Why Verstappen's Abu Dhabi Win Couldn't Beat Norris to F1 Title

Max Verstappen dominated the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but fell two points short of Lando Norris in the 2025 drivers' championship after the McLaren driver secured third place. Norris entered the finale with a 12-point lead, requiring only a podium finish to claim his maiden title despite Verstappen's race victory and Oscar Piastri's second-place result.

Why it matters:

This outcome highlights how strategic nuances—not just raw speed—decide championships in modern F1. Red Bull's inability to manipulate race dynamics despite Verstappen's pace exposes vulnerabilities in their tactical playbook, while McLaren's calculated tire strategy proved decisive in securing their first drivers' title since 1999.

The Details:

• Tire Strategy Trap: McLaren put Piastri on hard tires for a long opening stint, forcing Red Bull into a no-win scenario. Slowing the field would have primarily benefited Piastri—who was already ahead of Norris—rather than threatening Norris' position.
• Track Layout Limitations: Verstappen noted the current Yas Marina layout (chicane-free since 2021) makes 'bunching' significantly harder than in 2016, reducing opportunities to compress the field.
• Lack of Support Traffic: Helmut Marko confirmed Red Bull hoped Ferrari and Mercedes would challenge Norris, but Charles Leclerc finished seven seconds behind and George Russell lacked pace. "Ferrari's tires were gone after five or six laps," Marko said.
• Critical Window Missed: Verstappen could only realistically attempt bunching in the final 17 laps, but would have needed to surrender 35-second gap to Leclerc—slowing by two seconds per lap—a suicidal move when every position mattered.

What's next:

This tactical defeat may force Red Bull to overhaul their championship-contingency planning for 2026. With new technical regulations incoming, teams will study how McLaren's strategic discipline neutralized Verstappen's pace advantage—a blueprint future title contenders will replicate. Verstappen's admission that "we were probably a bit too quick up front" suggests Red Bull must balance race-winning pace with championship-caliber flexibility, especially as Norris and McLaren enter 2026 as favorites to defend their crown.