F1 Abu Dhabi GP live updates - media day
Follow along from updates from the Abu Dhabi paddock as F1 prepares for the final race of 2025
Live Text
That's all from us this afternoon - join us again tomorrow as we cover off the practice sessions, and assess how the race weekend is shaping up!
Thanks for joining, and we'll see you then!
Abu Dhabi weekend schedule
You can stay in touch with everything F1 from Abu Dhabi with the following schedule (all Abu Dhabi local times):
FRIDAY
FP1: 13:30, FP2: 17:00
SATURDAY
FP3: 14:30, Q: 18:00
SUNDAY
Race: 17:00
Tsunoda "surviving" after Red Bull exit news
Yuki Tsunoda says he was told after Qatar that Red Bull would not be keeping him for 2026; understandably, he was left disappointed by the news that he would not be racing next year.
He says that his Red Bull contract didn't allow him to pursue leads elsewhere, but added that his only regret in moving up to the brand's main team was that he missed out on a "pretty good f***ing car" with Racing Bulls.
"I'm disappointed obviously and pissed off and how I was told was it was right after the race, from Helmut, yeah privately, that I'm not going to race next year so I think that's it.
"But surprisingly I'm okay, I mean not okay but like I'm surviving okay, like the day after, the morning I ordered breakfast as usual, same food," Tsunoda said.
"Probably I'm not recognising enough that it will be the last race for this year or at least for next year so yeah, maybe I'll feel more after Abu Dhabi, but yeah, that's how it went and how I feel now."
On having only one regret: "Probably I was saying that I didn't have any regrets. The only regret I have is missing out that pretty good f***ing car, but also throwing away your kids, your baby, because it's the car that I developed with the team throughout the years since we had this regulation and I'm sure there's my DNA inside as well."
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Hamilton: 2026 focus didn't affect me psychologically
Lewis Hamilton says that he supported Ferrari's decision to stop development in 2025 and that a dip in performance was anticipated - but it "felt worse" living through it.
Hamilton's demeanour has not been one of great enthusiasm of late as Ferrari's results have dropped away from the other top-four teams, but he says it hasn't taken a long-term toll.
"I mean, it didn't have a psychological effect on me personally. I didn't know at the end of the year we'd be where we are, no. We anticipated it, but it felt worse, naturally," Hamilton said.
"But I was a part of pushing Fred - we can't fall behind the others in terms of that development for the new car, because it's a steep learning curve for all of us. So I supported it 100%.
"I still do. I think it was the right decision. Particularly where we were already with the car, we weren't fighting for a championship.
"But it's just meant that it's been harder to maintain the performance, at least some of the performance we had at the beginning of the year. I can't answer the question for the rest of the team. I think everyone's stayed really positive in my experience. So I've not seen a psychological effect."
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Antonelli on abuse: "I would never wave past a competitor"
Kimi Antonelli opened up on the abuse he received in the wake of the Qatar Grand Prix, as a torrent of horrific social media comments was sent his way following misplaced accusations about losing a place to Lando Norris.
Red Bull's Gianpiero Lambiase suggested to Max Verstappen that Antonelli let Norris through, a statement echoed by advisor Helmut Marko. Both apologised for their comments afterwards.
"It was not easy to get all those kind of comments, after the race, especially for something that I would never do such as waving past a competitor," Antonelli said.
"I was fighting for P3. At the end of the day, I was pushing hard and I was trying to get into the DRS of Sainz.
"After so many laps in dirty air I'm pushing so hard, the mistake arrived, because I obviously every lap I was pushing a bit more and more to get closer and I arrived to the point where the tyre gave up. At that moment I did a mistake and Lando passed me and, you know, then after the race to receive those kind of comments, definitely it hurt.
On Red Bull's apology: "It was nice to see the Red Bull statement, also GP came to talk to me as well and we clarified, I also clarified with Max and that was nice.
"But apart from that, after that I got a lot of support which was nice and definitely also it helped to kind of forget what happened and focus on onto this weekend."
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Norris: "I don't want to ask McLaren for Piastri help"
Norris has done quite a bit of the talking so far in this press conference and, asked if McLaren had discussed the chance of one driver helping the other, both drivers said that this hadn't been part of the team's preparation.
Norris added: "I haven't asked for it and I don't want to ask for it. If I was asked to help Oscar I think I would, because that's just the way I am, but yeah, I haven't asked for it."
Both McLaren drivers have their families at the track, while Verstappen does not - stating that "everything was cancelled after Zandvoort". His father Jos is rallying in Kenya this weekend, and his mother "is at home with the dogs".
Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
The top three speak on their 2025 F1 title preparations
The final Thursday press conference of the year - and it's a packed room with questions for Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri.
Norris: "Nothing changes, just some reviews of last weekend, what was clearly not good for us and the mistakes we made, and what we could improve on. but that's normal post-weekend understanding. But nothing does change, for everyone in the team, just more excitement."
Verstappen: "Spent some time with my daughter, figured some stuff for GT3 for next year, sim team planning for next year. Pretty straightforward stuff!"
Piastri: "I wasn't organising GT3 teams! I played some padel, and treated it as normal. Not that many days in between, had a marketing day, so that's been it!"
Russell and Leclerc on difficulties of 2022-25 rules
Speaking in the press conference, both George Russell and Charles Leclerc shared their experiences of the past four years.
Russell spoke about Mercedes' initial difficulties and having to play catch-up, while Leclerc explained that Ferrari's bright start to 2022 was undone by its porpoising.
Russell on Mercedes' 2022-25 fortunes: "I think we started in the wrong place, it lead us down and had to revert. Red Bull had almost a six-month, eight-month headstart while we were trying to work [porpoising] out."
Leclerc on Ferrari's lack of progress from 2022: "I agree, I think for us there are many reasons which played a role. In 2022 we started quite well but had porpoising. Red Bull had a very stable platform but were overweight, and when they took off that weight they were suddenly at the level where they've been since then.
"We focused very early on next year's car which I hope is a bet that it'll be a winning one. For sure it has some influence through the past two-thirds of the season we've been struggling because we didn't bring that many updates. It's been a generation of car that has even very difficult to understand. Bringing parts from the factory I think everyone has been surprised more than once that it doesn't correlate exactly."
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Clive Mason / Getty Images
Alonso happy to say goodbye to disappointing 2025
Earlier this season, Fernando Alonso stated that he'd celebrate not having to drive this year's AMR25 car - and has his eyes keenly on 2026 when he'll get access to a car influenced by Adrian Newey for the first time.
He says that 2026 might need to be used to "glue everything together" but is confident Aston Martin has the right people on board.
"Yeah, I think we're happy to say bye-bye to this year and obviously we've been not as fast as we were hoping," Alonso said.
"2024 was a tough and and challenging season and 2025 was just the, the big brother of that, so we're struggling and we don't hide from that. It's the last race.
"We want to finish in the best possible position and help the team in the constructors' championship, but yeah, looking forward to next year for sure.
"I mean, the factory is completed, wind tunnel is brand new and completed, and we are using it. We have Adrian Newey, Andy Cowell, Enrico Cardile, we have great people and great talent in the factory, We just need, you know, to put everything in place. There are new facilities, people are just a few months into the system.
"It won't be enough with these few months, so we need one full season to glue everything together."
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Gasly: 2025 sacrifice for 2026 "for the better"
Pierre Gasly admits to being torn - at least, in the moment - on Alpine's decision to sacrifice almost all development in 2025 to progress in 2026, but believes the decision is "for the better".
Alpine has been rooted to the bottom of the constructors' standings, with Gasly having scored all of the team's 22 points. He reckoned that if the team had brought updates, it might have been in the reckoning for a higher constructors' finish, but at the detriment of next year.
"Many times I look at the ranking and I'm like, 'OK, what if we had this on the car, what if we had that..."
"I think what I care about at the end is just making sure that I'm able to provide my best, my best to the team, Because ultimately I want to achieve much bigger things in F1. I just want to know that I'm able to do it whenever the moment comes to me.
"It's always nicer if you can be 6th or 5th or 4th instead of 9th. I must say I'm quite happy that the team took this very aggressive approach, and I think I would have been slightly more annoyed if we would have tried to push the development 2-3 months further to actually get what, 8th, 9th in the championship, and actually affect next year.
"I'm quite optimistic and and confident for next year just based on the sort of decisions we took. It was a rough, eight months and it hasn't been really fun, But I think it's for the better."
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Bearman denounces Antonelli abuse: "Scum of the earth"
Ollie Bearman addressed the abuse that fellow F1 rookie Kimi Antonelli received in the wake of the Qatar Grand Prix, calling those responsible the "scum of the earth".
Antonelli was wrongly accused of moving out of the way of Lando Norris in Qatar by senior Red Bull figures and, although they apologised for their remarks, it was too late to stop the 19-year-old Italian from receiving a deluge of unwarranted abuse.
"Generally it's always the case that people [who abuse others] behind the screen are horrible and they're scum of the earth, really. I don't think they should be doing that type of stuff to someone.
"You know, like, I understand that people who've been in F1 for a very long time can get used to it and people who are rookies, it may be their first experience, you know, having that type of criticism, but that criticism is an absolute joke. It shouldn't be tolerated and I know the FIA are doing everything they can to stop that, but the problem is these sad people giving those types of criticisms. It's a joke, you know.
"We're putting our lives on the line to entertain people and to, you know, give the people who are passionate for the sport a good time and you have people like that who are just hurting people and that's not just racing, that's also their personal life and I just think people are terrible. "
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Dom Gibbons / LAT Images via Getty Images
Ocon: 2026 work begins straight after Abu Dhabi
No rest for the wicked, it seems; Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman will be flying to Italy after the Abu Dhabi weekend is over to get their first taste of Haas' 2026 car in the Ferrari simulator.
Haas boss Ayao Komatsu wanted both drivers to maintain focus on 2025, and thus has suggested that both drivers hold fire on trying the new car before the season is over.
"As soon as this is finished, we are flying - both me and Ollie - to the team in Maranello, and we are driving the 2026 car," Ocon explained.
"It was very much a team's decision, not for us to focus on the 26 stuff in terms of driving, in terms of, driving style, technique and everything before this season was finished. Ayao was very clear on that.
"He wanted us to focus completely on this season, which is very important for the team. We've done meetings because we had to in terms of technicality and some stuff that we had to decide very early on with the team. But the work for us is going to really start post Abu Dhabi testing."
On Haas' title partnership with Toyota: "It is great news, Toyota is a brand that I really enjoy working with. I'm not saying that because they are working with us, I really mean it; they have great values, they have great respect, they are passionate about racing.
"They are petrolheads basically, and that's so cool to see when we visited them in Japan, they've put us in on the gravel track, and they've put us in the in the craziest track I've ever seen, on the road, and I've tested the WRC car at Goodwood. It's fantastic honestly to work with them."
Esteban Ocon trying out WRC cars with Takamoto Katsuta
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Abu Dhabi FP1 rookies
We've got another bumper crop of younger drivers as the teams look to fill their quota of young drivers (the regular drivers must vacate their seats twice a year in FP1, unless they began the year as a rookie).
Here's the list:
McLaren - Pato O'Ward in for Oscar Piastri
Red Bull - Arvid Lindblad in for Yuki Tsunoda
Ferrari - Arthur Leclerc in for Lewis Hamilton
Williams - Luke Browning in for Alex Albon
Racing Bulls - Ayumu Iwasa in for Liam Lawson
Aston Martin - Jak Crawford in for Lance Stroll, Cian Shields in for Fernando Alonso
Haas - Ryo Hirakawa in for Esteban Ocon
Alpine - Paul Aron in for Pierre Gasly
Mercedes and Sauber have already fulfilled the rules on FP1 drivers.
Arvid Lindblad, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT Images via Getty Images
Albon: 2025 my best season yet
Alex Albon has heaped praise on his Williams team for delivering a car with which he was able to enjoy his best F1 season. Albon opened the year with fifth place in Australia, and sits ninth in the championship with 73 points.
"I would say my best season yet in many ways I feel like, obviously the car I think it takes credit for most of that," Albon stated.
"I haven't changed so much my application into this year but the car and the, what the guys and girls have done at the factory have made a huge step this year.
"I've been with this team for four years now, and this has been clearly the biggest step out of the four years from year to year. It's been enjoyable, been fun to be able to race against some of the top teams in some certain tracks."
On recent form tailing off: "Towards the end of the year, not ideal, but generally pace has been strong, just either myself, I've made a couple of mistakes - Vegas and Baku kind of stand out to me - but then, the other ones have just not gone my way, just kind of what it was like for Carlos at the beginning of the year."
Alexander Albon, Williams
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
McLaren tweaks livery for Abu Dhabi
Hoping that one of its drivers ends up taking the title, McLaren has made a few colourful addendums to its livery for this year's finale.
McLaren Abu Dhabi GP special livery
Photo by: McLaren
Sainz: "I think Norris can do it"
Carlos Sainz backed Lando Norris to win this year's F1 title, noting that Abu Dhabi is "a Lando track" and mentioned the Briton's win at the circuit last year.
Norris beat Sainz to the win by 5.5s last season, and will be hoping to close out this year's championship with a similar result.
"I do have an interest obviously and I will be following very closely, closely also I think everyone knows how well I get on with Lando and obviously I wish Lando the best possible outcome in that sense," Sainz remarked.
"I also have a lot of respect for Max and Oscar, and I wish them the best, but I think Abu Dhabi is a Lando track. It's good for him that I think the finale is in Abu Dhabi, which is from my experience being his teammate here is one of his best tracks at driving.
"The win he took last year in front of me still hurts and he dominated last year a race in front of me. It's a Lando track and it's a McLaren track, so I think he, he plays with that advantage.
"Still going into the last weekend, having to finish on the podium is never easy, even if you drive a McLaren and I think he needs to execute a perfect weekend and I believe he, given how well he's responded under pressure recently, I think he can do it."
Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Hulkenberg: "Flawless" Verstappen has been "killing it"
Nico Hulkenberg says he'll be keeping an eye on the screens around the track to follow F1's title battle between Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri.
The German praised Verstappen for his recent form, and reckons his experience in battling for titles will stand the four-time champion in good stead.
"He's had such a good run recently, so strong with no mistakes and just absolutely been been flawless and and killing it," Hulkenberg said.
"He's behind, 12 points is quite a lot, but obviously we know mathematically it's possible and we know crazy things can happen. I think he obviously knows how to fight for a title, and I think pressure is not an issue for him.
"He's got nothing to lose really."
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Bortoleto: Hungary my rookie season highlight
Gabriel Bortoleto has had his share of rookie moments over 2025, but he's also been able to prove his worth at Sauber across the season with plenty of impressive moments through the year.
The Brazilian picked Hungary, where he finished sixth, as his best race of the year.
"Main highlights, I can't forget to say Budapest. I think it was so far my best race of the season," he said.
"I think [it was a] great quali - Q3 - and then making a move in lap 1 and then having very good management of the tyres and finishing the race in P6. It was great because I think that was pure pace and, and very enjoyable.
"There were many other races, you know, Austria first points, Monza, Spa - I think they were very good races as well."
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: The Decider
Good morning folks, and welcome to the start of our live coverage of F1's season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit - and we've got a three-way title decider coming our way!
Who's going to win: Norris, Verstappen, or Piastri? It'll be a thrill-a-minute ride on Sunday night.
Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Ahmad AlShehab / NurPhoto via Getty Images
