Official Starting Grid Revealed for 2025 Title-Deciding Race

Max Verstappen starts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from pole after a 1:22.207. The stage is set for a three-driver decider at the Yas Marina Circuit. Lights go out at 17:00 local.

Championship leader Lando Norris joins Verstappen on the front row with a 1:22.408. Oscar Piastri lines up third, reinforcing McLaren’s threat in the opening stint.

George Russell starts fourth for Mercedes ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Fernando Alonso takes sixth for Aston Martin, both historically sharp off the line at Yas Marina.

Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto delivers seventh for Kick Sauber. Esteban Ocon follows in eighth for Haas, positioning that team for early strategy variance.

Isack Hadjar starts ninth for Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda completes the top ten for Red Bull, with Tsunoda set to be replaced by Hadjar next year.

Oliver Bearman lines up 11th for Haas. Kimi Antonelli starts 14th for Mercedes, both rookies targeting clean first laps to access undercut opportunities.

Lewis Hamilton faces a recovery drive from 16th for Ferrari. Expect measured aggression early, given Abu Dhabi’s long straights and heavy-braking zones.

Track evolution is significant into dusk, shifting balance as temperatures fall. Managing front-limited graining while retaining braking stability becomes decisive through the single-lap-to-long-run transition.

The 2021 layout revisions reduce slow-corner phases and aid overtaking. Two long DRS zones favour battery deployment and slipstreaming, amplifying launch execution.

Strategically, pit delta is costly, so clear air matters. Undercut potential rises with rapid warm-up; however, Safety Car risk can flip timing windows late.

With the title on the line, execution on starts, pit entry, and Safety Car restarts will decide margins. It is a fitting finale to a relentlessly close Formula 1 season.

Visual Summary