The battle for the Formula 1 2025 title headed down to the final race after Max Verstappen's victory at the Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season. The four-time defending champion Verstappen and his Red Bull team used a brilliant strategy early in the race to outfox the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as the Dutchman secured his third straight win at the Losail Circuit.
Verstappen started the race on third, behind pole sitter Piastri and Norris, but went ahead of the Brit on turn 1. But an early tyre change strategy after Nico Hulkenberg's crash on lap 7 saw the Dutchman emerge as a strong contender for a win. And as it turned out, Verstappen won the race by 7.995 seconds ahead of Piastri, with Williams' Carlos Sainz taking third and Norris finishing fourth.
The result means that the F1 title race heads down to the final race with more than two drivers still in the hunt for the first time since 2010. Verstappen is alive in the F1 championship and has Norris in his sights. After winning in Qatar, the Dutchman has cut his distance from title leader Norris from 25 points to 12. In the process, Verstappen also passed Piastri, the third title contender, in the championship standings and now leads him by four points despite trailing by three points at the end of the Qatar Sprint.
F1 2025 standings after Qatar GP
1 - Lando Norris: 408 points with 7 wins
2 - Max Verstappen: 396 points with 7 wins
3 - Oscar Piastri: 392 points with 7 wins
How can Verstappen win his fifth F1 title?
Verstappen is now very much alive in the race for his fifth F1 title, but is still dependent on another result. There are a maximum of 25 points available for a driver now as the Championship heads to Abu Dhabi. The best for Verstappen to win the F1 title is that he wins the Abu Dhabi GP with Norris finishing fourth or below.
By doing this, Verstappen will collect 25 points, and Norris will accumulate 12. The current gap is 12. With this result, Verstappen will win the Championship by one point.
Verstappen's road to the F1 title
- Verstappen wins Abu Dhabi GP
- Lando Norris fourth or below
- Oscar Piastri's finish does not matter
How can Norris win the F1 2025 title?
Despite Verstappen's victory in Qatar and his astonishing late charge to the title, McLaren's Norris is still the favourite to win his maiden F1 title. He has a lead of 12 points over Verstappen and of 16 points over his teammate Piastri.
No brainers, a win will take him to the title with others doing whatever they can. But if Norris finishes second or even third, despite Verstappen or Piastri winning in Abu Dhabi, the Brit will win his maiden F1 title next Sunday.
Norris road to the F1 title
- Finish P1, P2 or P3
- No matter what Verstappen or Piastri do
How can Piastri win the F1 title?
Another youngster Piastri is in the hunt for his maiden F1 title. Despite leading the championship standings a few races ago, he has now dropped down to third, and his chances have taken a major hit. For Piastri to win the F1 title, he needs to overturn the 16-point deficit over Norris and the four-point deficit over Verstappen.
For this to happen, the best would be if Piastri wins in Abu Dhabi and Norris finishes sixth or below. If he wins, Verstappen would be automatically eliminated.
Piastri's road to the F1 title
- Win the Abu Dhabi GP
- Norris finishes sixth or below
- No matter where Verstappen finishes
