Lando Norris wins 2025 F1 title after tense three-way Abu Dhabi showdown

The 2025 f1 World Championship season closed with a dramatic 3-way battle. McLaren f1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, closed the season extremely close on Championship points, with each driver’s chance mathematically possible, depending on the race outcome. Going in, Norris was 12 points ahead of Verstappen and 16 points ahead of Piastri, which meant Norris would become the 2025 f1 World Drivers Champion as long as he finished at least third in the last GP of the year. And that’s what happened.

How Lando Norris lost the race but won the championship

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Max Verstappen started the Grand Prix from the pole position and controlled the race all the way to the finish line. It was Verstappen’s eighth Grand Prix win for 2025 and his 58th overall. Piastri finished second in the race, and Norris was third. Before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Norris had 408 points, Verstappen 396, and Piastri 392. Max gained 25 points by winning the race, for a season Total of 421 points. Oscar scored 18 points with second place to finish the season with 410 points, and Lando Norris took the biggest prize when the day’s contest rewarded him with 15 points for his third-place finish and a Total of 423.

Max Verstappen was the reigning Champion, having won the title for the previous four years. Oscar Piastri has yet to win a Championship title, although for much of this season, it looked as if he would win this year. In sum, the three drivers on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix winners’ podium, pictured above, dominated the 2025 season, together winning 22 of the 24 Grand Prix races.

Taking turns in a dramatic f1 season

Max Verstappen won the Championship in 2024, wrapping up the title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with two races remaining. This year, Lando Norris was the favorite at the start of the season, until Piastri went on a streak of wins that shifted the light in his direction.

Eventually, however, Verstappen began a comeback from more than 100 points behind to get within mathematical winning distance. mercedes driver George Russell won two Grand Prixs this year, but otherwise, the top three drivers won every race. They were tied in the number of wins at seven each, going into the last race of the season. Verstappen ended the season with eight trophies, but by finishing third, Lando Norris went home with the biggest prize of all.