From left: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri Thursday ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. (FIA photo)

By Thomas Hughes, SWN Staff Writer

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (Dec. 4, 2025) – With the 2025 Formula 1 season barreling toward a dramatic conclusion, the drivers’ championship remains tantalizingly unresolved.

Only one race stands between the current field and crowning its newest title holder, and with three drivers still mathematically capable of claiming the title, the next 72 hours promise to be intense.

The three challengers looking to assume championship glory? A pair of McLarens, driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and the ever-lurking Oracle Red Bull Racing No. 1 car, piloted by Dutchman Max Verstappen – the reigning world champion four seasons running.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix threw the championship battle into chaos, paving the way for the current-day scenario. Both McLaren drivers were disqualified after it was found that both their machines’ skids had undergone too much wear, a dramatic turn that erased what could have been crucial points for the papaya squad.

Their misfortune has left Verstappen in a unique position. Verstappen has clear momentum but remains behind and needs a stumble from Norris to seize championship No. 5. The simple math: if Norris finishes on the podium Sunday, the title is his to hoist.

Whether Verstappen can seize this opportunity or if a late twist will shake up the field again remains one of the incoming race’s most compelling questions.

The Qatar Grand Prix also played a magnanimous role in the title fight being as close as it is now, where a tire strategy setback pushed McLaren back from Verstappen and allowed the Dutchman to carve out more points from Norris and Piastri’s advantage. Delayed first stops and slow service cost Piastri and Norris further positions.

Piastri switched to hard tires instead of soft, while Norris rejoined behind his rivals, struggling en route to a fourth-place finish while Piastri bounced back to finish second.

Now, Piastri enters the final race in third place in the championship, as Verstappen assumed the silver spot in the title race and sits ahead of Piastri by four points.

For McLaren, the Vegas setback and Qatar blunder was a bitter blow after a season that had shown so many flashes of brilliance. Both Norris and Piastri have accumulated seven wins this season; their combined performance had made them serious threats to Verstappen’s lingering dominance.

Piastri himself has stumbled mightily as of late, having led by as many as 34 prior to struggling through a six-race stretch without a podium. That stretch ended last week when he finished second in Qatar.

As the season heads to its final stop, Piastri is third in the title hunt, trailing behind both Norris and Verstappen. Piastri isn’t worried, however.

“I’m relaxed,” Piastri said during Thursday’s media day. “I’ve been on the opposite side of the championship battle in the junior categories and I know what that felt [like]. It was pretty tough. Coming into it from the least to lose out of us three is quite different for me. I think off the back of Qatar, I’ve got a lot of confidence that I can perform well. 

“Obviously, I need a fair few things to happen this weekend to come out champion, but I’ll just make sure I’m in the right place at the right time and see what happens.”

It actually isn’t as complicated as Piastri’s words suggest. If the Aussie wins in Abu Dhabi and his teammate is sixth or worse, Piastri will improbably come from behind to be champion.

Verstappen also isn’t perturbed much, despite sitting about half a race back of title leader Norris. Having claimed four championships, his focus is elsewhere.

“I’m very relaxed, nothing to lose,” Verstappen stated on Thursday. “I’m just enjoying being here, but for me it’s not even about being here. I’ve been enjoying the second half of the season, working with the team and how we’ve been able to turn things around from difficult times.”

Verstappen has come on strong as of late, piling on five wins in the past eight races to roar back into the frame. This comes despite being more than 100 points behind former championship leader Piastri during the tail end of the summer months.

But Verstappen conceded that since he isn’t coming into the weekend leading the championship, a portion of Sunday’s outcome rests outside his own control.

“[We’ve gone from] having a debrief after the race, feeling very disappointed and frustrated with the performances, to just enjoying, smiling, having these wins again,” Verstappen said. “It’s fantastic, so I’ll just take it. To me everything here is just a bonus and sitting here fighting for the title. That’s also what makes it really straightforward for me.

“We will just try to have a good weekend, but even then, it’s not really in my control, so I guess I’ll just try to enjoy it.”

And then there’s Norris. While the British driver has claimed just two victories in the past nine races, circumstances have favored him in the title hunt. Piastri has not won since Round 15 in the Netherlands, leaving a window for Norris to regain the points lead.

Heading into the season’s final stop, all three championship contenders — Norris, Verstappen and Piastri — stand tied with seven wins apiece.

Norris gets the nod in the event of a tie with Verstappen, on a double tiebreaker with seven runner-up finishes to Verstappen’s five, as there’s no way for Piastri to land in a tie with either driver.

“If it doesn’t go my way, I’ll try again next year,” Norris said. “It’ll hurt probably for a little while, then that’s life, we’ll crack on and try and do better next season. “I also feel the mentality of having nothing to lose, because it’s just a race, for a championship, but in 30 years’ time I probably won’t think of it that much either way.” 

Norris admitted how much the championship would mean to him, remarking that it would be the culmination of a life’s journey.

“It would mean everything,” Norris said. “It would mean my life until now has been a success and I’ve accomplished that dream I had when I was a kid. Other than that, I don’t know what else to probably say. It’s a reward for a lot of hard work that goes into things, and I think it goes to whoever deserves it most.”

In terms of points numbers, Norris enters Abu Dhabi as the clear favorite, sitting atop the standings with 408 points, 12 ahead of Verstappen (396) and 16 ahead of Piastri (392).

But as we’ve seen down the stretch, anything is – and continues to be – possible until the final checkered flag. 

The F1 season finale will unfold at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 8 a.m. ET. Broadcast coverage airs live and commercial-free in the United States on ESPN.

The circuit’s tight corners create sparing opportunities for daring overtakes but leave little margin for error, and with the championship hanging in the balance, qualifying is likely to play a magnanimous role in who lifts the championship trophy after Sunday’s showdown.

The three-part qualifying session starts at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 6, with U.S. coverage on ESPN2.