Formula 1 reached its final chapter of 2025 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, marking the last appearance of the Ferrari SF-25 — a car that, throughout the season, delivered far more frustration than joy to fans, drivers, engineers and mechanics. On the day Lando Norris sealed his first Formula 1 world championship with McLaren, Charles Leclerc crossed the line at Yas Marina in fourth place, while Lewis Hamilton’s late charge ended with an eighth-place finish. Here is how the race unfolded.
F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Leclerc shows strong pace on the Medium tyre
Lewis Hamilton once again opted for the Pirelli Soft tyre marked in red, aiming to make up as many positions as possible during the opening laps. Charles Leclerc chose the Medium compound for his first stint, prioritizing tyre management and warm-up to ensure a clean getaway for both Ferrari drivers.
At the start, Leclerc immediately capitalized on a weak clutch release from George Russell. Fernando Alonso launched aggressively and battled Leclerc for half a lap, but the Ferrari driver ultimately held firm. With the grippier Soft compound, Lewis Hamilton was able to clear three rivals to move up to thirteenth. During the opening laps Leclerc stayed right behind Norris, who had just been overtaken by his teammate Oscar Piastri.
When Norris began experiencing typical tyre temperature sensitivity, his engineer Bryan Bozzi suggested switching to a preset mode for Turn 1 to help improve the front-end rotation. By lap 8, Leclerc continued to apply pressure while Norris tried to control his pace based on what was happening ahead. Shortly after, the Briton made the first pit stop among the front runners.
Leclerc refuses to let Norris escape
Hamilton came in for the Hard tyre, but the stop dropped him down to eighteenth, with the plan being to extend the stint as long as possible. Meanwhile, radio messages from multiple teams revealed widespread complaints regarding the front-right tyres. With clean air ahead, Lewis Hamilton’s pace quickly improved, which Riccardo Adami highlighted several times to keep him motivated.
Leclerc remained on strategy “A”, but in the last few laps he began losing contact with Norris’s MCL39. Although Charles Leclerc’s pace was relatively strong, the McLaren continued treating its tyres more efficiently. Lewis Hamilton climbed two spots to move up to sixteenth. Then, on lap 16, it was time for Charles Leclerc’s first stop — coinciding exactly with Norris’s pit window.
Leclerc successfully stayed ahead of Russell after rejoining, while Lewis Hamilton benefited from the pit-stop cycle to rise to twelfth. Norris cut through three yet-to-stop cars using assertive overtakes, forcing Leclerc to push once again to stay in touch. Lewis Hamilton attempted to follow the same pattern, but his comeback proved more complicated.
The SF-25 lacks the pace of the MCL39: Norris pulls away
As the next phase of the race unfolded, Ferrari began considering switching Charles Leclerc to strategy “B”. His pace remained solid, as Bryan Bozzi confirmed repeatedly. For Lewis Hamilton the situation was trickier: he overtook Kimi Antonelli, but struggled to pass Lance Stroll, whose Aston Martin had extended the Hard-tyre stint by eight laps.
Comparing both Ferraris, it became clear that Hamilton was losing up to a full second per lap to Leclerc, which allowed Stroll to remain comfortably ahead without coming under real pressure. Just past half-distance, on lap 32, Hamilton pitted again for another set of Mediums.
For Ferrari, McLaren’s superiority became more and more evident. Norris gradually pulled away from Leclerc, strengthening his grip on third place — a position that virtually secured him the world championship at that stage. Hamilton fell back to nineteenth after his stop, then recovered one position by overtaking Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, as he fought to re-enter the points.
Leclerc keeps pushing, Hamilton climbs back
Hamilton’s pace improved lap after lap, moving him back up to twelfth place. On lap 41 Charles Leclerc made his final stop, returning to the Medium tyre. Norris pitted the following lap and switched to the Hard. After rejoining, Leclerc found himself in fifth place, waiting for Russell to stop.
With sixteen laps remaining, Leclerc’s realistic target became fourth place. Lewis Hamilton continued his recovery drive and entered the top ten, now running ninth behind the two Haas drivers. Over team radio, Lewis Hamilton was very vocal, alerting Adami to every potential track-limits violation from rivals ahead — a clear sign he wanted to finish the season on a positive note.
Hamilton kept progressing and shortly after overtook Oliver Bearman. As for Leclerc, his pace on the final stint was impressive and comparable to the front-running trio. But the same issue remained: the gap to Norris stayed around four seconds, and despite several attempts, Charles Leclerc was unable to close it.
Ferrari ends a difficult season with a respectable result
At the chequered flag, Norris finished third and secured the Formula 1 world championship for the first time in his career. Charles Leclerc continued pushing until the final lap but never got close enough to threaten the McLaren. Lewis Hamilton also squeezed everything out of his SF-25, targeting Esteban Ocon and Alonso in the closing laps, but his tyres no longer had the performance needed for another overtake.
Thus ended a season that, for Ferrari, quickly turned from high expectations into a painful reality check. Within a few months it became clear that the SF-25 would not be able to overcome its structural weaknesses. Charles Leclerc finished fourth, Lewis Hamilton eighth — a respectable way to close a season the team will likely want to forget, just like the car it campaigned.
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