2025 Abu Dhabi GP – Fine-tuning battles on the closing curtain

The final race of the season is always a reckoning; not just on the track but alsowithin the teams themselves.As the 2025 season closes under the dim lights of Yas Marina,the biggest question circulating in the paddockremains the same.was: “Does this trackreally rewardracing, or thevisualspectacle?” This

yearThe answer to the year was perhaps a bit of both. But one thing was clear: The season'sentire stories contained within,revealing the character of the drivers and the teams' developmentpath,we watched a final that stood out.

The lightsthe The first 300 meters experienced right now summarized the state of mind with which the drivers arrived at the track. Verstappen, once again like a chess master; the gaps saw it in advance, without taking risks extracted maximum efficiency.An overly aggressive start defense paid off.

Leclerc characteristically left his mark on the first corner with his aggressive braking. By letting the rear slide slightly and with a controlledlock-up, turning the cararound,he executed the maneuver. It was the clearest indication that Ferrari stillcould not fully adapt to hisstyle.

Hamilton, on the other hand, was surprisingly determined at the start. Despite Ferrari's temperamental nose, he persistently applied the "trail braking" technique and, amidst the chaos of the first lap, practically with hisexperience.created a gap. However, the carwas once again late in meetingthis effort. Ferrari engineersshould question themselves.You havesuch a driver, but you cannot reflectthe feedback onto the car.

Abu Dhabi's the third sector once againdetermined the fate of the race. The 2025 tires arestill apuzzle that the drivers have not fullysolved. Theload on the inner shoulderhow the warming disrupted the race pace we saw clearly, especiallyat Mercedes.In Hamilton'sonboard footage during the middle stints,small steering correctionssharp attacks, brake–throttle transitions' instability and the involuntary oscillations of the car's rear end at every corner entry drew attention.

On the Ferrari front, Leclerc's pace was strong, but the car did not respond as its driver wanted to the line still hesitant to enter. A recurring theme throughout this season: Leclerc isfast,

while Ferrari is like a machine trying to catch up from behind. McLaren, on the other hand, gave a masterclass in the middlesector. They neither pushed the tires too hardneither strategicallydeparted from the safe zone. Once the race pace found a rhythm, the driver must act not just as an executor, but as amusician; Norris did exactly that.

In modern Formula 1, strategy is no longer limited to the pit wall. ERS management, tire temperatures, airflow manipulation, and lap timings are all part of a single whole pieceIn Abu Dhabi, this situation became even more acute. While Hamilton was chasing Verstappenin the second stint, he managed his ERS usage with the precision of a surgeon.However, Red Bull's overall package superioritymeantthat this gapdid not leaveenough room toclose.

Ferrari's strategy was logical on paper, but thedancing rear end of the car prevented Leclerc from attacking. McLaren, on the other hand, executed the strategy with a "maximum efficiency without taking risks" approach. stuck to his principles and, as he has done throughout the season, made the right call again.

Perez's consistency should also be noted here. Throughout the race, he did not deviatefrom his line, and inhis tire management, hepresented a flawless performance andbrought critical points to the team.

The final 15 laps of the race were a true test of strength where bothdriver skill andengineeringwere put to the test. In this section, Verstappen maintained his pace almost like an autopilot, extending the gapevenfurther.I. The clean lap times set by Hamilton involved an effortfar beyond the car's limit; the driver is still at a championship level, but the carcannot give him the sameresponse.

Leclerc third place secured, although he seems to have stopped taking risks from the moment he secured it, it is clear that he is pushing the limits of the car on every lap time.emerged. The issue that Ferrari needs to solve in the short term is exactly this: Arear end capable of handling the speed of a fast driver.

The battle in themidfield shows just howtight the seasonwas.was a summary of it. The lap time battles between McLaren, Aston Martin, and Mercedesnow show that the concept of a "midfield" no longerexists.

As Verstappen lifted the trophy on the podium,everyone had the same thought in mind: Some drivers do notclose a period... they onlyrebuild that period with everylap they race.

The determinedexpression onHamilton's face, from the race victory it was tellingmuch more: “I amstill hereand with the right carthe picture changescompletely.”

Leclerc, meanwhile, showed his speedwas able to showin a season, due to the inconsistency of the car once again deservedfell short of the number of victories it. Ferrari's the equation that needs to be solved, starts exactly from here.

This race was much more than justa season finale. Itrevealed the strengthsand weaknesses of the teams, the development curves of the drivers, and the technicalrequirements of the newera.demonstrated.

Ahead of the 2026 regulations, every teamwill turn a new page withthe lessons learned fromthis race. For some,itfor hope, bases fora warning of a race.

Abu Dhabi once again offered a photogenic finale, but this time, as much as the visuals, the technical and psychological battle too was at the forefront. As the 2025 seasonthus comes to an end, the real storywill be rewritten in 2026.I hope that the FIA will nowin the name of safety and environmentalismthe move it made tofree itself from regulations and save theracing spirit. 1990 carscaneven run with fuels that have near-zero carbon monoxide emissions andtechnology that can work has been integrated. Sebastian Vettel proved this to us, with rainy races and plenty ofoverI hope we seethings now.