Formula 1 World Championship down to 3 drivers in 2025 finale

ABU DHABI — After 23 races, spanning nearly nine months and five continents, the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship is down to three drivers in the season finale.

McLaren’s Lando Norris leads the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship by 12 points over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and 16 over teammate Oscar Piastri, coming into the Dec. 7 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale race.

In just nine races, since the Dutch Grand Prix where Piastri and Verstappen finished 1-2 as Norris finished 18th, Verstappen gained 108 points on Piastri and 58 points on Norris — who gained 46 points on Piastri.

After his Dutch GP win, Piastri led the standings by 34 over Norris and 104 over Verstappen. Now, Piastri is behind both of them after this stretch:

Max Verstappen hasn’t finished off of the podium since August, making him the favorite for the title coming into the finale. However, practice showed Lando Norris is not going to go down without a fight.

Norris topped Verstappen in both practices but Verstappen closed the gap, lagging by 0.363-of-a-second in FP1 and then just 0.008 in FP2.

Meanwhile, Piastri clocked in 11th in FP1, almost seven tenths off of Norris, before having to hand the car to INDYCAR star Pato O’Ward in FP2.

McLaren stated they will use team orders if it becomes apparent one driver is going to win the title over another. Early on, that appears to be Norris.

Norris was going to be the favorite, no matter how practice went. He won last year’s race after leading every lap, one-upping Max Verstappen’s effort the year before where he won but spent six laps not out in front.

F1 World Championship Clinching Scenarios 2025

With a podium finish (third or better), Norris can win the championship no matter what Verstappen does.

• Ex: If Norris finished fourth (13 points) and Verstappen won (25 points), Verstappen would win the title by a point

Meanwhile, Verstappen has to finish on the podium to keep his championship hopes alive:

• If Verstappen finished third (15 points) and Norris finished 11th (no points), Verstappen would win by three points
  • If he finished fourth (12 points) and Norris finished 11th, Norris would win on a tiebreaker.

Here’s how the clinching scenarios break down for Norris based on Verstappen’s finishing position:

• If Verstappen finishes second (18 points):
  • Norris can finish no worse than seventh (6 points)
    • Norris would win tiebreaker with equal wins (7) but more second-place finishes (8 vs. 6)
• If Verstappen finishes third (15 points):
  • Norris can finish no worse than eighth (4 points)

However, Verstappen and Norris still have to watch out for Oscar Piastri. With a 16-point deficit to Norris, Piastri must finish better than second (18 points) to get the championship. Finishing third (15 points) won’t be enough:

• If Piastri wins while Verstappen finishes second and Norris finishes sixth or worse, then Piastri would get the title.
• If Piastri finished second while Verstappen finished fourth or worse and Norris finished 10th or worse, Piastri would get the title.

All three drivers each have seven wins this season.

F1 2025 World Championship Finale Weekend Schedule at Abu Dhabi

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com