What do Norris, Piastri & Verstappen need to win F1 title?

- Published
Max Verstappen will start on pole position for the title decider in Abu Dhabi after he beat both McLaren drivers in Saturday's qualifying.
Britain's Norris, who starts second, is leading the standings with 408 points as he looks to win his first world title.
Four-time champion Verstappen is now 12 points behind on 396 thanks to his win in Qatar last week, while Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri, who qualified third, is only four more points behind on 392.
With 25 points available for first place this weekend the driver's championship is up for grabs for all three.
So what does each driver need to do to claim the top prize?

All three drivers have won seven races this season
Verstappen beats Norris and Piastri to pole
- Published6 December 2025
Where F1 title may be won and lost in three-way fight
- Published6 December 2025
Lando Norris
Put simply, as the leading driver in the standings, if Norris finishes first, second or third in Abu Dhabi he will win the world championship - it doesn't matter where his rivals finish.
Also, if he doesn't finish on the podium but does finish ahead of both Verstappen and Piastri, then he wins the title.
Any other scenario for Norris to win the championship requires him to finish within 12 points of Verstappen in Abu Dhabi and within 16 points of Piastri.
However, if the two leading drivers are level on points after the final race then countback comes into play. In that case the driver with the most race wins this season - all three are currently level on seven - will be crowned champion. If that remains level then it would go to second place finishes - which Norris leads on and cannot be caught.
Get in touch
Send us your questions
Max Verstappen
Verstappen's clearest route to the title is for him to win in Abu Dhabi and Norris to finish fourth or worse.
If he does not win the race he needs to out-score Norris by at least 13 points while also ensuring Piastri does not out-score him by five points or more.
Oscar Piastri
If Piastri wins in Abu Dhabi and Norris finishes sixth or worse then Piastri wins the title.
However, if Piastri finishes second, Norris would need to finish in 10th place or worse and Verstappen fourth or worse for him to win the title.
Any other scenario for Piastri to win the title requires him to finish 17 points ahead of Norris and five points ahead of Verstappen.
What is Ask Me Anything?
Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.
We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.
The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.
We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting events.
Our coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.