After a season stuffed with varied twists and turns, the three-way battle for the 2025 Drivers’ Championship will lastly be determined at this weekend’s finale in Abu Dhabi.
Lando Norris stays within the lead of the standings, however McLaren’s resolution to maintain the Briton and his staff mate Oscar Piastri out on observe throughout an early Security Automotive section within the Qatar Grand Prix – making them the one vehicles to take action – in the end backfired for each, permitting Max Verstappen to take victory and within the course of overtake Piastri for P2 in the championship.
The hole between Norris and Verstappen now stands at solely 12 factors coming into into the ultimate race of this 24-round calendar, with Piastri additionally solely 16 factors adrift of the chief – however who will depart the Yas Marina Circuit with the best tally and thus the title?
Forward of a decisive weekend forward, we’ve been having a look at how every of the championship contenders’ seasons evaluate by way of these all-important numbers…
Wins
Norris – 7
Verstappen – 7
Piastri – 7
Extremely, all three drivers have achieved the identical variety of Grand Prix victories through the marketing campaign, with Norris, Verstappen and Piastri every standing on the highest step of the rostrum on seven events. Mercedes’ George Russell is the one different driver to triumph, having finished so on two events.
The unfold of these wins for the title contenders, nonetheless, seems to be considerably completely different. After kicking off the marketing campaign with P1 within the Australian Grand Prix, Norris’ subsequent victory didn’t arrive till Spherical 8 in Monaco, earlier than the Briton obtained into his stride because the season progressed by sealing an extra 5 victories.
Piastri, in the meantime, collected nearly all of his successes earlier within the yr, and he stays the one driver to attain a hat-trick (achieved throughout Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami). His most up-to-date first place in a Grand Prix got here at Spherical 15 within the Netherlands.
Verstappen is probably essentially the most fascinating instance right here, nonetheless. The Dutchman snatched two wins within the first half of the marketing campaign (at Suzuka and Imola respectively), however a dip in efficiency for the staff resulted in him slipping backwards within the battle on the entrance.
However a resurgent second half of the season noticed the four-time World Champion embark on a surprising run, claiming 5 wins since his triumph at Spherical 16 in Italy. Now only one extra all-important victory is up for grabs – however who will seal what might be a title-deciding win?
Pole positions
Norris – 7
Verstappen – 7
Piastri – 6
As soon as once more, the championship hopefuls are virtually on equal phrases right here, with Norris and Verstappen every claiming seven pole positions in 2025 whereas Piastri is just one down with a complete of six. The opposite drivers to begin from the entrance slot of the grid have been Russell (twice) and Charles Leclerc (as soon as).
When it comes to the success price from these poles, Norris has transformed 5 right into a victory, whereas Verstappen and Piastri have every finished so on 4 events.
As is the case with wins, most of Piastri’s pole positions have been achieved within the first half of the marketing campaign – except for Qatar. For Norris and Verstappen, the P1 slots have been extra evenly unfold by means of the season.
Podiums
Norris – 17
Verstappen – 14
Piastri – 15
Championship chief Norris has essentially the most rostrums below his belt, having taken to the rostrum 17 instances. Two of the events the place he didn’t end throughout the prime three have been on account of retirements, whereas his P2 in Las Vegas was nullified when each McLaren vehicles have been disqualified for a technical infringement.
Piastri has up to now scored a complete of 15 podiums by means of the season. Throughout the primary 16 rounds, the Australian notably crossed the road with a top-three end result at 14 of those races. Nonetheless, a trickier run lately noticed him end off the podium at six weekends in a row earlier than making his return together with his second place in Qatar.
Verstappen’s tally is just one behind, the Red Bull driver having achieved 14 journeys to the rostrum in 2025 – half of which have been victories. Because the marketing campaign resumed in Zandvoort following its summer time break, Verstappen has not completed exterior of the top-three, together with his present run standing at 9 rostrums in a row.
Dash wins
Norris – 2
Verstappen – 2
Piastri – 1
In relation to the six Dash occasions held in 2025, Norris, Verstappen and Piastri are liable for all however one triumph – the exception being Lewis Hamilton’s win for Ferrari on the season’s first 100km sprint in China.
Norris triumphed in Miami and Sao Paulo, whereas Verstappen took the spoils at Spa-Francorchamps and the Circuit of The Americas – the latter proving a nightmare outing for McLaren, with each vehicles eliminated in a Lap 1 melee.
Piastri, in the meantime, needed to wait till Qatar for his Dash success, the Australian changing pole right into a win as he beforehand did in the identical occasion again in 2023.
Factors deficits
As these numbers have alluded to, the Drivers’ Championship standings have modified fairly dramatically all through the season. Norris initially held the lead till Spherical 5 in Saudi Arabia, the place Piastri took over; at this early stage of the season, the Australian led by 10 factors from Norris and 12 from Verstappen.
Norris’ retirement in Canada – after colliding with Piastri – noticed the hole between the staff mates confide in 22 factors, with Verstappen 43 factors adrift of Piastri. And after Spherical 15 in Zandvoort – by which Norris retired on account of a mechanical subject and Piastri scored his most up-to-date Grand Prix win to this point – the latter was 34 factors forward of Norris and a whopping 104 factors away from Verstappen.
However a tricky run for Piastri – coupled with a formidable resurgence for Verstappen – noticed the margins shut. Victory for Norris at Spherical 20 in Mexico noticed the British racer retake the championship lead from Piastri, with Verstappen then solely 36 factors behind the chief.
A double disqualification for McLaren in Las Vegas then put Verstappen on equal factors with Piastri, which means each have been 24 factors away from Norris – and the papaya squad’s backfired strategy in Qatar resulted in Verstappen leapfrogging Piastri to now sit simply 12 factors adrift of Norris. Piastri, in the meantime, stays in rivalry 16 factors behind his staff mate.
The factors deficits might need ebbed and flowed all through the marketing campaign, however the numbers that matter essentially the most are these that may play out when the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi…
