Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen enter the final race with the championship wide open after team errors and late-season momentum shifted the entire battle.
The Formula One season will end in Abu Dhabi with a rare three-way fight for the world champions. Lando Norris leads the standings, Max Verstappen has forced his way back into contention, and Oscar Piastri still has a narrow chance, but only if the final race delivers the chaos that has kept this season unpredictable.
Piastri arrives with the steepest climb. Sixteen points behind his McLaren teammate, the Australian must finish first or second to stay in the hunt, and then hope that Norris ends his day outside the top positions. His challenge comes after a run of missed chances, including a costly team decision in Qatar that handed Verstappen a victory and pushed Piastri further back.
Verstappen, meanwhile, has turned a season that once looked lost into a late surge. Upgrades brought by Red Bull after the summer break transformed his car and revived his confidence. He has won five of the last eight races and now sits only twelve points behind Norris, a gap that leaves him close enough to attack if the race becomes chaotic or if McLaren stumbles again.
Norris still controls his own destiny, but recent errors have placed unexpected weight on his final drive. McLaren’s missteps in the past two rounds, a strategy mistake in Qatar and a disqualification in Las Vegas, allowed Verstappen to close the gap dramatically. Norris must finish ahead of both rivals or claim a podium to secure the first title of his career.
The last time a season ended with this level of uncertainty was 2010, and Abu Dhabi has already staged one highly debated decider in 2021. With all three contenders capable of winning the race, the 2025 title now depends on who avoids mistakes, who handles the pressure, and whether the finale delivers the same level of drama that has defined this unusual season.
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