Away from the title race, hidden stories are waiting to be played out at Formula 1‘s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as a few goodbyes are countered by battles for glory in the season finale.
After 23 rounds across nine months, F1 is preparing to say goodbye to 2025, with one final race in what has been a blockbuster season.
The three-way title battle to be World Champion will dominate this weekend’s action in Abu Dhabi, but major stories away from the front of the field await to be told.
From goodbyes to the battles over all-important prize money, drivers and teams will push hard under lights in the United Arab Emirates to end the year on a high.
With high stakes throughout the field, literal and metaphorical fireworks will be expected after lights out on Sunday evening.
1. Renault’s last hurrah
A quiet withdrawal from F1 awaits Renault with little to no fanfare. Returning to the sport in 2016 after buying back the team, its latest tenure has been nothing short of a disaster.
Think of the film John Carter: a blockbuster budget, talented cast and crew, but executed horrifically. The similarities with Renault over the last few years, in particular, are uncanny.
Renault branding has not featured on the Enstone team’s car since 2021, the engine giant attempting to pretend that its rebrand extends to its power unit. But this has failed to mask an uncomfortable truth.
Aside from its famous victory in Hungary 2021 courtesy of Esteban Ocon, few highlights spring to mind. Other than a smattering of podiums from 2020 to 2023, truly clueless corporate mismanagement killed off the once-revered manufacturer.
Older fans will remember Renault at its peak: howling V10s, success with Williams and Benetton, and taking Fernando Alonso to two titles as a works outfit in 2005 and 2006. Even in its guise in the early 2010s, it saw success with Kimi Raikkonen. The ‘new’ Renault from 2016 is a shadow of this.
A well-known power-unit-deficient crippled the Enstone outfit for years, and a reprieve is expected with Mercedes in 2026. Few will mourn Renault’s passing, most of all Enstone.
2. Sauber’s final race
The Sauber name is also departing F1 for the last time, as one of F1’s most well-known underdogs has been added to the annals of history.
Sauber has been an on-and-off addition to the grid since the 1990s, giving many drivers their shot in the sport. Scoring 11 podiums and finishing as high as fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, the outfit commands respect.
But the famous midfield team will become Audi in 2026, transformed beyond all recognition by the German giant ahead of its takeover. Lower midfield teams can sometimes exit F1 in a whimper, historic names like Tyrrell and Minardi fading without a trace in the early 2000s.
But Sauber has proven to be more than respectable in 2025, locked in a tight battle with Haas for eighth in the standings. Nico Hulkenberg took the team’s first podium since 2012 at the British Grand Prix.
Regardless of whether it secures eighth at the Abu Dhabi GP, the plucky team will be fondly remembered by fans and pundits alike. Its final year has set it up perfectly for its transformation into Audi. It deserves a proper send-off, even just a subtle one.
3. Tsunoda’s F1 swansong
At least for the immediate future, Yuki Tsuonda will not feature on the F1 grid after the Abu Dhabi GP. The news that he will leave Red Bull is not surprising, but the timing of it was. With no drive, he will spend a year on the sidelines.
Unable to take advantage of his big break for multiple reasons, the Japanese driver has one opportunity left to impress before his enforced sabbatical.
He has nothing to lose and can attempt to impress potential suitors. The most obvious is Aston Martin’s tie-up with Honda next season. But this is a long-term plan at best, and unrealistic at worst, given Lance Stroll’s grip on one of the seats.
As a test and reserve driver for Red Bull, he will be infuriated to sit on the sidelines, but will have F1 duties. Not entirely shut out of F1, he has a chance to reset after a mentally bruising year. He becomes yet another driver to fail in the second Red Bull.
His mentality both in and out of the cockpit in Abu Dhabi will be fascinating to watch. Either he will be relieved at the pressure off his shoulders and put in a performance to be proud of, or he will disappear into the void of lost F1 drivers.
4. Who will claim sixth in the Constructors’ Championship at the Abu Dhabi GP?
Given Williams has wrapped up fifth in the standings, the rest of the lower midfield, except Alpine, have a mathematical chance to secure sixth, albeit Sauber would need to win in Abu Dhabi. Sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship would bring in millions of dollars, so the battle on Sunday will be all out war.
Racing Bulls hold the coveted position heading into the weekend, Isack Hadjar’s Zandvoort podium putting the Red Bull junior team in a prime position to end the year on a high. A healthy 12-point buffer to Aston Martin will aid it in its goal.
Aston Martin, like Racing Bulls, has enjoyed a late-season charge. However, it lacks the consistency seen by its rival, courtesy of one car point finishes thanks to Fernando Alonso. To have any chance of overhauling Racing Bulls, Alonso and Lance Stroll need to feature in the top seven.
Haas is a further seven points behind, and alongside Sauber are the outliers. Oliver Bearman has shown flashes of brilliance, but still fails to build on good weekends. Ocon, meanwhile, has underwhelmed and needs to find form to assist his team in the finale.
Sauber stands no realistic chance of securing sixth, but could play a part in deciding who does. Should Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto both reach Q3, rivals will have an additional barrier to a good result.
5. Pride to play for in the Drivers’ Championship
The gap between 10th-placed Isack Hadjar and Lance Stroll in 17th is just 17 points. This sets up a battle royale for the drivers to secure a top-10 finish in the championship. Competitive reputations aside, drivers will be thinking of their bonuses.
Given how tight the midfield is, no one name stands out as the driver to secure the lucrative place. Hulkenberg sits just two points behind Hadjar, but overhauling him will be difficult for the German.
Alonso and Bearman are next, both within striking distance of Hadjar. Bearman’s consistency issues could be a gift to Alonso as he seeks to rescue a tough second half of the year for Aston Martin.
The remaining drivers will be battling for personal pride, as all are just too far back to challenge for tenth in the standings. But expect all drivers to give it everything to take psychological advantage into the winter break.
READ MORE – McLaren draws Michael Schumacher/Ferrari comparison amid recent F1 setbacks
Discussion about this post