Confirmed! Isack Hadjar to drive Red Bull next season
Red Bull release a statement which confirms the news: “Oracle Red Bull Racing is pleased to announce that Isack Hadjar will join Max Verstappen to form the Team’s 2026 driver line-up.”
Isack Hadjar will step up to Red Bull next season (Getty)
Lawrence Ostlere2 December 2025 15:07
Aston Martin, McLaren to replace drivers in Abu Dhabi
Aston Martin have said Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will be replaced by rookie drivers for FP1 in Abu Dhabi.
Alonso will swap out for British driver Cian Shields while Jak Crawford will replace Stroll for the session.
McLaren will also have a rookie driver in FP1, with Oscar Piastri giving way, most likely for Pato O’Ward.
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 15:00
How can Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 world championship?
It is a normal race weekend in Abu Dhabi. Therefore, Norris will win the world championship if he finishes on the podium at the Yas Marina Circuit.
A minimum third place (15 points) in Abu Dhabi would give Norris an unassailable 27-point lead.
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 14:40
How can Oscar Piastri win the 2025 F1 world championship?
Piastri has a difficult task now. Put simply: he needs to score 17 more points than Norris and five more points than Verstappen to guarantee the title. At a minimum, he must finish in second place or higher to have a chance.
What could this look like in reality? If Piastri wins the grand prix, Norris would have to finish in sixth place or lower and Verstappen in second place or lower.
If Piastri finishes second, he’d need Norris to finish ninth or lower and Verstappen to finish fourth or lower. If Piastri finishes third or lower, he will not win the championship.
(Getty)
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 14:21
How can Max Verstappen win the 2025 F1 world championship?
Norris has a 12-point lead over Verstappen, who is now in second place. Piastri is a further four points back, 16 off his teammate.
It is a normal race weekend in Abu Dhabi. Therefore, Norris will win the world championship if he finishes on the podium at the Yas Marina Circuit.
A minimum third place (15 points) in Abu Dhabi would give Norris an unassailable 27-point lead.
Fourth place (12 points) would give Norris a 24-point lead and, thus, if Verstappen then won the race, the Dutchman would take the title by one point.
Alternatively, put simply, Verstappen needs to score 13 more points than Norris.
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 14:00
F1 standings after Qatar GP as Max Verstappen closes gap on Lando Norris
Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri got their strategy wrong during a safety car period at the start of the race, when they failed to stop and change tyres in what was a mandatory two-stop grand prix.
When Norris eventually went into the pits for a second time, the British driver came back on track in fifth place, though he managed to overtake Kimi Antonelli in the closing stages and finished in fourth.
That means the title will be decided in Abu Dhabi with all three of Norris, Piastri and Verstappen in with a chance of claiming the crown. Norris’s lead is 12 points to Verstappen, with Piastri a further four points behind.
Here’s how the standings look after the Qatar GP
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 13:40
Max Verstappen is laughing at McLaren – how many warnings do they need?
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri missed out on victory in Qatar, with Verstappen’s unlikely win taking this unpredictable F1 title race to the finale in Abu Dhabi. For McLaren, it should never have got this nervy.
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 13:22
Helmut Marko impressed by British teen Arvid Lindblad
Helmut Marko has been among the pack keeping an eye out for Arvid Lindblad. The Red Bull adviser said after the Mexico practice session: “Lindblad was even faster than Yuki with the same programme. Definitely a man for the future.
“It was very clear and he never got excited, he was calm, and the technical feedback had profound influence. It was a very, how should I say, exact definition.”
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 12:32
Arvid Lindblad tipped for jump to F1
British teenager Arvid Lindblad is set to move up from F2 to F1, with his promotion bringing an end to Yuki Tsunoda’s five-year stint in F1.
Lindblad completed his first F1 test at Imola in February and took part in his first F1 session by taking the place of Verstappen in first practice at the Mexican GP in October, raising eyebrows with the sixth-fastest lap of the session.
“It was amazing,” he said afterwards. “I am extremely grateful to everyone at Red Bull for the opportunity. Amazing to get my first official F1 session.
“I think I did decent, I felt comfortable in the car and I think the speed was okay. I think I could definitely go a bit quicker with a few more laps but, considering it was my first time in a car that I’ve only done very limited running in F1, I mean for example this weekend I think it is 13, 14 seconds quicker than F2, so the step is enormous.
“So, all that considered, with the limited prep I’m happy with the job today.”
(Getty Images)
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 12:17
‘What’s important is we are in condition to beat Verstappen’ – Andrea Stella
McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella continued: “When it comes to the fact that we have two drivers in the quest for the world championship, our philosophy and our approach will not change.
“We will leave both Oscar and Lando the possibility to compete and pursue their aspiration.
“Oscar, from a points point of view, is definitely in condition to win the title.
“We have seen before in the history of Formula 1 that when you have this kind of situation, sometimes it is the third one who actually wins.
“We have seen it in 2007, in 2010, and Oscar is fast. I think he deserves to be able to realise his performance.
“We will let the drivers be in condition to race each other. But above all, what’s important for us is that we are in condition to beat Verstappen with one of our two drivers.”
(Getty)
Flo Clifford2 December 2025 12:00
