Three-way Championship Fight Concluded In Abu Dhabi — Norris Comes Out On Top

BY: JESSICA DOSRAMOS / STAFF WRITER

(Photo Credit - @f1 on instagram)

After Lando Norris missed out on claiming the championship in Qatar, the three-way title fight would go on to the last race of the season. With both McLaren drivers aiming for their first championship and RedBull driver Max Verstappen aiming for his fifth, the stakes were high heading into Abu Dhabi. This would be the first race since 2010 that more than two drivers would be fighting for the championship.

With Norris leading the championship, he would have to finish the race in the top three to win the championship. If he finished p4 or lower, Piastri and Verstappen would have a chance at taking the championship.

Heading into the final race week, tensions were high and only increased when the three championship contenders qualified in the top three. Verstappen would be starting in P1, followed by Norris in P2 and Piastri in P3.

RedBull were hoping that with Mercedes driver George Russell starting P4, both McLaren drivers would be under pressure, giving Verstappen a better chance at winning his fifth title. Their hopes on Russell would be lost as Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc took P4 from Russell in the opening lap of the race and continued the hunt for P3. Though not a contender for the championship, Leclerc wouldn’t want to miss out on a podium.

 Piastri wouldn’t make it any easier for Norris, going straight for P2 on the first lap of the race. With Norris now P3 in the race and Leclerc on the hunt, he would have to think strategically, managing his tyres and pitting at the right time to cover off Leclerc.

 Leclerc chased Norris for P3 for the remainder of the race, coming close a few times but never close enough to claim P3. RedBull tried to use pit strategies and their second driver to slow Norris, but weren’t able to. 

Second RedBull driver Yuki Tsunoda, who started the race at P10, would try to keep Norris behind him after Norris pitted and re-emerged behind Tsunoda, who was P5 at the moment. Tsunoda wasn’t able to keep Norris behind as he was overtaken. The incident was noted by race control as it seemed that Norris overtook Tsunoda outside track limits. If Norris were to get a penalty because of this, he would lose the championship.

Tsunoda was noted for forcing Norris off track, leading to the overtake outside of track limits. As both incidents were investigated by race control, the conclusion was made that Tsunoda was at fault, and so he was the one hit with a five-second penalty.

(Photo Credit - @f1 on instagram)

By the end of the night, Verstappen came away with the race win, but Norris took his first title after finishing P3, achieving his childhood dream. Norris finished the season with a total of 423 points, beating Verstappen by two points to take the driver’s championship.

After a long season, starting the year leading the championship, then losing it to his teammate, Norris reclaimed that lead in Mexico and continued to hold it until the last race. With multiple DNFs and slow pit stops, Norris was able to make up on points lost after Piastri suffered a few DNFs himself.

The night ended with an emotional radio message from Norris to his team and to his family, who were there to celebrate with him. For Piastri, the night ended in heartbreak, missing out on his first championship after leading for 15 rounds

Both Verstappen and Piastri achieved incredible things this season. Verstappen, who came back from a 104-point gap after the summer break, and Piastri, who led the championship from Saudi Arabia for 15 rounds in just his third season in the sport.

With new rules and regulations being applied as well as another team being added to the grid in 2026, will a new champion emerge, or will Max Verstappen claim his fifth?