The final round of 2025 marked the end of an era.

Not only was it the last race under the current technical regulations, it was also a weekend filled with farewells as the paddock prepared to turn the page on a new chapter. From the names and faces bidding goodbye to the sport, to the title-deciding celebrations that capped the year, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend delivered an emotional and eventful finale. Here’s our look back at the closing chapter of an epic Formula One season.

End-of-season traditions

Having been on the road since March, the 24th and final race naturally brings a host of end-of-year traditions. After months of hard-fought competition, Abu Dhabi provides a rare moment for the drivers to come together one last time. Alongside the annual class-of-the-year photograph featuring all 20 drivers, we also continued our own tradition: a full group photo with every member of our trackside crew.

This year, the team headed down to Turn 1 for the photoshoot, lining up alongside our race drivers Pierre and Franco, as well as Test & Reserve Driver Paul Aron. Behind us, the tower at Turn 1 glowed in a shade of pink to match the BWT livery of the pair of A525s in the foreground.

There was room for one more cherished ritual, too. On Thursday night, the community of F1 drivers gathered for their end-of-season dinner. On this occasion, Pierre generously picked up the bill. When asked how the evening went, he laughed that it was “expensive!”

The perfect moment

Alongside the dinner, Pierre also met up with two fellow drivers - Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda - to exchange signed helmets. He also presented a race shirt to Russ Cook, better known as the Hardest Geezer, the extreme athlete who famously ran the length of Africa, completing a grueling 16,295 km over 352 days.

The weekend also marked the launch of the Perfect Moment Winter Capsule, with Pierre and his partner Kika modelling the new skiwear line inside the Alpine garage. The full collection is now available at perfectmoment.com.

There was further news in Yas Marina as we announced a new partnership with Avature, who will join the team as our AI Platform Partner for Human Capital Management. Avature empowers HR departments to build adaptable talent systems, and as part of the collaboration, their branding will feature on the driver race suits, the 2026 car and mechanics’ overalls next season.

Rookies to the fore

As Friday practice got underway, Paul returned to the cockpit of the A525 for his fifth FP1 appearance of the year - and his third with BWT Alpine Formula One Team. He was one of nine rookies taking part in the session, held in overcast conditions, and while focusing on set-up work he finished the hour in P13, three places behind Franco in tenth.

“I am very grateful to the team for the Free Practice 1 outings this year,” said Paul, who completed 27 laps in total, a distance of 150km. “It was another successful session where we completed the full run plan and worked through some useful set-up items. In general I was happy with the pace, but as always, there is room to improve.”

For FP2, Pierre returned to the number 10 car and clocked up 30 laps, though overall he found the balance inconsistent and both cars lacked grip on track, so the team worked hard overnight to prepare the cars for the rest of the weekend.

On the topic of young drivers, Alpine Academy’s Kush Maini will drive in the post-season Young Driver Test, alongside Pierre who will be conducing Pirelli tyre testing in a “mule car” on the Tuesday at Yas Marina.

Kush has previously driven in the team’s simulator but this will be his first outing in modern Formula One machinery during an official session. He rounded out his Formula 2 campaign on Sunday, finishing seventh in the Feature Race, while fellow Alpine Academy team-mate Gabriele Minì ended his season on a high with a podium.

One last dance

After one final visit to the passionate and enthusiastic crowds at the Fan Forum on Saturday afternoon, attention turned to qualifying for the season finale. Both drivers struggled through the first left-hander, with Franco having his first two laps in Q1 deleted for exceeding track limits. Pierre also lost a lap for running wide at Turn 1, leaving both A525s on the back row of the grid for the Grand Prix.

Ahead of Renault’s final race as an engine supplier, members of the team at Viry-Châtillon inscribed personal messages on the V6 power unit as it prepared for its farewell outing. Pierre finished the race in 19th - the same position in which he started - but received a five-second time penalty for track limits. Franco pushed hard to finish within that margin, but ultimately crossed the line just behind Pierre once the penalty was applied.

On the slowing-down lap, Pierre delivered a heartfelt message to the team at Viry: “A big thank you to all the engineers and mechanics from Renault and Alpine for our three years together. It has been a pleasure working with all of you. You are a great bunch of guys. We’re going to miss you and I wish you all the best. Merci, Viry.” Back in the garage, there was a poignant moment as the 1.6-litre V6 was unmasked and revved to its limits in celebration of its final tour.

After the race, Flavio Briatore congratulated the new World Champion following a dramatic title showdown. “Congratulations to McLaren and Lando Norris on winning both championships. Their level this year has been extraordinary and they have been the benchmark in Formula One this season. It has been a long and often tough 2025 for everyone at the team. I know everyone is eager and motivated to put this campaign behind us and very much ready to push tirelessly to make the next one more of a success.””

The final word of the year comes from Managing Director Steve Nielsen: “2025 has been a really tough year, but we move onwards and upwards. I’d like to thank everybody for their professionalism and their dedication, even when times were tough. Better days lie ahead, and we’ll regroup over the winter, hit the track with a better car in ’26, and put this team back where it should be. So, happy holidays to everybody, have a well-deserved break, and see you in 2026.”