Masters Formula One in Abu Dhabi
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The Formula One cars of the Masters Racing Legends made their debut appearance at Yas Marina Circuit as a support race for the 2025 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 5-7 December, delivering a season finale that demonstrated the character of historic motorsport to the F1 fans, who were treated to two competitive and engaging races.
Jamie Constable put in a cracking come-back drive to win the second race
After free practice and qualifying, Saturday’s opening race began with an incident involving pole man Jamie Constable and second-place qualifier Mike Cantillion’s Williams FW07C. Both cars were eliminated from the race after Cantillon missed his braking point and ran into the back of Constable’s Tyrrell 011. Another casualty was Steve Brooks’ Lotus 91 that faltered on the starting line with half shaft failure. Strong contender Werner d’Ansembourg’s Williams was also out after one lap, which took pressure off Stuart Hall who drove to victory in his Shadow DN8 by 4.8 secs from Oliver Webb (Fittipaldi FB) and Christophe d’Ansembourg, the trio circulating throughout the ten-lap race in that order.
Saturday’s incident set up a cracking sequel on Sunday, with four of the fastest cars lining up for the 12-lapper at the back of the grid and the starting order further shuffled by the reverse grid for the first six finishers. Sadly, Brooks was out of the running again after only three laps, this time with a broken gearbox, while Constable and Cantillon produced standout drives to charge through the pack to a one-two finish, showing fans that there can be much overtaking in Formula One. Hall, who started in seventh spot, was also on a charge to finish third ahead of the d’Ansembourgs, Christophe and Werner, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Away from the track battles, the whole field represented the Formula’s heritage, but Williams held a special distinction this weekend as the only manufacturer present on both the historic field and on the modern Formula One grid — a rare continuity of legacy across generations.
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