Laurent Mekies broke a promise to McLaren during the Abu Dhabi GP, it nearly cost Lando Norris dearly

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Red Bull gave it one good go, but ultimately, Laurent Mekies’ squad fell short by just two points to Lando Norris in 2025.

The Milton Keynes outfit enjoyed an incredible turnaround in the second half of the season. Mekies’ new approach brought Max Verstappen right back into the title hunt, with six wins from the last 10 races.

The Dutchman was 104 points behind Oscar Piastri after the Dutch GP. Verstappen’s win in Abu Dhabi sees the 28-year-old finish just two points behind Norris in the standings, highlighting his and Red Bull’s incredible comeback.

Heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there was a lot of conversation about how Red Bull would race McLaren in the season finale. People were quick to remember 2021, when Sergio Perez helped Verstappen win the title by defending Lewis Hamilton during the race.

Many wondered if the team would pull off similar tactics against Norris and Piastri in 2025. As it would turn out, they did.

Laurent Mekies told McLaren that Red Bull would race cleanly in Abu Dhabi, Yuki Tsunoda broke that promise

Before the race in the team principals’ press conference, Laurent Mekies assured McLaren that Red Bull would ‘race cleanly’. However, that promise was not kept.

After making his pit stop onto the hard tyres, Norris fought his way through the traffic and into fourth. He then encountered Yuki Tsunoda and made a move down the main straight.

The Japanese driver was seen changing direction two or three times as Norris gained on the Red Bull driver. Tsunoda then ran to the left side of the track, forcing the McLaren star wide.

Norris made the move stick, with Tsunoda being penalised with a five-second time penalty for weaving on the straight. It was a manoeuvre that could easily have cost the Brit the championship, and McLaren were rightfully furious.

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F1 fans were not impressed with Yuki Tsunoda’s antics at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Tsunoda ultimately finished the race in 14th in what is, for now, his last race in F1. Isack Hadjar will take his seat at Red Bull in 2026 as he drops down to a reserve driver role.

The incident in the race was not the only time the Japanese driver came to blows with the 2025 champion. Tsunoda impeded Norris in FP3, with the latter narrowly avoiding smashing into the former at turn one.

F1 fans were not happy with Tsunoda for the dangerous action. But interestingly, they were not too impressed with Norris for his overtake on the Red Bull driver in the Grand Prix.

Verstappen fans felt Norris should have been penalised for passing Tsunoda off the track. But ultimately, they did not get the punishment they wanted for his title rival.