The final Qualifying session of the 2025 F1 season is now in the history books, and the result of the outing has perfectly justified the drama of a historic campaign. While Lewis Hamilton was once again in for disappointment on the track, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri made sure that there was no stone left unturned on their part in Abu Dhabi.
All season long, the McLarens have dominated the proceedings. Still, their dominion has lately been overshadowed by the Verstappen “T-rex” chasing them. And with the Dutchman lining up in pole position for the season finale, here’s taking a look at what result he needs to ensure himself a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship.
How Max Verstappen Needs the Chips To Fall for Him To Be Crowned Champion Once Again
When the 2025 season began, early predictions suggested that a McLaren driver would indeed be crowned the new F1 champion. Norris held the advantage early, as his Australian teammate consistently delivered results to take over the lead.
However, things changed drastically after the summer break this year, with Piastri’s lead quickly fading away. Norris continued to gain ground as the predictions grew stronger that McLaren would clean-sweep the two titles at stake.
However, what many failed to take into consideration was the ‘Verstappen factor’ of Red Bull Racing. The Dutchman has been at his resurgent best since the summer break, biting away at Piastri’s 104-point lead following the Dutch Grand Prix, and now going four points ahead of him in P2.
Heading into the final race weekend of the DRS era, Verstappen sits just 12 points behind Norris in the drivers’ championship, setting his sights on arguably the greatest comebacks in the history of F1.
To tip the scales further in his favor, the No. 1 driver on the grid has taken the pole position for the season finale, with Norris lining up beside him on the front row.
Meanwhile, Piastri will be right behind them in P3, with George Russell hoping to spoil at least one of the drivers’ hopes.
While Verstappen has a huge advantage with a pole position in Abu Dhabi, simply winning the race won’t be enough for the Dutchman to defend his crown. He needs several more factors to fall in his favor to be crowned champion.
Simply put, should the drivers end the race as they start it, Norris will be the 2025 champion. In fact, the Briton will be crowned champion if he finishes on the podium, irrespective of Verstappen’s finish.
For Verstappen to be the champion, not only does he need to win the race, but he also has to see Norris finish outside the podium places to take the championship home.
Piastri’s finish will be inconsequential to Verstappen’s championship hopes, as long as the Australian doesn’t finish ahead of him.
Below is a detailed table of the final points for each championship contender, based on their ultimate finishing position (in points) on Sunday.
Pos. Norris Verstappen Piastri
P1 433 421 417
P2 426 414 410
P3 423 411 407
P4 420 408 404
P5 418 406 402
P6 416 404 400
P7 414 402 398
P8 412 400 396
P9 410 398 394
P10 409 397 393
In case there is a tie between two or three drivers at the end of the day, the driver with the most wins takes the title. And if even that count is the same, then the one with the most second-place finishes (and so on) will take home the championship.
While all that goes on, one thing worth keeping an eye on might be Norris’ disastrous starts to races on several occasions. The Briton hasn’t been the quickest or the cleanest of drivers off the starting line, and it has cost him dearly.
Should that be the case on Sunday, Verstappen might get the advantage he needs by the time the drivers reach Turn 1 of the Yas Marina Circuit.
Furthermore, the ‘Papaya Rules’ of McLaren might also play a part in the outcome, given that the team continues to assert that it will not favor one driver over another.
In that case, whether or not they ask Piastri to concede the position if he’s running P3 and Norris P4 is something only time will tell, but for Verstappen, winning the Abu Dhabi GP remains the best way for him to aim for the title in a historic F1 campaign.
