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With the 2025 Drivers' Championship on the line, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen lined up on the grid, determined to make the race their own. In the end, only one of them added the coveted 25 points to his tally. 

Verstappen went on the attack as soon as the race began, overtaking Norris for P2. The only other change in the front was Fernando Alonso moving up on the Mercedes of George Russell. The first stint of the race didn't last long. Just as the drivers had settled into a comfortable rhythm, Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly made contact that made the former spin off the track and punctured a tire of the latter. A safety car was called on lap seven, a moment that would prove crucial to the race.

Since, due to Pirelli's instructions, the drivers were forced to change their tires twice during the race, as one set couldn't be used for more than 25 laps, most drivers jumped at the opportunity to pit under the safety car. In an unexpected turn of events, only the two McLarens and Esteban Ocon stayed out. This decision would end up derailing their race. 

When the SC ended on lap 10, they needed to put their all into pushing hard enough to build a gap between themselves and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. While they did create a bit of a gap, it wasn't nearly enough to justify staying out. Having pitted on laps 24 and 25, they came out behind not only Verstappen, but also Carlos Sainz, Kimi Antonelli, and Fernando Alonso. 

While in the front, McLarens did what they could to make their way to the lead, in the back, many drivers were hit with penalties for various offences. Ocon was the first to receive one, a 5-second penalty for jumping the start, and he was soon followed by Lance Stroll, who was punished for speeding in the pit lane. Later in the race, Bearman got a 10-second stop-and-go punishment for an unsafe release during his second pit stop, and, given that the issue in the pits had already caused him to fall to the very back of the grid, he ended up retiring from the race. 

On lap 32, most of the drivers were forced to pit for the second time, having run their tires for the allowed 25 laps, putting the McLarens back at the front. Of course, their lead meant relatively little, given that, once again, they were unable to build a big enough gap and had to visit the pits again before the end of the race. Piastri pitted for the second time on lap 42 and emerged 17 seconds behind his rival for the win. The Red Bull driver was being held up by Norris for a few laps, but it quickly became clear that it would be all but impossible for the Australian to catch up to the reigning champion. 

After the championship leader drove in for his last change of tires, order was restored, with Verstappen at the front, Piastri behind him, and Norris in P5, behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli. The Brit managed to overtake the Italian on the penultimate lap of the Grand Prix, and that was the only difference in the order of the three men, who are still a part of the championship fight. Verstappen won for the 70th time in his career, decreasing the difference between him and Norris to only 12 points.

The fight will go on to Abu Dhabi, and every Formula One fan knows that this is a track on which anything can happen. So, don't forget to tune in for what can be a very interesting end to the season.

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Oscar Piastri

3. Carlos Sainz

4. Lando Norris

5. Kimi Antonelli

6. George Russell

7. Fernando Alonso

8. Charles Leclerc

9. Liam Lawson

10. Yuki Tsunoda

11. Alex Albon

12. Lewis Hamilton

13. Gabriel Bortoleto

14. Franco Colapinto

15. Esteban Ocon

16. Pierre Gasly

17. Lance Stroll

18. Isack Hadjar

DNF: Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg