F1 title permutations: How Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri can win 2025 Drivers’ Championship at season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lando Norris is favorite to win his maiden Formula 1 world title however Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri can steal the championship at Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, so how can all three drivers do it?

F1 Drivers’ Championship

After technique drama in Qatar, Norris is 12 factors forward of Verstappen and 16 factors in entrance of McLaren team-mate Piastri with 25 factors for a win in Sunday’s race on the Yas Marina Circuit.

Verstappen begins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on pole place from Norris in second and Piastri in third.

How Norris can win the title

For Norris, the equation is straightforward – if he’s on the rostrum in Abu Dhabi, he’s world champion it doesn’t matter what his title rivals do.

Should the British driver end fourth although, like he did in Qatar, he would wish Verstappen to not win the race.

If Norris retires, or fails to attain any factors, he would wish Verstappen to be exterior of the rostrum locations and Piastri in third or decrease.

How Verstappen can win the title

Verstappen should be on the rostrum to have any probability of successful a record-equalling fifth consecutive drivers’ title – an accolade held by Michael Schumacher throughout his time at Ferrari.

The Dutchman, who received a controversial title decider in 2021 in opposition to Lewis Hamilton, realistically must win and hope Norris just isn’t on the rostrum.

How Piastri can win the title

Piastri should end within the prime two to have any probability of claiming a primary world title. Even with victory although, he wants team-mate Norris to be sixth or decrease.

Should Piastri end second, the Australian would depend on Norris being tenth or decrease plus Verstappen not being on the rostrum.

What occurs if the highest two are tied on factors?

This might occur in fact. For instance, if Piastri doesn’t win, Verstappen finishes second and Norris is seventh – the latter two can be tied on 414 factors.

We would then go to countback which suggests who has probably the most variety of wins in 2025. Remarkably, Norris, Verstappen and Piastri all have seven victories this season.

That means we then have a look at second locations and Norris is forward right here with eight second locations in comparison with Verstappen on six (together with the one in Abu Dhabi on this situation), whereas Piastri has 4.

In any situation the place Norris is tied together with his title rivals, he’ll come out on prime.

It is inconceivable for Verstappen and Piastri to be tied on factors if they’re the highest two within the championship.

How many occasions has the championship chief not received?

This would be the thirty second event the F1 Drivers’ Championship has gone all the way down to the final race within the sport’s 75-year historical past.

However, solely 9 of these occasions has seen the championship chief going into that race not win the title – Sebastian Vettel in 2010 was the final driver to do this when he overturned a 15-point deficit to Fernando Alonso, having been third within the standings too.

When is the championship trophy given?

The Drivers’ Championship is definitely handed out on the FIA Prize Gala, moderately than the season-finale in Abu Dhabi. That’s the case with the Constructors’ Championship too, which was received by McLaren in October’s Singapore Grand Prix.

This 12 months’s FIA Prize Gala takes place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on December 12.

The 2025 Formula 1 season concludes with the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stay on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime