Ferrari emphasise DHL Fastest Pit Stop dominance with another best performance

The 2025 Formula 1 season is over, and we have a new world champion in the shape of Lando Norris. Third place in Abu Dhabi on the day was enough for him to stay ahead of Max Verstappen by a margin of two points and become the 35th champion in Formula 1 history.

The season finale in Abu Dhabi was a one-stop race for most of the teams and drivers, even though Pirelli had noticed more graining than expected in the run-up to the grand finale. Charles Leclerc and Norris started on medium tires. After Norris lost his second place on the grid to Oscar Piastri on lap one, he could see Leclerc in his mirrors getting dangerously close. On lap 16, they both pitted in quick succession and switched to hard tires.

On this compound, Norris was able to pull away from the Ferrari driver. To keep Leclerc's chances of a podium finish alive, Ferrari opted for an alternative strategy. The team brought him into the pits on lap 39 for fresh medium tires. The Ferrari crew took just 2.00 seconds to bolt on four new wheels. With this last quickest stop of the year, the illustrious Italian racing outfit underlined its dominance in the 2025 DHL Fastest Pit Stop contest. With a final tally of 559 points, Ferrari rounded off the campaign well ahead of second-placed McLaren on 410 points.

However, Ferrari's late throw of the dice was not enough to get their man onto the podium. McLaren reacted to Leclerc's pit stop, also bringing Norris in for a tire change. Leclerc eventually crossed the finish line in fourth place. "I did the two stops to put a bit more pressure on McLaren," said the Monegasque after the race. "I think the one stop was the right strategy, I was just trying to do something different. But Lando copied me, so in the end it wasn't as exciting as it might have been."