It's set for a real thrill in the Formula 1 circus when everything is decided in the 24th and final World Championship round in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, next Sunday.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who has won the last four championships, is just twelve points behind overall leader Lando Norris, McLaren.
“Still possible”
"It's still possible now. We'll see. It's not something I'm thinking about right now," Verstappen says in the victory interview.
For example, if Verstappen wins the final race, Norris must finish no worse than third for the Briton to claim the first world championship title of his career. McLaren colleague Oscar Piastri, who had pole position in Qatar, finished second on Sunday and the Australian is 16 points behind Norris. Spaniard Carlos Sainz, Williams, took third place.
On Sunday, practically everything was decided on the seventh lap.
During the Qatar GP, drivers are allowed to drive a maximum of 25 laps on one set of tyres, forcing teams to make at least two pit stops during the 57-lap race. A crash on lap seven meant that all teams except McLaren took the opportunity to change tyres for the first time under the safety car.
“Right decision”
"We made the right decision to stop there. It was smart," says Verstappen.
A path that became costly for the McLaren drivers and especially Norris.
Verstappen then made his second and final tire change after 32 laps. The Dutchman was then able to retake the lead when Norris and Piastri were forced to make their pit stops with just over ten laps remaining in the race. A lead that the four-time World Championship winner never relinquished.
Top three in the overall standings in Formula 1 after 23 of 24 World Championship races:
-
Lando Norris, Great Britain/McLaren, 408 points.
-
Max Verstappen, Netherlands/Red Bull, 396.
-
Oscar Piastri, Australia/McLaren, 392.
The final round will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday, December 7.
The top ten in the race receive points according to the following distribution: 25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1.
