F1 End of the Year Updates

With Abu Dhabi last Sunday, Dec. 6, F1 crowned Lando Norris as its 2025 World Champion. There’s quite a bit to unpack with this victory.

First, Norris was an unpopular win with fans. Norris has faced many controversies, including receiving deliberate favoritism from McLaren, making sexist comments while playing a video game, and a dating scandal surrounding Portuguese model Magui. Because of these controversies, many fans favored his teammate Oscar Piastri. Piastri himself, though not having the title of world champion on his belt, is also an accomplished driver. Many have accused McLaren of favoring Norris and inhibiting the natural competition between their drivers, equalizing the two to the point of frustration for fans at home. Piastri was also in competition with Norris for the Champion title; it was the first time in a while that three drivers were eligible for the Champion title.

Max Verstappen took a hard-earned second place this season, losing to Norris by only two points. This comes after one of the hardest-earned comebacks of his career, fighting to first place after starting more than 15 places down. Verstappen, however, seems to be totally undisturbed by his loss, with a true sportsman-like attitude. His good spirit can be traced to his success in both his personal and professional life. Max has won four world championships already, is married, has had a child, has raised his stepdaughter, and has been a successful uncle to his sister’s children.

In the 2026 races, viewers can look forward to newer models of cars that will be lighter, shorter, and narrower, with reduced downforce and more active aerodynamics. Rules on racing behavior will change as well, with new rules promoting overtaking and on-track action. The price of running an F1 car will also substantially increase, which many fear is yet another attempt to gatekeep F1 sports from the middle class or the underprivileged. Motorsports are already incredibly expensive, and in this economy and political climate, many people are hesitant to see the sport further gatekept.

In Red Bull news, Helmut Marko has stepped down from Red Bull after 20 years as an advisor, retiring at the end of this year. Many fans have mixed feelings about this resignation, with some feeling that Marko has not had the team’s best interests at heart, while others favor his seasoned expertise.

All in all, it’s been a great season, and fans can look forward to the future.