In three days we should know the identity of the 2025 Drivers’ Champion after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
I say “must” because we’ve been here before for a showdown that was anything but settled when the checkered flag fell. But if there’s one outcome that every Formula 1 fan is almost certainly hoping for, it’s that this is a championship determined solely by the actions of the teams and drivers involved.
2021 may not bring back memories that many want to relive, but the occasion marked the start of Max Verstappen’s ongoing streak of titles, which could increase to five if the results go his way on Sunday.
The mere fact that Verstappen is still in the picture is quite remarkable, but however we got here, he is the only one of the three drivers in contention for the title who can say the outcome of the weekend won’t change his life, and you believe him.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are both going for their first championships, and to be able to call yourself world champion is life-changing. To what extent is debatable, but it is certainly the lowest degree for Verstappen to potentially go from four titles to five. However, don’t doubt his desire to win. The way he keeps reminding the two McLaren drivers how little he thought about winning the title is a tactic in itself. He lets them know that he doesn’t feel any pressure given his position, and that it’s up to them not to let it slip away this year.
“I spent some time with my daughter, thought up some things for GT3 for next year, also thought up some things for my sim team, making plans for next year…” Verstappen said this week about his preparations. “So, honestly, just pretty basic stuff before you get here.
“No, my parents aren’t here. My dad is rallying in Africa. And my mom – I guess it wasn’t planned. I mean, I didn’t really plan on staying in the title fight until the end either! So here we are.”
“I think everything was canceled a bit after Zandvoort, I would say. My mother is happy with the dogs at home. You see a lot on TV anyway.”
However, much depends on the outcome for Verstappen, who could become only the second driver in history to win five championships in a row, equaling Michael Schumacher’s record from 2000-2004 with Ferrari. And perhaps it will be his last chance for success at Red Bull, if the new regulations – and especially the power unit project – prove to be a challenge for the team.
Compare Verstappen’s reaction to both Norris and Piastri, who will have their parents and friends present at the final race, and Verstappen is not trying to make the weekend look more important than any other. But as Fernando Alonso – a veteran of multiple World Cup battles – points out, that is never the case.
“It’s difficult because from yesterday you do a few events and today in the media it’s always the same question. Even if you want to turn it off and treat it like a normal weekend, there are always inputs from outside that remind you that it’s a very special race,” Alonso said.
“So it’s definitely more stress, more pressure. But ultimately I think when you close the visor and leave the garage, your driving style or driving technique and your desire to do well and win the race doesn’t change much. So it’s not like you’re driving differently. I think it’s going to be a normal weekend [for them] in the car, outside the next weekend.
“You always think that the leader has an advantage because he has some margin in terms of results, and you can take it a bit easier. But Formula 1 is unpredictable. In 2010 it was a safety car and it was the wrong choice not to take it. It was a safety car last week, also a wrong choice not to take it. But these things can happen in a Formula 1 race, so it is not guaranteed, even if you lead the championship.”
“There’s always a few games. When you see your opponents, on track in FP1, FP2, media comments today. You try to put the pressure on the other side. You meet at the driver briefing. There’s definitely a different body language, for the three of them.”
Norris may be the obvious favorite, but that adds to the burden of expectations. Clive Mason/Getty Images
Alonso is right to say the leading driver will get the most support, with Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Isack Hadjar all predicting Norris will take the title. Norris also has the added luxury of potentially being helped by Piastri if his teammate is third, ahead of Norris in fourth and Verstappen on the verge of winning. But whether team orders would be implemented in that scenario remains to be seen.
“Honestly, I would love it, but I don’t think I would ask,” Norris said. “Because… I don’t know, it’s up to Oscar if he would allow it, you know? I don’t think it’s necessarily up to me.”
“It’s the same thing if it’s the other way around. Would I want that or not? Personally, I think I would, just because I feel like I’m always like that, and that’s just how I am. But that’s not really up to me. I’m not going to ask. I don’t want to ask it because I don’t necessarily think it’s a fair question.”
“And at the same time, if it ends like this and Max wins, then that’s it. Congratulations to him and I’m looking forward to next year. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change my life. So he’ll deserve it over us.”
But despite Norris’s protests, it happened shall change his life. And while he initially insisted he “doesn’t really care” if the title doesn’t come to him, he admitted on Thursday he knows becoming world champion for the first time will change his life.
“I think this has been my whole life. It’s everything I’ve been working on my whole life,” Norris said. “So it would mean the world to me. It would mean the world to everyone who has supported me and pushed me for the last time, what is that, about 16 years of my life in terms of trying to get to this point. So it would mean the world. It would mean that my life has been a success so far, and that I have achieved the dream that I had when I was a kid.”
The third driver in the mix – Piastri – needs a swing of sixteen points to take the title and in that sense has much less expectations on his shoulders than his teammate. But he recognizes the weight that Norris will feel as a driver who has everything in his own hands and, like Verstappen, is subliminally able to shift the pressure elsewhere.
“I’m relaxed,” Piastri said. “I’ve been on the other side of the battle for the championship in the junior categories. I know how that felt and it was quite tough. So for us to come into it as the lowest and lose among the three of us, that’s very different for me.
“After Qatar I am very confident that I can perform well. Obviously a lot of things have to happen this weekend to become champion, but I will just make sure I am in the right place at the right time and see what happens.”
As Alonso said, media commentary plays a role in the build-up to the final race, and as simple as Verstappen can be, the Dutchman knows that making himself appear calmer and unfazed than his rivals could work to his advantage as McLaren attempts to put a definitive end to its comeback.
“I am very relaxed,” said Verstappen. “Nothing to lose. So I’m just enjoying being here. But for me it’s not even about being here. I’ve enjoyed the second half of the season, working with the team, how we’ve been able to turn around from tough times and really have a debrief after the race, being very disappointed and frustrated with the performance to just enjoy and smile. It’s fantastic to get these wins again.”
“So I’ll just take it. Everything here is just a bonus because I’m here fighting for the title. So that makes it very simple for me too. We’ll just try to have a good weekend. But even then, it’s not really in my control. So we’ll just try to enjoy it.”
Enjoying it will be very difficult for all three. Luckily, it’s much easier for those of us watching.
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