The 2025 F1 Season Approaches Its Conclusion

So, what kind of finale are we going to witness?

Max Verstappen’s win at the Qatar Grand Prix keeps his hopes alive for a fifth straight Drivers’ Championship. As the series heads to Yas Marina for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, three drivers are still in contention for the title. Lando Norris currently holds the lead with 408 points, while Verstappen follows closely in second place with 396 points, and Oscar Piastri is right behind with 392 points.

This marks the first instance since 2010 where more than one driver is mathematically eligible for the title in the final race of the season. Back then, four drivers were vying for the championship in Abu Dhabi: Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber (managed by Piastri), and Fernando Alonso.

Vettel clinched the title that year, thanks to a victory combined with the results of others in the race.

Now, as we gear up for the title showdown, it’s interesting to revisit a survey about how the championship race unfolded this fall. Our first poll occurred at the end of the summer, right before the Dutch Grand Prix. At that time, Piastri was leading with 284 points, closely followed by Norris with 275 points.

Verstappen was in third, quite a ways off—97 points behind.

In that initial survey, only Piastri and Norris were featured, with Piastri garnering 58% of the votes.

Fast forward to early October, after the Singapore Grand Prix, and things shifted a bit. Verstappen finished second in Singapore, and a string of podium finishes brought him back into the race. Following that Grand Prix, Piastri still led with 336 points, while Norris had 314, and Verstappen was in striking distance at 273 points—63 points away from Piastri.

Even so, he still trailed Piastri in the voting.

Then came the American Grand Prix, where Verstappen dominated. He took both the F1 sprint race and the main event in Austin. After leaving Texas, Piastri’s lead shrunk to just 14 points over Norris and now only 40 points ahead of Verstappen.

Interestingly, Verstappen’s attitude shifted during that week. When we first met on Thursday, he mentioned he would “just take it race by race” and believed he actually had a chance to make a comeback by Sunday night, which he certainly did.

So, here’s a final thought: Who’s going to take the Drivers’ Championship in 2025? Can Verstappen bounce back after a tough start? Will Norris seal the deal in Abu Dhabi? Or could Piastri swoop in for his inaugural championship victory?