Possible championship situations for Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri

Now that there’s a brief pause…

I’m eager for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen’s win in the Qatar Grand Prix kept his hopes alive for a fifth F1 Drivers’ Championship, despite McLaren’s misstep with not bringing Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in under the safety car on lap seven. As we approach the season finale, Norris, Verstappen, and Piastri are all still vying for the championship.

So, what does each driver need to do to claim the title at Yas Marina?

Let’s break that down.

Current F1 Standings

Here’s where the three title contenders stand:

Norris enters Abu Dhabi with a slight edge—12 points clear of Verstappen and 16 points ahead of Piastri, plus boasting eight second-place finishes. This matters because, in the case of a tie, the first tiebreaker is wins, followed by second places, and so forth until a champion is decided.

In an unlikely scenario where Norris ends up tied with either Verstappen or Piastri, if neither wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he would still take the championship based on his second-place finishes this season, giving him the edge.

How Lando Norris Can Win the F1 Title

Let’s examine how Norris could secure his first F1 Drivers’ Championship.

Not only does Norris have the upper hand heading to Yas Marina, but he’s also in control of his own fate. If he secures a podium finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he’ll clinch the title no matter where Verstappen and Piastri land.

The current standings suggest that if Verstappen comes in fourth or lower and Piastri is third or lower, Norris could still take the crown even without points. For instance, if Norris fails to score, and Verstappen finishes fourth while Piastri takes third, both Norris and Verstappen would end the season tied at 408 points, with Piastri just a point behind at 407.

Interestingly, if both Norris and Verstappen end up with seven wins, the championship will hinge on Norris’s additional second-place finishes.

How Max Verstappen Can Win the F1 Title

Next, let’s explore how Verstappen can pull off what would be quite a comeback to claim his fifth Drivers’ Championship.

Verstappen’s path to a fifth title is rather narrow at this point.

He needs a podium finish for a shot at the championship. If he comes in fourth, he’ll be tied with Norris points-wise. In a scenario where both end up tied without Verstappen winning, Norris would take the lead thanks to his higher second-place count.

Even if Verstappen secures a podium position, he still requires other outcomes to fall in his favor. If he wins at Yas Marina, it likely guarantees him the title — unless Norris finishes lower than fourth. This win would push Verstappen’s total to 421 points, while Norris could finish with 420 if he comes in fourth.

In this case, even if Piastri manages a second-place finish, he won’t surpass Verstappen since that’ll only raise him to 410 points.

If Verstappen places second or third, the calculations become trickier. For instance, if he finishes second, Norris would need to come in eighth or lower, and he’d require help from Piastri as well. If Verstappen takes third, Norris has to finish at least ninth, while Piastri would need to finish second or lower.

Throughout this season, McLaren has had some great moments, yet Verstappen has seldom encountered bad races — perhaps that’s the luck of the draw. Norris has only stumbled into finishing fourth or lower on a handful of occasions.

How Oscar Piastri Can Win the F1 Title

Piastri’s road to the championship is definitely the most challenging, but not impossible.

Piastri needs to finish either first or second to keep his championship hopes alive. If he crosses the line in the top three, he could finish the season with 407 points.

He would just be one point shy of Norris’ current position.

Even if Piastri finishes in the top two, he’ll require some assistance to win it all. If he secures a win, he’d end with 417 points, automatically taking Verstappen out of contention since he would end up at 414 for second. However, a fifth-place finish might be enough for Norris to still surpass Piastri.

If he comes in second, the title could still go to either Norris or Verstappen. Norris would scoop the championship if he finishes ninth or better, while Verstappen could win if he’s third, assuming Norris lands ninth or lower.

Those are some of the scenarios leading up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix title.

Now we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.