F1
Norris, Verstappen, Piastri: all the possible scenarios for the F1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi
© DPPI
For the first time in 15 years, three drivers are in contention for the title as the final of the world championship approaches. Formula 1In 2010, four men were even in contention for the crown in the final round in Abu Dhabi: Fernando AlonsoMark Webber, Sebastian Hag et Lewis HamiltonAt the time, the German ultimately won. This year, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen et Oscar piastri will attempt to clinch the title this Sunday at Yas Marina. The race will start at 14 p.m. (Paris time) and will be broadcast live with commentary on AUTOhebdo.fr.
A strategic error by the Papayas during the Qatar Grand Prix effectively pushed the championship outcome to the final race of the season: on lap seven, a collision between Nico Hulkenberg et Pierre Gasly neutralized the race. While all the teams called their drivers back to the pits, McLaren He, for his part, attempted a risky – and ill-advised – gamble by leaving both his cars on the track. A fatal choice: this decision handed Verstappen a clear path to victory, a decisive turning point for the awarding of the win, and potentially for the outcome of the season.
ALSO READ > Qatar GP: Verstappen's perfect move, the title will be decided in Abu Dhabi
In what situations can Lando Norris become champion?
While he could have clinched the title at the Qatar Grand Prix, Lando Norris heads into the final round of the 2025 F1 season with only a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen, winner of the Losail Grand Prix, and 16 over his teammate Oscar Piastri, winner of the Qatar Sprint. Having been outqualified by Verstappen, Norris will start from second place this Sunday.
The Briton will be crowned F1 world champion if:
- He finished on the podium.
- He finishes fourth or fifth and Max Verstappen does not win the race.
- He finished sixth and neither of his two rivals won the Grand Prix.
- He finishes seventh or eighth, Max Verstappen finishes third or lower and Oscar Piastri does not win.
- He finishes ninth, his teammate second at best, and Verstappen does not make it onto the podium.
- He finishes tenth or scores no points, his teammate is third or lower, Max Verstappen is not on the podium.
In what situations can Max Verstappen become champion?
After a historic comeback since the Dutch Grand Prix, where he trailed by 104 points, Max Verstappen has unexpectedly returned to the title race. He has since won five Grands Prix and finished on the podium three times. The Dutch driver has thus reduced the gap to the championship leader to just 12 points and has emerged as a genuine title contender, especially since he will start from pole position this Sunday.
Max Verstappen will win a fifth consecutive title if:
- He wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Lando Norris finishes fourth.
- He finished second ahead of Lando Norris in eighth or lower and Oscar Piastri in third at most.
- He finished third, Oscar Piastri did not win and Lando Norris finished ninth at best.
ALSO READ > Abu Dhabi GP – Qualifying: Max Verstappen untouchable, Lando Norris 2nd
In what circumstances can Oscar Piastri become champion?
Oscar Piastri is the third and final contender for the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship title. The Australian, who had led the championship since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, ultimately lost his advantage to Lando Norris after the latter's victory in Mexico. The number 81 driver, who had seemed to be struggling since his accident in Baku, Azerbaijan, appears to have rediscovered his form. He had an excellent weekend in Qatar: pole position and victory in the Sprint race, as well as pole position for the Grand Prix. However, his team's decision to deploy the safety car cost him any hope of victory on Sunday, leaving him stunned at the finish. All is not lost for the Aussie, even though he will start the lowest of the three on the grid this Sunday.
Oscar Piastri will win his first world championship title if:
- He wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and his teammate finishes only sixth.
- He finishes second, Max Verstappen is not on the podium and Lando Norris finishes tenth at best.
🏆 The F1 World Championship standings before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
F1 2025 Ranking – Drivers
1) Lando Norris (McLaren) – 408 points
2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 396 points
3) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 392 points
4) George Russell (Classic Mercedes for sale) – 309 points
5) Charles Leclerc (Classic Ferrari for sale) – 230 points
6) Lewis Hamilton (Classic Ferrari for sale) – 152 points
7) Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Classic Mercedes for sale) – 150 points
8) Alexander albon (Williams) – 73 points
9) Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 64 points
10) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 51 points
11) Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) – 49 points
12) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 48 points
13) Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 41 points
14) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 38 points
15) Yuki tsunoda (Red Bull) – 33 points
16) Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 32 points
17) Lance stroll (Aston Martin) – 32 points
18) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 22 points
19) Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 19 points
20) Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
21) Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points
F1 2025 Ranking – Manufacturers
1) 🏆 McLaren – 800 points
2) Mercedes – 459 points
3) Red Bull – 426 points
4) Ferrari – 382 points
5) Williams – 137 points
6) Racing Bulls – 92 points
7) Aston Martin – 80 points
8) Haas – 73 points
9) Sauber – 68 points
10) Alpine - 22 points
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Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)
07/12/2025 at 05:00 a.m.
Hey Brid Get, as you say… Forza… Max 👍. He'll do everything to win this race 🏆 ‼️‼️ In any case, thank goodness he's here, an exceptional end to the season. To everyone… an incredible race awaits us… and Brid Get, have a great day… 🫶, and can't wait… to see the start! alainkf1@pt.lu 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 😎👀👍👀🏁🍾
Brid Get
06/12/2025 at 08:56 a.m.
Absolutely, Alain... Fingers crossed!!... Forza Max!!!
vincent moyet
05/12/2025 at 11:38 a.m.
Yes, one can imagine McLaren asking Piastri to step aside after he's had his chance and if Verstappen is leading towards the finish. But that's turning into a dirty game: all sweet talk in public and favoritism behind the scenes. By playing this hypocritical game, McLaren is creating a toxic internal atmosphere for itself.
Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)
03/12/2025 at 06:54 a.m.
This is simply a scandal… on McLaren's part! Sacrificing… Oscar… it makes no sense anymore…! I hope… that Max… will be… Champion. 😎👀👎👀👎🤨
Yves-Henri RANDIER
03/12/2025 at 05:35 a.m.
McLaren has broken its famous Papaya Rules by "openly" favoring Norris, as Piastri will give up his seat in FP1 to O'Ward for the Abu Dhabi finale! Remarkable timing for the Aussie... let's hope he won't be deprived of FP2 and FP3 in favor of Fornaroli and Verschoor, both recently integrated into the McLaren program!! You wouldn't believe what McLaren might do for Piastri, 🤣🤣
vincent moyet
01/12/2025 at 11:46 a.m.
I would add that Piastri's refusal to play as a team player is unacceptable, and for the team to accept this borders on amateurish. A young driver in his third F1 season who saw himself as champion too soon and suffered a mental breakdown shouldn't be dictating terms to his team at the risk of costing them the title.
vincent moyet
01/12/2025 at 11:35 a.m.
Statistically, the collision is a good thing since they haven't managed it yet, but with enough trying, they'll get there eventually. Sarcasm aside, it's primarily the disastrous driver management that's responsible. At this stage of the championship, and after the last two calamitous races, with one of the two drivers having virtually no chance while the other remains in the lead, they're not playing with fire anymore. My opinion is that McLaren doesn't trust either of its drivers (given their string of blunders), and is always trying to keep the other driver in reserve if one of them makes a mistake. But by trying to have their cake and eat it too, they've only favored Verstappen. And by playing this game, you end up with two drivers constantly taking points from each other, and we can see the result. And the team has put itself under immense pressure by missing match point after match point, and is now making mistake after mistake. This atmosphere isn't reassuring for a driver; it's actually having the opposite effect. You can feel they're on the verge of a nervous breakdown because it's becoming so unbearable. Ultimately, this is the first time this version of McLaren has been in contention for a title, and they're completely unprepared for it.
Yves-Henri RANDIER
01/12/2025 at 05:44 a.m.
After two disappointing weekends in this Triple Header, what will McLaren have in store for us (a real Rosberg/Hamilton-style collision in Barcelona 2016?) to completely mess up the final weekend and allow Verstappen to clinch a fifth consecutive world title? I'm very curious to see what Zak Brown has in store for us in Abu Dhabi.
vincent moyet
01/12/2025 at 05:14 a.m.
I don't know if the scenarios take into account the possibility of a tie in points, but in any case, if one of the three contenders wins the final Grand Prix, they will have one more victory than the others (since they each have seven). Therefore, in the event of a tie, it's either the number of victories or the quality of the results that determines the winner.