to get a Sky subscription next year. And that should concern Formula 1.
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