Junge Welt: “Tears Matter” – Dec 11, 2025

Last weekend, the 76th Formula 1 World Championship came to an end with the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. Before the last race, three drivers still had a chance of winning the world championship title. This is rare. German motorsport fans may remember 2010, when the starting situation was similar. At the season finale, Sebastian Vettel unexpectedly raced to his first of four world championship titles for RB Racing when he left his direct competitors Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Mark Webber (RB Racing) behind – both of whom had gambled away with pit stops. In 1986, Alain Prost snatched the title in a McLaren at the last moment after championship leader Nigel Mansell (Williams) retired due to a puncture and his teammate Nelson Piquet could not keep up with the Frenchman.

This year’s competitors were the championship leader Lando Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri (both McLaren) as well as the world champion of the last four years Max Verstappen (RB Racing). Verstappen was already far behind halfway through the season and had officially given up on defending his title. But a change at the top of RB Racing – team boss Christian Horner was replaced by Laurent Mekies after 20 years – brought about a turnaround. Verstappen dominated the second half of the season, finishing on the podium in all of the last ten races and winning the last three.

The two McLarens dueled on equal terms throughout the season. For a long time it looked as if the 24-year-old Australian Piastri would actually be able to win the title in only his third Formula 1 season. But the more experienced Brit Norris, two years older and already in Formula 1 for seven years, hit back. Five races before the end of the season he took the lead in the World Championship standings and never relinquished it. In Abu Dhabi, a third place behind Verstappen and Piastri was enough for him to reach the finish with a two-point lead over Verstappen. Verstappen missed the chance to win five consecutive world championships. German Formula 1 fans will be able to get over it, because this achievement is only reserved for Michael Schumacher.

At the finish, Norris had tears rolling down her face. No surprise. Norris has changed the image of the tough racing driver. He speaks openly about nervousness and the pressure he feels. A family man who loves to love his mother in the boxes. This is good for the sport’s reputation.

Formula 1 is a phenomenon. At a time when there is a lot of talk about toxic masculinity, fossil capital and climate change, she is doing better than ever. A total of seven million people attended last season’s Grands Prix, more than ever. At one of the most traditional races, the Silverstone Grand Prix in England, a new attendance record was set with half a million people. And the brand is expanding. Ten years ago, the Formula 1 World Championship consisted of 19 Grands Prix, but there are now 24.

Many fans are very young. Formula 1 knows how to market itself. The Netflix series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive”, which provides a look behind the scenes, is a hit, and the Hollywood film “F1”, in which Brad Pitt can demonstrate his eternal youth, was co-produced by seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

But clever marketing alone is not enough. In the age of wokeness, the Formula 1 product brings back memories of an era in which everything was simpler, looser, somehow more human. Similar to populist parties, Formula 1 manages to make the contradiction between the privileged and ordinary people seem irrelevant. “Meet the Drivers” sessions, which make drivers approachable when they joke and tell anecdotes, as well as “Pit Walks”, which enable a stroll through the paddock, contribute to this. Figureheads like Lando Norris help to give the image of the tough racing driver a softer side. Similar to the vegan hot dogs that are sold along the racetracks even though no one eats them, or the hybrid engines that convey ecological commitment even though they lack howling engines. It succeeds in creating a link between traditional values and neoliberal openness. No wonder that Formula 1 hardly has to worry about protests against races in Saudi Arabia or Qatar. These fit into the picture, and the fans accept their role as consumers.

Lewis Hamilton may have entered the film business, but last season was disappointing as a driver. For the first time in the most iconic of all Formula 1 cars, the Ferrari, he never made it onto the podium once. This had never happened to him before in his eighteen Formula 1 seasons. He finished sixth in the overall standings, behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.

McLaren not only won its first World Championship drivers’ title since 2008, but also won the constructors’ championship with first and second place in the final standings. Mercedes followed in second place. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli diligently collected points for the only German Formula 1 team, but the big successes failed to materialize. After all, Russell won the Grands Prix in Montreal and Singapore. RB Racing came third thanks to Verstappen’s 421 points – his teammate Yuki Tsunoda contributed a whopping 33 points. No wonder he will be replaced by Isack Hajdar next year.

The only German driver in the field, Nico Hülkenberg in the Sauber, bravely finished eleventh in the overall standings. He clearly left his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto behind. At Silverstone he made it onto the podium in third place.

The extreme difference between Verstappen’s and Tsunoda’s points total seems to confirm that driving qualities in Formula 1 should not be underestimated. All too often, laypeople assume that technology alone makes the difference. Of course, it remains undisputed that it has a major influence – and that the cards are constantly being reshuffled for this reason. The coming season will see aerodynamic innovations as well as significant changes to hybrid engines and fuels. McLaren’s continued dominance is anything but assured. This is also good for the sport.