Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race and qualifying times and how to watch 2025 Formula 1 title decider

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Formula 1 is headed to the Yas Marina Circuit this weekend for the season finale, with the drivers’ championship still yet to be decided. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The title fight has come down to the wire after Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend, to put himself in the runner-up position in the championship.

Verstappen has overcome a 104-point deficit to Oscar Piastri since the race in Zandvoort, with the four-time world champion leapfrogging the Aussie in the standings at the last race.

An early safety car saw most of the grid, bar both McLaren drivers and Esteban Ocon pit to change their tyres, in a mandatory two-stop race, which resulted in both Piastri and Lando Norris missing out to the Red Bull driver.

Piastri, who had started from pole position, lost the lead of the race due to the poor strategy decision from McLaren, with Norris finishing in P4, behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz.

Heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen is just 12 points behind Norris, with Piastri still in contention, sitting 16 points back.

Who is going to win the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship?

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When is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? Full schedule and UK/Australia timings

The 2025 season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is set to take place between the 5th and 7th of December, with the main grand prix starting at 5pm track time.

Here are the full timings for the weekend, including practice, qualifying and race start times for both UK and Australia fans.

How to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including free highlights

The exact details on how to watch the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for your specific country can be found on the Formula 1 website. Many territories will be able to watch the race via F1 TV, although this feature isn’t available for countries such as the UK, France and Spain.

UK viewers can watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sky Sports Main Event, with additional coverage, including practice and qualifying, available on the Sky Sports F1 channel. NowTV customers with the Sky Sports package will also be able to view the race and extra coverage live.

Free to watch highlights of the Yas Marina Circuit race are available to watch on Channel 4 at 6pm on Sunday 7th December.

Australian viewers can watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix through the Kayo streaming platform, or on Fox Sports with Foxtel.

Formula 1 will also share race highlights for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on its YouTube channel on the Monday following the race.

What is the starting grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen has taken pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, leading both title contenders, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the race.

In a tight qualifying session, the Dutchman has come out on top, with the title fight remaining anyone’s for the taking on Sunday.

There are no grid penalties carried over from the previous race in Qatar last weekend, so there should be no significant changes to the grid from qualifying.

What is the weather forecast for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Early forecasts indicate the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be warm and sunny, with very minimal chances of rain. Temperatures across the weekend should hit highs of 28-29°C, with the main race forecast to be 27°C at lights out.

There is a slight 14% chance of rain for the race around the Yas Marina Circuit on race day, which will reduce to 11% after an hour.

Forecasts also suggest light winds across the weekend, although it shouldn’t reach any higher than a 10mph breeze all weekend.

What is the Pirelli tyre allocation for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Pirelli have announced they will bring the usual selection of compounds to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend, with the C3 hard, C4 medium, C5 soft.

Although the Yas Marina Circuit is known for some graining on tyres, the overall performance limits this from causing issues in the race.

Pirelli believes that the soft tyre could be seen in the race, due to the resistance of the current tyres.

Where is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix held?

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held around the 5.281km (3.281mi) Yas Marina Circuit. The track is designed by iconic circuit designer Hermann Tilke, who has worked on a number of more recent tracks, including the Bahrain International Circuit, the Marina Bay Street Circuit and the Sepang International Circuit.

The Yas Marina Circuit has hosted the season finale for Formula 1 since the track made its debut in 2009. At the time, it was the second track in the Middle East, alongside Bahrain, with Qatar and Saudi Arabia joining the calendar in later years.

Its inaugural 2009 race saw Formula 1’s first day-to-night race, with it remaining the only one with such a unique timing on the calendar.

Who won the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Lando Norris secured McLaren’s first constructors’ title in 26 years, with his 2024 victory around the Yas Marina Circuit. The Brit started on pole ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, although the pair collided into Turn 1.

Piastri plummeted down the order, with Verstappen receiving a penalty for the contact. The Aussie faced further disappointment after also being handed a penalty for a later crash with Franco Colapinto in the Williams.

Pressure turned to Norris, who needed to keep his position ahead of the challenging Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, with the Italian team also in the running for the constructors’ victory. In the end, the Brit took the chequered flag five seconds ahead of Sainz, after the Ferrari’s pace began to drop off.

Charles Leclerc, who started in P19, saw an incredible run at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to take the final podium positions, but it was not enough to secure Ferrari the title.