Preview
PREVIEW: Racing for the final time in 2025 around Yas Marina
We have reached the end of the 2025 season and there is one final round and one more title to decide. After Leonardo Fornaroli’s Drivers’ Championship success, his Invicta Racing team are looking to seal their second consecutive Teams’ crown.
Hitech TGR and Campos Racing will be looking to stop them, but there’s plenty more to keep an eye on in the final round of the campaign.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Friday’s on-track action gets underway with Free Practice scheduled to begin at 11:05 local time, before the final Qualifying session of the season takes place in the afternoon at 15:00.
Saturday’s Sprint Race gets going at 16:15 local time before the Feature Race on Sunday brings the curtain down on the Formula 2 season, with lights out scheduled for 13:15 local time.
Pirelli has brought the Medium tyres and the Supersoft tyres, mirroring the choice from last season.
STAT PACK
- Leonardo Fornaroli joins Charles Leclerc, Nyck de Vries and Felipe Drugovich as F2 Champions to have sealed their title with at least one round to spare
- He also emulates Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Bortoleto in winning the FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in consecutive seasons
- Invicta Racing is looking to become just the second team in FIA F2 history to retain the Teams’ title after PREMA Racing did so in 2021
FROM THE GRID – Joshua Duerksen, AIX Racing
“The circuit is quite a mixed one. It has mostly low-to-medium speed corners. It’s quite technical, always really cool though, I really enjoy it. I like the layout and it’s fun to drive. Overtaking is mainly in T6, it’s the best opportunity we have, but also T9. The last sector is tight, the walls are close especially under the hotel and the tyres overheat. I got my first Feature Race win here last year, so there’s some special memories here for me.”
TECHNICAL PREVIEW
Pierre-Alain Michot, FIA Formula 2 Technical Director
“With two DRS zones and a technical final sector, Turns 6 and 9 offer the best overtaking spots around the lap, whereas the final sector has limited opportunities in comparison. It will be interesting to see how aggressive teams are willing to be with their clutch map settings in pursuit of a good launch, or whether they follow a more considered approach like Champion Leonardo Fornaroli chose to do in last week’s Feature Race start.”
PIRELLI PREVIEW
As was the case last year, there will be a big performance gap between the compounds chosen for the final round of the Formula 2 season. In Abu Dhabi, drivers will run the Medium and Supersoft tyres. The softest compound has a significant advantage at the start, although its performance duration is naturally rather limited.
Those opting to start on this tyre are banking on an appearance from the Safety Car, to reduce the time lost during a pit stop. In theory, starting the Feature Race on the Medium should deliver a shorter overall race time but any neutralisation after the sixth or seventh lap would wipe out that advantage. Tyre choice for the start last year was split more or less equally, although with a slight preference for the Supersoft. The winner and second-placed Gabriel Bortoleto, who was crowned champion that day, went for Supersoft-Medium. The Yas Marina circuit has become faster and smoother, following changes four years ago. The track surface which produces high levels of grip, makes it quite easy on tyres, thus allowing for several strategy options.