Editor’s Note: This article was written prior to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which took place on December 7, 2025. Lando Norris took home the F1 championship despite Max Verstappen’s victory in Abu Dhabi with a time of 1:26:07.469.
With only one race left in the season, the 2025 F1 Driver’s World Championship is coming to a close with a three-way title fight between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. This season has been a wild ride with unexpected twists and exciting wins across races. With Lando Norris (McLaren) at 408 points, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) at 396 points and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) at 392 points, it all comes down to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Dec. 7 to determine who will take home the title as world champion.
Looking back on this season’s highlights, Verstappen had an especially great run. The Dutchman made a significant comeback, going from 104 points behind Piastri in the Driver’s Championship standings to battling it out for the championship title. Verstappen also broke records for having the fastest lap in Monza history for pole and for the fastest Grand Prix ever during the Italian Grand Prix. The Las Vegas Grand Prix turned out to be a critical race during the season as well, with Verstappen securing first-place finish that earned him a fighting chance in the final. Norris had an electrifying home win during the British Grand Prix, securing P1 amidst weather problems. On the contrary, Ferrari had a more difficult season.
“[We] did a worse job than the others,” Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur said following strategy issues and car malfunctions.
They weren’t the only team that found itself at the center of controversy, as Red Bull was also involved in a scandal following the British Grand Prix. MotorSport reported that former Principal Christian Horner was dropped from the team immediately. Horner had served as Red Bull Racing’s team principal and CEO for 20 years, but was replaced by Laurent Mekies due to tensions within the team. Complaints about Horner’s inability to keep the team united and misconduct allegations eventually led to his removal. This decision, made halfway through the season, led to much public interest regarding how this would impact the rest of Red Bull’s season.
Now, though, all eyes are placed on Norris, Verstappen and Piastri, as fans continue to speculate on who will win the 2025 F1 world title. The current crowd favorite is Norris, with many predicting that he will be able to pull through and secure his first championship. Piastri has a lot of ground to cover in order to get his lead back, but he could be critical to McLaren’s quest to secure a win. Meanwhile, Verstappen has won four consecutive F1 championship titles in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 and with his excellent season so far, it is possible for Verstappen to make one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history and win a fifth F1 championship title.
Throughout the three-way fight, there have been internal pressures within McLaren between Norris and Piastri. A significant factor to this race will be the teamwork (or lack thereof) between the two F1 stars. In a potential scenario where Verstappen finds himself ahead the race with Piastri in third and Norris in fourth, the only way to stop the Red Bull driver from winning would be if Piastri let Norris slide ahead to finish in third place.
During an ESPN interview with Norris and Piastri, Norris commented on this scenario.
“No, [this has] not been discussed. Honestly, I mean, I would love it! But I don’t think I would ask it because… I don’t know… It’s up to Oscar if he would allow it, you know. I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me,” Norris said.
Jumping ahead to next year, the F1 grid is undergoing some changes with Cadillac joining as the 11th team in the championship. Kick Sauber will also be transitioning into the Audi Fomula 1 Team. Isack Hadjar will join Red Bull, an upgrade from his former seat at the Racing Bulls. Rookie Arvid Lindblad will move from Formula 2 to take over Hadjar’s spot at the Racing Bulls. The confirmed 2026 grid, according to Formula 1, is as follows:
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto
Haas: Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman
Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad
Williams: Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz
Audi: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
Cadillac: Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas
Overall, the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks the final battle of this competitive F1 championship season, as three drivers fight for the championship title for the first time in fifteen years of F1 history. As Norris, Verstappen and Piastri face off on the track, this race also marks a new year of F1 on the horizon, with new lineups and competitors entering the 2026 grid.
