Lando Norris will battle his own nerves as much as his rivals’ speed as he bids to end Max Verstappen’s four-year reign as F1 world champion in Sunday’s (December 7, 2025) season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

After two weekends of self-inflicted setbacks, championship leader Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri need an error-free event to ensure Red Bull’s number one cannot complete a spectacular end-of-season recovery in glorious style.

For the first time since a four-way scrap at the final race in Abu Dhabi in 2010, the title will be decided by a contest involving more than two drivers with McLaren, in particular, nervously glancing in their mirrors for Verstappen.

Norris has a 12-point lead on Verstappen ahead of the finale and a 16-point advantage on team-mate Piastri, and needs to finish on the podium to prevail.

But it is the Dutchman who has the momentum with five wins in his last eight outings – and no distraction from a team-mate rival or blurred team orders.

Last weekend, in Qatar, two weeks after both Norris and Piastri were disqualified in Las Vegas for an illegal level of wear on their under-car planks, McLaren contrived to bungle a key pit-stop decision and gifted victory to Verstappen.

Piastri was the fastest driver in every session, but he finished second and Norris third – a result that set up this Sunday’s showdown in the desert, the most hotly-anticipated since Verstappen ended Lewis Hamilton’s run as champion in controversial circumstances in 2021.

On paper, it is Norris’s title to lose, but history — recent and past — shows anything can happen when the stakes are at their highest.

In 2010, for example, Ferrari’s two-time champion Fernando Alonso arrived with an eight-point lead on Red Bull’s Mark Webber with his team-mate Sebastian Vettel 15 adrift in third ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel took pole position and won, Hamilton was second and Alonso and Webber seventh and eighth.

Piastri, therefore, remains justified in believing he still has a chance, particularly after showing outstanding form and pace in Qatar.

The 24-year-old Australian, bidding to be his country’s first champion since Alan Jones in 1980, is managed by Webber now and will not lack in mental focus at the Yas Marina Circuit where Norris won last year and Verstappen the previous four.

Verstappen, however, has seen it all before and after goading McLaren about their mistakes in recent weeks, and producing fast and near-flawless drives himself, will feel he can equal Michael Schumacher’s record of winning five consecutive titles.

‘Best shot’

He has overturned a 104-point deficit to the leader since August 31 when Piastri last won during his spell as championship leader for 15 Grands Prix.

All three drivers have won seven races this year, with Mercedes’ George Russell winning the other two, and the closeness of the competition this year – albeit that McLaren had the outstanding car until they clinched the constructors’ title and stopped bringing updates – suggests a fierce and dramatic ending lies ahead.

Norris has the simplest task and a stable temperament linked to a modest if not self-effacing personality.

“We’ve had an incredible season with an incredible car and I am proud of everyone,” he said.

“We have one more race and we will give it everything.”

While a podium will be enough for Norris to claim his maiden title, Piastri needs to win or finish second and hope for help from others while Verstappen must win and hope Norris is no better than fourth.

“I didn’t expect this, but I am still in it so we will give it our best shot,” said Verstappen.

The race will also see Mercedes’ bid to beat Red Bull to second in the teams’ title race and the luckless Yuki Tsunoda make his final outing with Red Bull before being replaced by Racing Bulls’ outstanding rookie Isack Hadjar.

For Ferrari’s seven-time champion Hamilton, a five-time winner in Abu Dhabi, it offers a final chance to end his unwanted record of a first season without a podium while the team hunt a first win since his predecessor Carlos Sainz triumphed in Mexico last year.

Published – December 05, 2025 04:58 am IST

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, on November 27, 2025, ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Lando Norris hailed “a perfect day” after securing pole ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri to move McLaren within reach of a first constructors’ title since 1998 at Sunday’s decisive season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In an eventful Saturday qualifying session where seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was unluckily eliminated in Q1 in his final weekend with Mercedes, Norris topped the times in one minute and 22.595 seconds to outpace Piastri by three-tenths of a second. Carlos Sainz, in his final weekend with Ferrari before leaving to join Williams, was third, 0.020 seconds behind Piastri as McLaren reeled off their third front row lockout of the season.

Ferrari need to overhaul a 21-point deficit to take the constructors’ title ahead of McLaren, but suffered a blow when Charles Leclerc was eliminated in Q2 and, with a 10-place grid penalty, he will start from the back of the grid on Sunday.

Nico Hulkenberg qualified fourth for Haas – before being hit with a three-place penalty – ahead of newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, Pierre Gasly of Alpine and Mercedes’ George Russell.

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was eighth for Aston Martin, 24 hours after describing his car as “the worst ever”, ahead of Valtteri Bottas of Sauber and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull.

“A perfect day for us,” said Norris who secured his eighth pole of the season.

“Probably a little tougher than before as we’ve been strong all weekend. My lap was strong too so it was just what we wanted from today.”

Lance Stroll was first out for Q1 in his Aston Martin as the sun set over the Yas Marina Circuit in clear conditions and temperatures of 25 (air) and (30) track, near perfect for the unprecedented 24th and final qualifying of the year.

Hamilton ‘messed up’

After scrubbed laps for exceeding track limits by Perez and Franco Colapinto, Sainz went top as the Mexican’s lap was reinstated and Bottas took command shortly before Hamilton, on a desperate late lap, failed to make it.

He was eliminated in Q1 for the third time in his final six races before leaving Mercedes for Ferrari and in his 246th and final outing for the ‘Silver Arrows’.

“I messed that up big time guys,” a crestfallen Hamilton conceded on the team radio. “That was bad,” he added.

Hamilton’s demise came after he picked up a bollard – flicked into his path by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas – that was stuck under his car, creating imbalance and loss of pace.

After a record 104 pole positions, 78 with Mercedes, it was a sad qualifying finale for the seven-time champion before his move to Ferrari – and on a circuit where he has taken a record five poles.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff blamed “an idiot’s mistake” that led to Hamilton being sent out late to ensure he reached the second qualifying session when an errant bollard lodged under his car and wrecked his performance and lap.

As a result, he will start towards the rear of the grid for his final race with Mercedes before joining Ferrari next season.

“I just need to apologise to Lewis,” said Wolff.

“We totally let him down. An idiotic mistake not to go earlier. Inexcusable, inexcusable! I’ve rarely been so down about what has happened.

In another incident, Russell was seen to run off track to avoid baulking Liam Lawson on a flying lap.

After much swearing on the RB radio channel, the stewards investigated and took no further action, a baffling decision a week after a similar issue had initiated Russell’s promotion to pole in Qatar where Verstappen was penalised.

Verstappen set the Q2 pace with an early lap in 1:22.998 and chose to relax as his rivals took second runs – Leclerc going top before his lap was deleted for track limits at Turn One.

This meant he qualified 14th but his penalty means he will start Sunday’s race at the back of the grid – a massive setback for Ferrari in their bid to overhaul McLaren.

British driver Lando Norris led Australian team-mate Oscar Piastri in second practice on Friday as McLaren turned up the heat in their bid to secure the constructors’ title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had topped the opening practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit ahead of Norris and Lewis Hamilton, but the Monegasque driver was then penalised for taking a new battery pack on his car. Leclerc’s 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race compromises the Italian team’s bid to capture a first constructors’ title since 2008.

Ferrari are seeking to overturn a 21-point deficit on leaders McLaren, who last won the constructors’ title in 1998, this weekend.

Norris clocked one minute and 23.517 seconds to beat Piastri by two-tenths of a second, ahead of third-placed Nico Hulkenberg of Haas.

Carlos Sainz was fourth fastest in the second Ferrari followed by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, the British driver in his last race weekend with Mercedes.

Leclerc was sixth in the second Ferrari ahead of Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen in the second Haas, Williams’ Alex Albon and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.

The feuding George Russell of Mercedes and newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen struggled to find the pace and wound up 13th and 17th, respectively, in a largely uneventful twilight session.

It began in cooling conditions after a hot day as the sun set in Abu Dhabi, RB’s Liam Lawson setting the early pace in 1:25.537, before Leclerc took over and then Norris. Hamilton slotted into second to repeat the top three from opening practice.

– Verstappen baby news –

Verstappen, complaining about his front axle performance, had sat out the earlier run as news that he is to become a father for the first time with Kelly Piquet, daughter of Brazil’s triple world champion Nelson Piquet, was confirmed in a social media post.

Piquet has a daughter, born in 2019, with former Red Bull driver Russian Daniil Kvyat.

“The understeer is ridiculous,” reported the Dutchman on team radio, while Russell, with whom he has fallen out in spectacular, acrimonious fashion, said his “cockpit is still reasonably toasty”, referring to the temperature of 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 Fahrenheit).

Between the sessions, Red Bull’s chief Christian Horner had hit back at Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s description of him as a “yapping little terrier” for interfering in the Verstappen-Russell feud by describing the Mercedes driver as “hysterical”.

“I love terriers,” said Horner. “I think they’re great dogs. I’ve had four. I’d rather be a terrier than a wolf.”

Norris’ lap in 1:24.332 kept him on top ahead of Leclerc and Sainz with Perez fourth until Magnussen took second for Haas to revise the order, followed by Piastri as conditions changed in the twilight zone and soft tyre runs began.

With 27 minutes to go, Piastri took top spot briefly before Norris replied, the McLarens showing how keen they are to clinch the team’s first title since 1998 as Leclerc led Ferrari’s riposte, taking sixth, six-tenths off the pace.

“Half of the grid is sleeping,” complained Leclerc. “They’re in the way.”

Norris trimmed his lap to 1:23.517 with Piastri two-tenths behind ahead of Hulkenberg, Sainz and Hamilton with 11 minutes remaining. Russell was 13th and Verstappen 17th ahead of the final runs under the lights.

Oscar Piastri was gifted victory by his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris in Saturday’s sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix as the British team consolidated their bid for the constructors’ title for the first time since 1998 with a 1-2 triumph. In an example of perfect teamwork, Norris led from pole to flag before slowing to allow Piastri to win by 0.136 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell in third. The result secured 15 points for McLaren in their bid to resist Ferrari, extending their advantage to 34 points with two Grands Prix remaining. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished fourth ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly of Alpine and Kevin Magnussen in the second Haas. 

“It was defence all the way the whole race for me,” said Piastri. “I had a good start and then Turn One, but not the pace I needed and then I was struggling, but it was great teamwork and a great McLaren 1-2!”

Norris said he had disobeyed the team to give Piastri his victory as his payback for the Australian’s assistance at the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint when he was hoping to keep alive his bid for the drivers’ title and Piastri gave him the victory.  

“We scored the 1-2 we were aiming for and we have maximum points so I am happy for the team… Perfectly-executed! We did our job. It ended a bit closer than I wanted, but I had this planned since Brazil and it’s what I wanted. The team told me not to do it, but I did it the best way I could.”

Russell said: “We were very close in T1 a couple of times, but Lando backing up to help Oscar with DRS… It was pretty infuriating to be honest, but I understand why.”

The race was preceded by much paddock discussion of Hamilton’s speed, or apparent lack of it in Friday’s qualifying, the Briton claiming he was “definitely not fast anymore” after being outqualified again by Russell. 

His former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, reacted by saying: “it’s getting to him a little bit… But, that’s the thing with Lewis. 

“You expect him to get more in qualifying. It hasn’t happened, but we know his pace and he’s still quick. It is in there.”

As if to prove it, Hamilton made a blistering start by overtaking Leclerc as Norris led from pole, with Piastri passing Russell for second. Verstappen, struggling with oversteer, dropped to eighth. 

“I’m trying to five Oscar DRS every lap,” said Norris, in hope of helping McLaren claim a valuable one-two.

By lap 10, Norris was ahead of Piastri by three-tenths with Russell nine-tenths back in third, ahead of Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc and Hulkenberg. Most were in a ‘DRS train’ and preserving their tyres for the final laps. 

On lap 13, a masterful move by Leclerc into Turn One saw the Monegasque fight his way past Hamilton, the pair running wheel to wheel before the Ferrari pulled away. 

Russell was also busy hunting down Piastri and failed in a bid to pass on lap 14 while Norris reported his front tyres were losing performance -– yet he clocked a fastest lap to stay on top, hoping to drag his team-mate with him.

The order remained unchanged going into lap 18, the penultimate, with Russell attacking again at Turn One on lap 19, Piastri defending adroitly to stay second until they reached the chequered flag where Norris backed off to swap positions. 

“Thank you for the team-work, much appreciated,” said the victorious Piastri as he crossed the line to the relief of team boss Zak Brown. “It’s what we wanted.”

George Russell of Mercedes took pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Friday while title-chasing Max Verstappen was fifth as the Dutchman closes in on a fourth successive world championship. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was second ahead of Pierre Gasly of Alpine with Red Bull’s Verstappen finishing one spot ahead of title rival Lando Norris of McLaren who was sixth. Verstappen, who won the Las Vegas race in 2023, leads Norris by 62 points with three races remaining and needs simply to finish ahead of him on Saturday night to become only the sixth man to win four world titles.

Norris has to beat Verstappen by three points to keep his slim championship hopes alive.

“At least we are ahead of the McLarens. I didn’t expect that so it’s good,” said Verstappen, hampered by Red Bull’s error in bring the wrong rear wing to Las Vegas.

“We’re just a bit too slow. We have been struggling to get the tyres to work over a lap and we’re too slow on the straights.”

Charles Leclerc, in the second Ferrari, was fourth fastest in qualifying and will share the second row with Gasly whose impressive performance on the Las Vegas street circuit followed a shock third-place finish in Brazil last time out.

Yuki Tsunoda of RB was seventh with Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren, Nico Hulkenberg in a Haas and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes completing the top 10.

Russell clocked a best lap in one minute and 32.312 seconds to outpace Sainz by 0.098 seconds for his third pole this year the fourth of his career.

“It feels incredible to be back on pole,” said Russell, who clipped a wall in the third and final qualifying run.

“I had a bit of a moment on my first run and we had to change the front wing so for a while I didn’t think we were going to make the flag, but I am just so happy.”

Norris felt the “top four was out of reach” for him.

“But I will keep going to the end and will do my best in every race whether I am fighting for the championship or not.”

Colapinto crash

On a cool night in America’s gambling capital, with a track temperature of 13 degrees Celsius, it was Gasly who set the pace as the rest slithered in early pursuit.

Having been quickest in the earlier final free practice, Russell topped Q1 ahead of Hamilton.

Unfortunately for Red Bull, Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez’s miserable season continued as he was eliminated along with Aston Martin’s two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, Williams’ Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas of Sauber and Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin.

Hamilton set the Q2 pace in 1:33.136. After his dismal outing in Brazil where he finished 10th in the rain, this was evidence of a revitalised Hamilton ahead of a move to Ferrari next year.

Verstappen briefly went top with an edgy lap before Mercedes responded with Russell taking control as both he and Hamilton delivered improved laps, Russell clocking 1:32.881.

At this stage, Verstappen was showing enough pace to stay ahead of Norris before the Q2 segment ended with a yellow flag as Franco Colapinto hit the wall at the penultimate corner in his Williams, climbing out of the wreckage unhurt.

It was his second consecutive crash in qualifying and left the team with a big repair and rebuild job – the British team’s sixth in three Grands Prix.

The Argentine driver was already heading for a Q2 exit in 14th place along with RB’s Liam Lawson, Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen of Haas and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

Hamilton topped Q2 to lead the way into the top ten shootout with a best lap in 1:32.567 ahead of Sainz and Russell.

The Q3 action resumed after a 25-minute delay for repairs, Verstappen leading the way followed by both McLarens before Russell clocked an early marker in 1:32.811 ahead of Sainz while Hamilton locked up and aborted his first lap.

Max Verstappen’s hopes of clinching a fourth consecutive drivers’ world championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend took a dent on Friday when Red Bull revealed they brought the wrong rear wing. In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, the team’s senior advisor Helmut Marko said Red Bull were losing up to six-tenths of a second on the main straight, the Las Vegas Boulevard leading to Caesars Palace, after a packing blunder.  “We don’t have another rear wing, a smaller rear wing, as we see on our competitors,” said Marko. “It would be more helpful, for sure.”

He added that it was too late for the team to arrange for a more appropriate trimmed rear wing to be flown out to Las Vegas before the race on Saturday night.

Verstappen leads McLaren’s Lando Norris by 62 points with three races remaining and needs simply to finish ahead of him in Las Vegas to become the sixth man to win four world championships. 

The Dutchman, however, struggled in second practice on Thursday night, finishing 17th in slippery conditions on the cold, dry and dusty circuit around the streets of ‘Sin City’ where the three-time champion won last year’s race. 

Verstappen tried to make light of the team’s error, in packing the wrong rear wing, and blamed his struggle on the slippery conditions and difficulty with tyre temperatures. 

“The issue for us is definitely tyre-related as we have no grip and it feels like driving on ice,” he said.

“We struggled to make the tyres work, especially over one lap and we were quite far off with the pace.”

Team-mate Sergio Perez was 19th in the session topped by Mercedes’ seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton ahead of Norris of McLaren, who said on Wednesday it is “probably too late” to stop Verstappen taking the title.

“There were flashes of speed,” said Marko. “We just have to get consistency into it. On the single lap we can improve but on the long run, the tyre wear is a problem at the moment.”

He added that conditions may change in favour of Red Bull before the race. 

“Tomorrow is a different day,” he said. “You see it a lot of times. People will be fastest on Friday, or Thursday, but it doesn’t mean that they are fast in the race. We will, for sure, make a reasonable step.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris said on Wednesday he has acquired the experience to challenge for a Formula One world championship but it is “probably too late” to stop Max Verstappen taking a fourth consecutive title this weekend. The British driver requires a minimum of three more points than Red Bull’s three-time champion at this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix to keep his title hopes alive. Las Vegas is the first of a triple-header finale to the season which ends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

“It’s been the first time that we’ve had a chance to fight at the front,” said Norris.

“We’ve not been able to do that for the past six years and this has been our and my first opportunity.

“I was definitely not at the level I needed to be at the beginning of the year, but since the summer break I feel I’ve done a very good job and performed very well, by far some of my best.

“I’m not completely happy with what I’ve done, but for the first time I feel I have got what it takes. I wasn’t outright ready to go up against Red Bull and Max. I think I am now, but it is probably too late,” the 25-year-old added.

After a salutary experience at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where Verstappen ended a 10-race winless run, Norris conceded the “door is almost shut” on his title bid.

He goes into this weekend’s race 62 points adrift of Dutch driver Verstappen.

“Max is one of the best drivers ever in F1 and to go up against that person who is so good takes a bit more than I have done this season,” he said

“I am not completely happy with what I’ve done, but for the first time I feel I have got what it takes to fight for the championship.

“It doesn’t mean I’m complete and when you are competing against drivers like Max you have to be close to perfect. The main thing I can take away is I have faith I have what it takes to fight for a championship.”

Norris admitted he had experienced a “tough time” after finishing in sixth place in Brazil in early November.

“It was a defining moment for the championship. The doors are almost shut,” he said.

“For a week, I was pretty down because I had that realisation that things are pretty much out of my control and not within reach and that’s a tough thing.

“When your hopes are so high, to get it knocked down, that was pretty demoralising and not the best feeling.”

Max Verstappen played down his prospects of clinching a fourth consecutive drivers’ world championship at this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver, who claimed a spectacular victory in the rain-hit Sao Paulo Grand Prix three weeks ago, said that triumph had not proved that all his problems were over after a winless 10-race run. Speaking to reporters in Las Vegas, he said it was not certain that he would win again to take the 2024 title.

“At the moment, it’s difficult to tell because if you look at the last few races in the dry of course we didn’t have the pace… It’s not that, because we won in the rain in Brazil, suddenly everything is fixed and everything is looking great again.

“Of course, it gave me a good position in the championship, but also I have to be realistic that we are not the quickest.

“I hope that we can be competitive here. It’s still very unknown with the track temperatures, of course, and like last year very cold.”

The Dutchman leads McLaren’s Lando Norris by 62 points in the title race with three Grands Prix remaining – and 60 points available at the final two races.

This leaves Norris needing to beat Verstappen by three points in Las Vegas to keep his title challenge alive.

“For me, the pressure is from me because I want to do well always, every single weekend,” said Verstappen. “And it is not necessarily about the championship.

“I am just trying to enjoy the weekend as well and to see. How competitive we can be. It is not decided yet so there are still points that we need to be scored.

“Really, it is about how quick I am and how good the car is more than anything else.

“In the last few races, McLaren has been the quickest but last year, Ferrari was very fast here and it can be different every year.

“Other teams have upgrades compared to the last time here so it is difficult to say what can happen here at the moment.”

Drivers ‘bit fed up’ with FIA

Verstappen also expressed surprise at the sudden departure of race director Niels Wittich.

The FIA said on the eve of the Grand Prix that the German had left his role to “pursue new opportunities”, but Wittich said he had been dismissed with three races remaining this year.

Rui Marques has replaced him.

“I think everyone was very surprised to see that with three races to go,” said Verstappen who added his support to the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association”s demands for the FIA to treat them “like adults” with greater consultation and transparency.

The drivers also asked for president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to “consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them.”

“We just wanted to send a letter to make sure that everyone is aware of our concerns and what we want to work on and we’ll see what comes out of that,” said Verstappen.

“At the moment, nothing has happened. I think there was a lot going on with the FIA anyway that they had to deal with – now we’ll see in the coming races and we’ll keep engaging.”

Mercedes’ George Russell said the FIA had not responded to their open letter and admitted drivers, in general, were “a little bit fed up with the whole situation.

“Getting things to change, or promises upheld, seems slightly more challenging,” he said. “Maybe the FIA or the president did not recognise how seriously we all felt.”