06/12/2025

SPORTS SATURDAY | DEC 6, 2025 28 LEWIS HAMILTON yesterday said he plans a shake-up of his team at Ferrari next year after enduring a nightmare first season with the Italians. The 40-year-old seven-time world champion, who has gone a Ferrari record 23 races without a podium finish, said he was surprised at his own resilience after enduring the most miserable run of form and results of his Formula One career. “It’s been difficult,” he said ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.“Confidence goes up and down, it comes with the territory. “But I still have full belief in my abilities and that’s the most

Hamilton plans team shake-up at Ferrari

SHORTS No regrets, says Tsunoda JAPAN’S Yuki Tsunoda said he was “disappointed” but “okay” about losing his Red Bull seat alongside four-times Formula One champion Max Verstappen next season. The Japanese driver will move into a test and reserve role in 2026, making way for Franco-Algerian Isack Hadjar to slot into the hot seat from sister team Racing Bulls. “The day after I ordered breakfast as usual, same food, yeah, probably I’m not recognising enough that it will be the last race at least for next year,“ Tsunoda told reporters at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit ahead of the season-ending race. “Maybe I’ll feel more after Abu Dhabi but that’s how it went and how I feel now.” Tsunoda, who began the year as Hadjar’s Racing Bulls teammate and is backed by power unit suppliers Honda, was promoted two races into the season in a swap with incumbent Liam Lawson after the Kiwi failed to score. Honda, which also supplies power units to Racing Bulls, is leaving the Red Bull fold to team up with Aston Martin next season. Tsunoda said if he had any regrets they were centered on not being able to make the most of the Racing Bulls car, which he has helped develop and is seen as far more forgiving than the Red Bull. “But at the same time I don’t regret much that decision…,“ added the 25 year-old of his move to the senior Red Bull team. How the F1 Title can be won AFTER 23 races of the 24-race season Lando Norris leads the championship on 408 points, 12 clear of Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen and 16 clear of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. This is the first time more than two drivers have been in with a shot of claiming the title since 2010. LANDO NORRIS “All” Norris has to do to claim his maiden title is finish on the podium at Yas Marina, irrespective of where his two title rivals finish. A top-three result is all the Briton requires – sounds straightforward given McLaren’s overall dominance – they wrapped up the constructors’ crown two months ago in Singapore. On the plus side, the 26-year-old won in Abu Dhabi last year. MAX VERSTAPPEN Verstappen has happy memories of the last time he lined up at Yas Marina with the title in play – in 2021 he controversially denied Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to claim the first of his four successive championships. To complete his remarkable season Verstappen needs to win tomorrow and Norris finish no higher than fourth and the 2025 crown is his. OSCAR PIASTRI The Australian’s chances are slim, but given how this season has thrown up the unexpected time and time again the coolest customer on the grid cannot be ruled out. After one of his best weekends of the season in Qatar he readily admitted he will “need a lot of things to go in my direction” to end up champion. His task is clear if not simple – he will take the title if he finishes first or second and both Norris and Verstappen have an off day.

“All this needs to be looked at in my personal space so we can optimise our teamwork,” he said. Having failed to stand on a podium all year, Hamilton is determined to take some benefit from his struggles. Asked what he has learned from this campaign, he added: “That I am resilient – I have surprised myself with how resilient I am. “If I can get through a season like this, then there is nothing that I cannot face moving forwards.” – AFP/Express Newspapers

“In terms of personal perfection, I have written down what I felt went wrong every weekend and the decisions I’ve taken. So, there’s a lot of things to do. “I will analyse those decisions and make markers on how I can make better decisions in the future.” Hamilton added the factors he would be taking into account would include “my surroundings, in terms of my personal and team personnel – how do you utilise people? Do people need to move into different positions to work better?”

important. Holding onto that is not always the easiest thing to do, but that’s got me to where I am.” Hamilton added there was “nothing that I can’t face moving forwards” after this season. The Briton vowed to make changes to his set-up for 2026, but declined to offer details of who would be involved. “It’s not a straightforward process,“ he explained. “We are testing next week and then go back to the factory – and I have to decide what my approach is.

y Papaya rules till the end till the end Norris rejects idea

of team loyalty before Formula 1 title showdown

Filepic of McLaren’s Lando Norris (left) and Oscar Piastri in action during the Dutch Grand Prix. – REUTERSPIC

L ANDO NORRIS yesterday rejected the idea of asking title rival and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to support him this weekend in the decisive season-end ing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix even if it is the only way he can beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to the title. The 26-year-old Briton, who holds a 12-point lead on four-time champion Verstappen and a 16-point advantage on Piastri, said he would welcome help in certain scenarios, but would not seek it – because it was not how he, personally, felt about it. He and Piastri made clear that McLaren had not discussed team orders for the race and would continue racing under “papaya rules” that encourage them to race each other with equal team backing. “I don’t think I would ask for it because – and I don’t know – it’s up to Oscar, if he would allow it,” Norris told reporters before tomorrow’s

Verstappen, who has won five of the last eight races, appeared to be the most relaxed of the trio while Norris seemed understandably tense and Piastri, who was deprived of a likely victory by bungled team strategy last weekend in Qatar, composed if edgy. “It’s not something we’ve discussed,“ said the 24-year-old Australian, bidding to be his country’s first champion since Alan Jones in 1980. “Until I know what’s kind of accepted, I don’t really have an answer.” McLaren team chief Andrea Stella said they had no plan to change their approach as they aim to secure the drivers’ title and complete a first double since Mika Hakkinen in 1998. “I think for us it is important that we are in a condition to beat Verstappen with one of our drivers,” said Stella, having guided the team a second consecutive constructors’ title with months to spare. – AFP

showdown. “I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me. “It’s the same if it’s the other way around. Would I be willing to or not? Personally, I think I would – just because I feel like I’m always like that and that’s just how I am.” The three drivers sat together answering questions of which some focused on the possibility that if Verstappen was leading with Piastri third and Norris fourth, it would mean the Dutchman took his record-equalling fifth consecutive title unless the two McLaren men swapped positions. “I’m not going to ask it,” he continued. “I don’t want to ask it because I don’t think it’s necessarily a fair question, but at the same time if that’s how it ends and Max wins, then well. That’s it. “Congrats to him and look forward to next year. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change my life. He will deserve it over us.”

Everything is a bonus for relaxed Verstappen

MAX VERSTAPPEN could become only the second driver after Michael Schumacher to win five Formula One titles in a row this weekend but the Red Bull driver was relaxed about it yesterday. Neither parent will be in attendance in Abu Dhabi – father Jos rallying in Africa and mother Sophie staying at home with the dogs – largely because he had written off his chances earlier in the season and they had made other plans. After a home Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort at the end of August, Verstappen was 104 points behind then-leader Oscar Piastri.

have all won seven races this season but Verstappen said he was still the outsider and had already achieved everything he wanted to in F1. “I’m very relaxed. Nothing to lose, you know,” he said. “I’m just enjoying being here. “Having these wins again is fantastic. So I just take it that everything here is just a bonus, sitting here fighting for the title. So that’s also what makes it very straightforward for me. “We will just try to have a good weekend. “But even then, it’s not really in my control. So we just try to enjoy it.” – Reuters

already and his signature had not changed. Asked how he had prepared for the final push, Verstappen differed somewhat from his rivals who talked of going through their usual routines or playing padel and marketing commitments. “I spent some time with my daughter,” said the 28-year-old. “I figured some stuff out for GT3 for next year, figured out some stuff for my simulator team as well, planning for next year. “So yeah, just pretty straightforward stuff before arriving here.” Verstappen, Piastri and Norris

He is now four clear of McLaren’s Australian and 12 behind Lando Norris with potentially the greatest comeback in Formula One history only days away from being realised. “I guess it was not planned,“ he said of his parents’ absence. “I also didn’t really plan to be in the title fight at the end and here we are.” After Zandvoort everything was a bit cancelled I would say. You can see a lot on TV anyway.” The championship trophy was positioned next to the three contenders in a press conference with all sitting together on a sofa. Verstappen observed that he had four similar ones at home