These four seasons where Abu Dhabi decided the F1 title

On the eve of the final round of the 2025 season Formula 1The suspense surrounding the identity of the next world champion remains. This weekend, the Abu Dhabi circuit will decide the winner. McLarenLandon Norris et Oscar piastri, and Max VerstappenThe final race will decide who lifts the trophy. Inaugurated by Formula 1 in 2009, this isn't the first time the Yas Marina circuit has had the honor of hosting the final. In the 14 finals it has hosted, this will be the fifth time. An opportunity to look back at the four previous decisive finals in Abu Dhabi.

2010: A four-way match

The championship before the Grand Prix:
1) Fernando Alonso : 246 points
2) Mark Webber: 238 points
3) Sebastian Vettel : 231 points
4) Lewis Hamilton : 222 points

In 2010, four drivers could still clinch the title before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The first was Fernando Alonso, the championship leader with Classic Ferrari for sale and the overwhelming favorite for the title. Behind him, Mark Webber, his most serious rival (4 points behind before the start), Sebastian Vettel, not really considered a threat given the 15-point deficit to the championship leader, and finally Lewis Hamilton, 22 points adrift, and without a real chance of victory.

However, the stakes are high right from the start. The opening laps of the race are disrupted by an accident involving Michael Schumacher and Vitantonio Liuzzi, bringing out the safety car. Several drivers, including Rosberg and Petrov, took advantage of the neutralization to change tires and try a different strategy. Vettel maintained his lead at the restart, closely followed by Hamilton. Alonso and Webber were in 4th and 5th places.

After the first few pit stops, Alonso tried to overtake Petrov, but without success. The race became a standstill around this battle. Hamilton and Vettel made their pit stops, Button briefly took the lead, then Vettel regained it on lap 39. Further back, Petrov and Rosberg maintained their pace. Alonso looked for an opening but couldn't find one. Webber remained stuck behind him. The laps ticked by, and the gaps barely changed. Red Bull maintains strategic control.

With ten laps to go, Vettel was still leading. Hamilton and Button followed, but without posing a threat. Alonso remained stuck behind Petrov, unable to make any headway. Ferrari watched the title slip away with each passing lap. Vettel crossed the finish line victorious on lap 55. Hampered by Vitali Petrov's impenetrable defense, Alonso saw the title vanish. At 23 years, 4 months, and 11 days old, the Red Bull driver became the youngest world champion in history. Alonso finished only seventh, trapped in a scenario he could never reverse, losing the title at the end of a season that seemed destined for Ferrari.

The championship after the Grand Prix:
1) Sebastian Vettel: 256 points
2) Fernando Alonso: 252 points
3) Mark Webber: 242 points
4) Lewis Hamilton: 240 points

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2014: The first act of the Hamilton-Rosberg duel

The championship before the Grand Prix:
1) Lewis Hamilton: 334 points
2) Nico Rosberg: 317 points

The 2014 season ended in the Abu Dhabi night, with a final, highly anticipated showdown between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. After ten months of internal struggle, Classic Mercedes for sale Rosberg arrived as the undisputed champion thanks to the new V6 turbo hybrid engines. The Briton started with a 17-point lead, but the double points rule for the final race – introduced that year and later abolished – kept Rosberg in contention for the title. Anything was still possible.

The start set the stage for the ideal scenario for Hamilton. The German dropped back slightly, but remained close. However, everything would change on lap 25. car Car number 6 suddenly lost power. A fault in the energy recovery system was disrupting the engine and brakes. In a single lap, Rosberg lost ten seconds to his teammate. Mercedes tried to find a solution, without success. Later, Felipe Massa overtook him, and others would follow. Rosberg slipped out of the points, determined nonetheless to finish the race.

Up front, Hamilton controlled the pace. At the checkered flag, he secured his eleventh victory of the year and his second world title. This final didn't deliver the promised battle, but it crowned a clear champion: Lewis Hamilton had dominated the season, with a significant advantage over his teammate.

The championship after the Grand Prix:
1) Lewis Hamilton: 384 points
2) Nico Rosberg: 317 points

2016: The Revenge

The championship before the Grand Prix:
1) Nico Rosberg: 367 points
2) Lewis Hamilton: 355 points

The 2016 season ended in Abu Dhabi in the same way as 2014. Hamilton and Rosberg each won nine races during the season, but this time, the German held a twelve-point lead over his teammate before the start. He only needed to finish second or third if Hamilton won to clinch the world title. The Briton, on the other hand, had nothing to lose.

Rosberg, ever cautious, was primarily concerned about a mechanical problem. The nightmare he'd experienced two years earlier still haunted him. While the first part of the race had largely gone his way, his teammate was about to make things difficult for him by watching the title slip through his fingers. On lap 47, Hamilton deliberately slowed down to close the gap between Verstappen and Vettel and Rosberg. He maintained just enough of a lead, however, to prevent his teammate from activating DRS.

A few laps later, Vettel and his Ferrari overtook Max Verstappen and set off on Rosberg, who was still being held back by Hamilton. Fortunately for his compatriot, his tires were degrading rapidly. Hamilton persisted with his strategy, despite repeated orders from his engineer. The quartet remained together but stuck: Rosberg couldn't attack without risking everything, and Vettel lacked grip.

As the checkered flag fell, the four cars were separated by less than two seconds, but the order remained unchanged. Lewis Hamilton won the race. Rosberg finished second and became world champion for the first time, at 31 years old. A hard-fought victory against a rival who gave it his all until the very end.

The championship after the Grand Prix:
1) Nico Rosberg: 385 points
2) Lewis Hamilton: 380 points

2021: A controversial final

The championship before the Grand Prix:
1) Lewis Hamilton: 369,5 points
2) Max Verstappen: 369,5 points

In 2021, for the first time since 1974, two contenders reached the championship final tied on points: 369,5 each. Max Verstappen aimed to etch his name into the pantheon of world champions. Lewis Hamilton, for his part, sought an eighth title, to become the greatest champion in history. The Dutchman, however, held a slight advantage: one more victory. In the event of a tie, he would be champion. The tension was therefore immense, fueled by a season punctuated by clashes: Imola, Silverstone, Monza, São Paulo, and even Jeddah, just a week earlier.

During the race, the advantage shifted heavily in favor of the Briton, whose Mercedes was superior. Despite Red Bull's efforts, instructing Sergio Pérez to do everything possible to slow him down by delaying his pit stops, the Briton maintained a clear lead.

That was without taking into account the turning point of the race, which occurred on lap 54. The safety car appeared after the accident of Nicholas latifiMercedes leaves Hamilton out on track. Red Bull brings Verstappen in for soft tires. On lap 55, backmarkers are sandwiched between the two rivals. In theory, they should unlap themselves before the race restarts, but FIA race director Michael Masi initially objects. The race is nearing its end, and there's no time to lose if they want to avoid a safety car finish.

A new twist on lap 57: only the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen are allowed to overtake. The restart is immediate, without waiting for the group to rejoin the pack. Verstappen finds himself behind Hamilton on fresh tires. Mercedes is furious over the radio.

On lap 58, the race restarted for its final lap. Verstappen slipped into the slipstream, dived down the inside at the first corner, and took the lead. Hamilton attempted a counter-attack on the following straight using DRS, but he lacked grip. The Dutchman held on to his advantage and cruised to his first world title. A few corners later, Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton finished second. The title was decided after a single lap. A historic moment that would generate much discussion.

The championship after the Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen: 395,5 points
2) Lewis Hamilton: 387,5 points

2025: McLaren vs. Verstappen in Abu Dhabi

The championship before the Grand Prix:
1) Lando Norris: 408 points
2) Max Verstappen: 396 points
3) Oscar Piastri: 392 points

Heading into the Abu Dhabi finale, the top three drivers are separated by just 16 points in the championship. For Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, this title would be their first. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, is aiming for a fifth consecutive crown. Anything is still possible at Yas Marina…

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