Formula One News — December 2025

Abu Dhabi GP - Practice 3 Report

Abu Dhabi GP - Practice 3 Results

Championship leader Lando Norris ended Friday in Abu Dhabi looking the fastest man on track - and McLaren has now performed what media are calling an eleventh hour U-turn, openly abandoning its season-long "Papaya Rules" policy of intra-team fairness.

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says the sport will expand its sprint format from 2027 onward, as part of a broader plan to refresh race weekends.

Rumours of a shock and sudden Lewis Hamilton retirement have erupted in the Abu Dhabi paddock - despite the seven-time world champion insisting only days ago that he had no intention of walking away after his disastrous first season with Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton invited all 19 fellow Formula 1 drivers to a season-ending dinner in Abu Dhabi on Thursday - but three were absent - Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, and Nico Hulkenberg.

Franco Colapinto's difficult end to the 2025 season has been matched by a noticeable shift in tone - the once irrepressibly upbeat rookie now sounding increasingly irritated off the track.

Williams boss James Vowles says the team's unexpected rise to fifth in the 2025 constructors' championship came despite the FW47 being developed for only "a few weeks" last winter as focus shifted almost entirely to the all-new 2026 regulations.

Abu Dhabi GP - Friday Report

Abu Dhabi GP - Friday Photos

Abu Dhabi GP - Friday Team Quotes

Abu Dhabi GP - Practice 2 Results

Abu Dhabi GP - Practice 1 Report

Abu Dhabi GP - Practice 1 Results

Abu Dhabi GP - Thursday Press Conference

The FIA's presidential election will go ahead on December 12 - but a Paris court has refused to endorse the process, handing Laura Villars an important early victory in her challenge against Mohammed Ben Sulayem's uncontested re-election.

Alex Palou insists he has no regrets about abandoning his long-running Formula 1 ambitions, even as he admits he will be cheering for Max Verstappen in this weekend's Abu Dhabi title decider.

Lando Norris has been warned that his biggest threat in Sunday's title decider may not be Max Verstappen - but Oscar Piastri, amid what insiders describe as a season's worth of simmering frustration in the Australian's camp.

Yuki Tsunoda has broken his silence after losing his Formula 1 race seat for 2026, vowing to fight his way back onto the grid as Red Bull move him into a test and reserve role.

Newly crowned Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli says joining McLaren's development program has put him "on the path I've always wanted", insisting his long-term target is clear - Formula 1.

Adrian Sutil has issued his first formal response to last week's arrest, with his lawyer insisting the former Formula 1 driver rejects all allegations and is cooperating fully with investigators.

Cadillac will reveal its first Formula 1 livery during a Super Bowl television commercial - an extraordinarily expensive way to introduce the new US team ahead of its 2026 debut.

Red Bull has confirmed the expected top-to-bottom overhaul of its driver structure for 2026 - with Yuki Tsunoda losing his race seat and moving into a Red Bull-Racing Bulls reserve role.

Isack Hadjar says his Red Bull promotion for 2026 is not a "relief", but confirmation that he delivered exactly the season he needed.

Alpine has become the fourth team to confirm its 2026 car launch date, announcing a January 23 unveiling in Barcelona - just days after Red Bull and Racing Bulls present their liveries at Ford's January 15 event, and ahead of Aston Martin's February 9 reveal.