CALCULATIONS What are the conditions for Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, respectively Oscar Piastri to become world champions in Abu Dhabi, this last Formula 1 weekend

Ashley Davis2 weeks ago

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Article by Sergiu Alexandru, Daniel Grigore – Published Tuesday, 02 December 2025, 11:04 / Updated Tuesday, 02 December 2025 11:05

Max Verstappen goes into Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with high ambitions, with the chance to fight for his fifth Formula One world championship. The victory of the Dutchman in Qatar closed the gap on leader Lando Norris to just 12 points and propelled him ahead of Oscar Piastri by 4 points, setting the stage for a dramatic finale at the Yas Marina circuit.

Lando Norris will secure his first title if he finishes ahead of both rivals Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, or if he finishes on the podium (third or higher).
Verstappen should win and hope Norris finishes off the podium.
Piastri, 16 points adrift of first place, would need victory and Norris to finish no higher than sixth.
The last time Verstappen entered a decisive final in Abu Dhabi was in 2021, when he was tied on points with Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen approaches the final with nothing to lose, given that he was not expected to be a title contender for most of this season, The Guardian notes.

“I'm excited, I'm happy to go there and try,” he said. “I'm going with a positive energy. I'm going to try my best, but at the same time, if I don't win, I know I've had an amazing season anyway. So it doesn't really matter. That takes a lot of the pressure off. I'm just out there to feel good, like I did on Sunday.”

“I know that when I get in the car, I always try to maximize everything I can. And that's what I'll try to do in Abu Dhabi as well. A race like the one in Qatar shows that when you think it's going to be boring and predictable, it's not. I hope it's the same in Abu Dhabi,” added Verstappen, according to the quoted source.

“We've won races where maybe we shouldn't have, like on Sunday, by making the right decision as a team. Of course, it's still up to me to execute everything in the best possible way, but this is a real team effort.”

“The way I work with my race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, and the guys at the back, the whole team very close to me, I think we're very well integrated and we know exactly what we need to ask from each other. That probably also helps when you're in a battle like this, when you're not the fastest, but you're still maximizing almost everything you've got,” concluded the Red Bull driver.