When 2025 F1 World Title Can Be Won

The 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship looks set to go down to the wire with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen all vying for the chance to lift the most coveted prize in all of motorsport.

For Verstappen, the challenge is nothing new. Already a four-time world champion, the Dutchman is seeking to win his fifth-consecutive world championship, whereas McLaren pair Norris and Piastri are in search of their maiden crowns.

Max had looked out of the running for much of the season, but a recent return to form, combined with something of a dip for both Norris and Piastri means that there is all to play for in the final two races of the campaign.

Verstappen’s hopes received a boost in the most unlikely of circumstances at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Red Bull man crossed the line in first, with Norris behind him in second and Piastri just a couple of places back in fourth. However, the McLaren pair were sensationally disqualified after post-race checks revealed excessive plank wear on the bottom of both McLaren cars.

The cars failed the checks by ‘the length of a human hair’, but that didn’t prevent F1 bosses from stripping both Norris and Piastri of the points that they had originally earned in Vegas, leading to a massive swing that placed Verstappen right back in contention.

How the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship Stands Now

Despite an evening of drama in Las Vegas, championship leader Norris still remains favourite to land his first-ever individual title, although his lead isn’t anywhere near as strong as it might have been. Prior to his disqualification, Norris had looked poised to head to next week’s Qatar Grand Prix with a 30-point lead over Piastri, with a 42-point buffer to Verstappen back in third.

After suffering the wrath of the stewards in Las Vegas, Norris now only has a 24-point lead over his two title rivals, who are both now level on points in joint-second place. With Qatar being a sprint event, there is a total of 58 points up for grabs before the season concludes in Abu Dhabi on the 7th of December.

While Piastri and Verstappen both have a total of 366 points, the Australian sits in second place as he has seven race victories to Verstappen’s six. Leader Norris also currently has seven race victories across the season.

If drivers are tied in terms of both points and race wins, a countback system is used where second places (and well as third places, if needed) are used as a tiebreaker until one driver has more than the other.

When Can the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship Be Won?

Of the three contenders for this season’s crown, championship leader Norris finds himself in a strong position. The 26-year-old is the only driver guaranteed to still be in the title hunt on the final weekend of the season regardless of what happens in Qatar. He could even wrap up the championship next weekend.

From the maximum of 58 points still available this season, 33 of those will be awarded at the Lusail International Circuit, between the sprint race and the Grand Prix itself. In order to secure the title, Norris must leave Qatar with a 26-point advantage over his nearest pursuer. Ultimately, he must outscore Piastri and Verstappen by two points overall to confirm himself as world champion.

It would take another disastrous turn of events for Norris to come away from the weekend with no points, given that he has two opportunities to do so. The first of those will come in the sprint race (where points are awarded to the top eight finishers) as well as the race proper (where the top 10 finishers score points). The sprint offers eight points to the victor, with the Grand Prix carrying a 25-point top prize.

Essentially, if Norris wins the Qatar Grand Prix, he will be the 2025 world champion, regardless of Piastri or Verstappen’s performance across the weekend. However, if he is outperformed by either of his rivals, the destiny of the title will be decided in Abu Dhabi.

In a worst-case scenario where Norris picks up no points (as happened in Las Vegas), he could enter the final weekend of the season trailing by as many as nine points. Given the way that the 2025 season has ebbed-and-flowed to date, nothing can be taken for granted across the rest of the campaign.