For the first time since 2021, the drivers’ world title will be decided again in the last race of the season. What do each of the three candidates need to be crowned world champion?
December 2021. In the last Grand Prix of an epic season, the moment of decision had arrived: with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen tied on points, whoever was ahead would be world champion. And it was only on the last lap that Verstappen secured the first title of his career, after overtaking Hamilton, on a day that marked the beginning of the Dutch driver’s hegemony and Red Bull’s return to major titles since the Vettel era.
Four years later, the last Grand Prix of the season is once again the stage for the title decision, this time with three drivers in the race – Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri -, a scenario that has not occurred since 2010.
Let’s do the math: what do each of the three candidates to guarantee the world drivers’ title?
Lando Norris
For being in the lead in the World Championship, the British McLaren driver advantage for the ultimate test. Simply put, Norris ‘just’ needs finish in one of the top three places in Sunday’s race to win the first title of his career.
If this does not happen, you will need to ensure that does not lose 12 points to Verstappen or 16 to Norristhe current distance from rivals who occupy second and third positions respectively in the World Cup.
Points are awarded as follows:
- 1st place: 25 points
- 2nd place: 18 points
- 3rd place: 15 points
- 4th place: 12 points
- 5.th place: 10 points
- 6.th place: 8 points
- 7.th place: 6 points
- 8.th place: 4 points
- 9.th place: 2 points
- 10.th place: 1 point
Max Verstappen
For the four-time world champion to reach ‘penta’, he will always have to surpass Lando Norris for at least 13 pointsin other words, the simplest path is to win the race and hope that the McLaren driver finishes in fourth place or below.
In addition to obtaining this difference in points for Norris, Verstappen, not winning, will also have to ensure that Piastri does not score five or more points than the Dutch driver.
If there is a one-off tie at the top of the standings after the Abu Dhabi GP, the first tiebreaker criterion is the number of victories throughout the championship (At this moment, the three have the same number of triumphs: seven). If equality persists, the driver with the more second places (Norris leads this ranking and can no longer be achieved).
Oscar Piastri
The Australian driver, who occupied the ‘throne’ of the World Championship for a long period of the season, is now the one who you have to do more math.
If Piastri wins, he needs his teammate to finish in sixth place or below. However, if he finishes second, he will need Norris to finish the race in 10th place or below to win the title.
In any other scenario, Piastri will have to add at least 17 points more than Norris and five more points than Verstappen.
What if Verstappen is five-times champion?
If Max Verstappen wins the title for the fifth time in a row, he will equal the feat of Sebastian Vettel who, in 2010, became champion without ever having led the championship at any point during the season.
At the time, Vettel reached the last race in third place, 15 points behind Fernando Alonso, and won the first title of his career by just four points, after Ferrari’s strategy compromised the Spanish driver’s race.
Se vencer, Verstappen will also equal the number of world titles held by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangioas well as the record held by seven-time champion Michael Schumacher of five consecutive titles, a milestone that Schumacher achieved between 2000 and 2004. Furthermore, Max will overtake Vettel as the Red Bull driver with the most championships won, as the German won four among 2010 e 2013.
Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on four occasions and, if he achieves a fifth victory, he will equal Lewis Hamilton’s number of victories on this circuit and Red Bull will establish a new record for victories on the same circuit.
The first drivers’ title for McLaren in 17 years?
If Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri win the title, it will be the first time a McLaren driver has become world champion since 2008the year in which Hamilton won the first title of his career.
This triumph would break a fast of 17 years without driver titles for the Woking team and would put an end to Red Bull’s hegemony, which has continued since 2021.
With this achievement, Norris or Piastri would be the 13th McLaren driver – since the first, in 1974 – to win the World Drivers’ Championship2009, Ayrton Senna, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen and Lewis Hamilton.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be held this Sunday, at 13:00 (mainland Portugal time). In Fridayas is customary on Grand Prix weekends, we will publish a with everything you need to know about race that will decide the title.
