With one race left in the 2025 Formula 1 season and three drivers still in contention for the driver’s title, Abu Dhabi is shaping up to be a great race.
On one end, there is Max Verstappen in his eleventh season. Verstap pen is a four-time world champion who is third on the all-time wins list with 70.
On the other hand, there are McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris who are fighting for their first championships.
At one point in the season, Verstappen was 104 points behind Piastri’s first place rank and 70 points behind Norris’ second place rank. Now there is only one race left and Verstappen is only 12 points behind Norris in first and four points ahead of Piastri in third.
So, what happened to the two McLaren drivers who once seemed untouchable by the rest of the grid?
For one, Piastri has not driven well since the Dutch Grand Prix, and he finished on the podium only twice in eight grands prix. Also, Piastri did not finish the Azerbaijan GP and got disqualified from the Las Vegas GP.
Even in the most recent race, the Qatar GP, Piastri and McLaren fumbled what should have been an easy win after not pitting during a safety car, when his colleagues did so.
Norris, on the other hand, has been doing well since the Dutch GP, winning two races and earning a podium place in another three.
Norris benefited from Piastri’s unfortunate stretch of races, and he performed really well.
The only blemish during this stretch was the Azerbaijan GP, where Norris finished seventh, and the Las Vegas GP where he was disqualified with Piastri.
Verstappen during this eight-race stretch has been on fire, carving a 104-point deficit to only 12, partly due to winning five grands prix and podiuming in the other three.
Verstappen has the speed to get the job done and has been in positions like this before. In the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, he passed Lewis Hamilton on the last lap to win his first championship.
So how does each driver win a championship?
If Norris podiums or finishes above Verstappen and Piastri, he wins the championship. If Norris doesn’t finish in the points, Verstappen cannot finish on the podium and Piastri cannot finish third or higher.
If Verstappen wins, Norris cannot fall below third place and Piastri will be out. If Verstappen finishes second, Norris can’t fall below seventh and Piastri below second. Finally, if Verstappen finishes third, Norris can’t fall below eighth and Piastri below first.
If Verstappen finishes above Norris and Piastri but below the podium, he will not win the championship.
If Piastri wins the race, Norris cannot fall below fifth and Verstappen couldn’t fall below third and if he places second, Norris can’t finish below ninth and Verstappen below third.
If Piastri finishes above Norris and Verstappen but does finish third or lower, he cannot win the championship.
It will be an interesting race with many different outcomes as the fastest drivers on the grid hit the track. Viewers can tune in on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 8 a.m.