Paddock Briefing: Tsunoda gets a point, Antonelli says sorry, Haas eyes Doohan, Norris’ licence bill stings, and Hamilton’s missing piece
Yas Marina has gone quiet, but the storylines haven’t. The FIA has added one more penalty point to Yuki Tsunoda’s superlicence for his clash with Lando Norris, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has sought out Max Verstappen to apologise for a late-season error, Jack Doohan is circling a 2026 return via Haas, Lando’s wallet is bracing for a seven-figure superlicence fee, and Martin Brundle’s weighed in on what Lewis Hamilton’s been lacking at Ferrari.
Tsunoda hit with superlicence point after Norris defence
The FIA has confirmed Yuki Tsunoda will carry an extra penalty point into the off-season, on top of the five-second time penalty he took in Abu Dhabi for moving more than once to defend from Lando Norris on the back straight. It’s the latest aftershock from a title fight that was decided on margins you could measure in tyre paint.
For Tsunoda, who ends the season as an outgoing Red Bull driver, it’s a small but irritating addition to the ledger from a hard-line move at Yas Marina. For Norris — the 2025 world champion — it’s another reminder of just how much was on the line, even in the micro-battles.
Antonelli’s quiet apology to Verstappen
Away from the podium lights, there was a moment of old-school sportsmanship. Mercedes’ rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli approached Max Verstappen after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to apologise for his late error in Qatar, where a slip let Norris bag two extra points. Norris ultimately clinched the title by those same two points over Verstappen.
The apology doesn’t change the standings, but it says something about the kid. Antonelli’s debut campaign has had flashes and fumbles; this one will sting. Verstappen, who’s lost championships by fine print and fortune before, didn’t need telling how much it mattered.
Doohan and Haas: a 2026 lifeline forming
In the background, Jack Doohan’s next move is shaping up. The former Alpine racer is evaluating a Super Formula campaign in Japan for 2026 with support linked to Toyota. With Toyota aligning as a technical partner to Haas, the path is there for Doohan to step in as Haas’s reserve next season if the pieces lock into place.
It’s a pragmatic route: sharp mileage in a seriously fast single-seater series, plus a seat in the F1 garage when calendars collide. If you’re trying to fight your way back into a grand prix cockpit, you could do worse.
Champion’s tax: Norris’ superlicence tops €1m
Titles bring silverware, pressure — and bills. Thanks to F1’s per-point superlicence fee, Norris is set to pay around €1,023,507 to enter the 2026 championship. The math is brutal and simple: a base fee in the region of €11,842 plus €2,392 for every point scored in 2025. It’s still shy of the eyewatering €1.3m Max Verstappen paid after his dominant 2023 haul, but it’s comfortably the biggest bill on the grid for next year.
Drivers often joke about “paying for your own success,” but the fee structure really does weaponise consistency. Win big, and the accountants wince.
Brundle on Hamilton’s Ferrari void
Martin Brundle has offered a cold, clean assessment of Lewis Hamilton’s first year in red: he believes Hamilton has “missed terribly” a figure he can lean on at Ferrari in 2025. No podiums across a full season for the first time in his F1 career is bruising enough; add in a season dotted with prickly radio traffic with new race engineer Riccardo Adami — who has previously worked with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz — and you’ve got a seven-time champion searching for a rhythm that never arrived.
Ferrari will point to structural change and learning curves; Hamilton will point to opportunity cost. Either way, bringing the right voice onto that radio could be as valuable as any front wing tweak over the winter.
The state of play
So the ledger reads like this as the dust settles: Norris the champion after a knife-edge fight with Verstappen; Tsunoda docked a point for his Abu Dhabi defence against the now-champion; Antonelli fronting up after a Qatar mistake that mattered more than anyone realised in the moment; Doohan hovering around Haas with Toyota in the wings; Hamilton and Ferrari with homework to do, and a long winter to do it.
The calendar turns quickly in this sport. But for a few days at least, the paddock is sitting with the little moments that made a big difference.
