In three days’ time, we should know the identity of the 2025 drivers’ champion following the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
I say “should”, because we’ve been here before for a showdown that was anything but settled when the checkered flag dropped. But if there’s one outcome that I’m pretty sure every Formula 1 fan is hoping for, it’s that this is a championship that is solely decided by the actions of the teams and drivers involved.
2021 might not invoke memories that many want to relive, but that occasion marked the start of Max Verstappen’s ongoing run of titles that could extend to five if results go his way on Sunday.
The mere fact that Verstappen is still in the frame is quite remarkable, but however we ended up here, he is the only one of the three drivers in with a chance of winning 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 a world champion is life-changing. To what degree can be argued, but it’s certainly the lowest degree for Verstappen to potentially go from four title to five. Don’t doubt his desire to win, though. The manner in which he keeps reminding the two McLaren drivers how little thought he has given to the idea of winning the title is a tactic in itself, informing them that he feels no pressure given his position, and that the onus is on them not to let it slip this year.
“I spent some time with my daughter, figured some stuff out for GT3 for next year, figured out some stuff for my sim team as well, planning for next year…” Verstappen said of his preparations this week. “So just pretty straightforward stuff before arriving here, to be honest.
“No, my parents are not here. My dad is rallying in Africa. And my mom – I guess it was not planned. I mean, I also didn’t really plan to be in the title fight until the end! So, here we are.
“I think after Zandvoort, everything was a bit cancelled, I would say. My mom is at home happy with the dogs. You can see a lot on TV anyway.”
There is a lot riding on the outcome for Verstappen, though, who can become only the second driver in history to win five straight championships, matching Michael Schumacher’s record from 2000-04 with Ferrari. And perhaps it will be his last chance of success with Red Bull, if the new regulations – and particularly the power unit project – prove to be a challenge for the team.
Juxtapose Verstappen’s response with both Norris and Piastri, who will have their parents and friends present for the final race, and Verstappen is trying to make the weekend look no more important than any other. But as Fernando Alonso – a veteran of multiple world championship fights – points out, that’s never the case.
“It’s hard because from yesterday you do a couple of events and today the media, it’s always the same question, and even if you want to switch it off and treat it like a normal weekend, there are always inputs from outside that they remind you that it’s a very special race,” Alonso said.
“So it’s more stress, for sure, more pressure. But at the end of the day, I think when you close the visor and you leave the garage, your driving style or your driving technique and your wish of doing well and winning the race doesn’t change much. So, it’s not that you drive differently. I think it’s going to be a normal weekend [for them] inside the car, different weekend outside.
“Always you think that the leading guy has an advantage because he has some margin in terms of results, and you can take it a little bit easier. But Formula 1 is unpredictable. It was a safety car back in 2010 that it was the wrong choice to not take it. It was a safety car last week, a wrong choice as well not to take it. But these things can happen in a Formula 1 race, so it’s not guaranteed, even if you are leading the championship.
“There’s always a little bit of games. When you see your opponents, on track in FP1, FP2, media comments from today. You try to put the pressure on the other side. You meet at the drivers’ briefing. There is a different body language for sure, for the three of them.”
Norris might be the obvious favorite, but that adds to the burden of expectations. Clive Mason/Getty Images
Alonso is right that the leading driver is getting the most backing, 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 running third ahead of Norris in fourth and Verstappen is set to win. But whether that scenario would see team orders implemented remains to be seen.
“Honestly, I would love it, but I don’t think I would ask it,” 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 down to me.
“It’s the same if it’s the other way around. Would I be willing to 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 it’s not really up to me. I’m not going to ask it. I don’t want to ask it because I don’t think it’s necessarily a fair question.
“And at the same time, if that’s how it ends and Max wins, then well, that’s it. Congrats to him and I look forward to next year. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change my life. So, he will deserve it over us.”
Yet despite Norris’ protestations, it will change his life. And although he initially insisted “I’m not too bothered” if the title doesn’t come his way, on Thursday he admitted he knows it will change his life if he is to become world champion for the first time.
“I think this has been my whole life – It’s everything I’ve worked towards my whole life,” Norris said. “So, it would mean the world to me. It would mean the world to everyone that’s supported me and pushed me for the last, what is it, like 16 years of my life in terms of trying to get to this point. So, it would mean everything. It would mean my life until now has been a success, and I’ve accomplished that dream I had when I was a kid.”
The third driver in the mix – Piastri – needs a 16-point swing to take the title, and in that sense has far less expectation on his shoulders compared to his teammate. But he acknowledges the weight that Norris will be feeling as the driver with it all 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 opposite side of the championship battle in the junior categories – I know what that felt and it was pretty tough. So, coming into it from the least to lose out of us three is quite different for me.
“Off the back of Qatar, I’ve got a lot of confidence that I can perform well. Obviously, I need a fair few things to happen this weekend to come out champion, but I’ll just make sure I’m in the right place at the right time and see what happens.”
Like Alonso said, media comments play a role in the build-up to the final race, and as straightforward as Verstappen can be, the Dutchman knows that making himself seem more calm and unfazed than his rivals could work to his advantage as McLaren tries to put a final stop to his comeback charge.
“I’m very relaxed,” Verstappen said. “Nothing to lose. So, I’m just enjoying being here. But for me, it’s not even about being here. I’ve been enjoying the second half of the season, working with the team, how we’ve been able to turn it around from difficult times and really having a debrief after the race, being very disappointed and frustrated with the performances to just enjoying, smiling. Having these wins again is fantastic.
“So, I just take it – everything here is just a bonus, sitting here fighting for the title. So that’s also what makes it very straightforward for me. We will just try to have a good weekend. But then even then, it’s not really in my control. So we just try to enjoy it.”
Enjoying it will be very difficult for all three to do. Fortunately, it’s far easier for those of us watching.