Of the three drivers, Norris is the only one who controls his destiny in the season’s final race. With a finish on the podium, Norris will win his first Drivers’ Championship, regardless of where Verstappen and Piastri finish. Norris can still win the Championship if he finishes off the podium, but would then need some help from his rivals.

A remarkable situation exists where all three drivers - Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri - are currently tied with seven Grand Prix wins each heading into the final race. This means the count of first-place finishes alone cannot break a tie if none of the three contenders win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

For the first time since 2010, the Formula 1 drivers' championship comes down to three drivers at the season finale. Here's how each one could win it.

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton crashed in the final practice of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of qualifying.

McLaren's Lando Norris discusses all the ups and all the downs ahead of F1's 2025 season showdown in Abu Dhabi, in this exclusive interview

F1 will crown its 2025 world drivers’ champion at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon - we just don’t know yet who it will be. Red Bull’s reigning four-time champion Max Verstappen and McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are all in the race to claim the title in a gripping climax to the season.

Both drivers are in a battle with Max Verstappen for the F1 title in Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton famously approached then McLaren chief Ron Dennis at an awards ceremony to tell him that “one day I want to be Formula 1 World Champion in your car”. Like Lindblad has delivered on his promise, Hamilton did also back then by winning his maiden world championship with McLaren in 2008.