Lando Norris is favorite to win his first Formula 1 world title, but Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastre can steal the title at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, so how can all three drivers do it?
F1 driver’s championship
After the strategic drama in Qatar, Norris is 12 points clear of Verstappen and 16 points clear of his McLaren team-mate Piastre with 25 points to go into Sunday’s race at the Yas Marina circuit.
How Norris can win the title
For Norris, the equation is simple – if he’s on the podium in Abu Dhabi, he’s world champion no matter what his title rivals do.
However, if the British driver finishes fourth, as he did in Qatar, he would need Verstappen not to win the race.
If Norris retires or fails to score any points, Verstappen should be out of the podium and Piastre third or lower.
How Verstappen can win the title
Verstappen must be on the podium to have any chance of winning a record fifth consecutive drivers’ title – an accolade held by Michael Schumacher during his time at Ferrari.
The Dutchman, who won a controversial 2021 title decider against Lewis Hamilton, realistically needs to win and hopes Norris is off the podium.
How can Piastre win the title
Piastre must finish in the top two to have any chance of winning his first world title. Even with a win, he needs teammate Norris to finish sixth or lower.
Should Piastre finish second, the Australian would rely on Norris finishing 10th or lower, and Verstappen not being on the podium.
What happens if the top two are tied on points?
This could happen of course. For example, if Piastri doesn’t win, Verstappen finishes second and Norris seventh – the latter two would be tied on 414 points.
Then we would move on to the countdown, which means who has the most wins in 2025. Interestingly, Norris, Verstappen and Piastre each have seven wins this season.
That means we then look at other places and Norris is ahead here with eight other places compared to Verstappen on six (including Abu Dhabi in this scenario) while Piastre has four.
In any scenario where Norris is tied with his title rivals, he will come out on top.
It is impossible for Verstappen and Piastre to be tied on points if the top two are in the championship.
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Craig Slater looks back at the defining moments of the dramatic 2025 F1 season, analyzing how they set the stage for the finale as the championship heads into the Qatar Grand Prix
How many times has the championship leader not won?
This will be the 32nd time the F1 Drivers’ Championship has come down to the final race in the sport’s 75-year history.
However, in only nine of those cases did the championship leader not win the title in that race – Sebastian Vettel was the last driver to do so in 2010 when he overturned a 15-point deficit on Fernando Alonso, who was also third in the standings.
When is the championship trophy awarded?
The Drivers’ Championship is actually awarded at the FIA Prize Gala, not the season finale in Abu Dhabi. This is also the case with the Constructors’ Championship, which was won by McLaren at the Singapore Grand Prix in October.
This year’s FIA Awards will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on December 12.
Max Verstappen with the 2024 Drivers’ Championship trophy
The 2025 Formula 1 season concludes with the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. Stream Ski Sports from NOW – no contract, cancel anytime