Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The 2025 Formula 1 season is set for a thrilling conclusion at the Yas Marina Circuit this weekend, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix set to host a three-way title battle between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
This marks the first time since the contentious 2021 decider, which saw Verstappen pip Lewis Hamilton to claim his first title on this same track, that the championship will be settled at the final round.
The battle is intensely poised, largely thanks to a phenomenal late-season resurgence by Verstappen. The Red Bull Racing driver has clawed back a 104-point deficit to the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri, taking five victories in the last eight Grands Prix.
Verstappen made it clear that his focus was simply on execution, having already over-delivered on expectations following the team’s mid-season struggles.
“I’m very relaxed, nothing to lose,” the Red Bull driver stated. “I’m just enjoying being here. I wasn’t expected to be here, we are here... I’ve been enjoying the second half of the season, working with the team and how we’ve been able to turn things around from difficult times.”
His recent record at Yas Marina is also formidable, having secured four of the last five victories in Abu Dhabi. Yet, Verstappen insisted the title was out of his hands, shifting the pressure onto his rivals, particularly Norris, to make mistakes.
“To me everything here is just a bonus and sitting here fighting for the title. That’s also what makes it really straightforward for me,” he commented. “We will just try to have a good weekend, but even then it’s not really in my control, so I guess I’ll just try to enjoy it.”
Norris arrives in Abu Dhabi at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, holding a slim 12-point advantage over Verstappen. Which means Norris needs to only finish in the top three to seal his first title.
But the momentum is with Verstappen and, concurrently, nerves seem to have got better of McLaren as a team in the past two races. “I guess in terms of position, I have the most to lose, because I’m the one at the top,” Norris conceded, asked if things could go wrong.
McLaren’s situation is complicated also with the good form of Oscar Piastri, who, sitting just four points behind Verstappen, still holds an outside shot at the crown.
