After 23 races, the Formula 1 drivers championship remains unclaimed. Such a situation feels almost extraordinary considering how Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have taken care of business over the past decade and a half, but it helps to remember that not so long ago, those two drivers brought the excitement to the season-closer.
This year, Lando Norris heads into race 24 with a 12-point lead over Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri sitting four points behind. It may seem sepia-colored to harken back, but it is good to remember that Piastri looked to be cruising to his first championship after winning his seventh race at the Dutch Grand Prix, but that narrative proved faulty after finishing third in Italy, then suffering a retirement, followed by three finishes of fifth. His lead evaporated, and Norris pushed into the lead after taking the wins at the Mexican and Brazilian GPs.
Things looked great for Norris until the series returned to the US. There, at the Las Vegas GP, after a decent race where he finished second (and Piastri fourth), Norris appeared to have set himself up for a relatively drama-free drive to his first championship. The scrutineering officials instead found that the underside planks on the McLarens did not conform to regulations and DQed both drivers. Verstappenʻs seventh win of the season, coming next week at Qatar, brought the story to a riveting, if not almost theatrical, finish.
Formula 1 has shown a decent track record of bringing drama into the final race of the season. Of its 75 seasons, 31 championships have been decided in the finale, with the last being the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021. The Sky Sports site put together a solid rundown of some of the peak winner-take-all races, beginning with James Hunt besting Niki Lauda by one point in 1976 in Japan. Perhaps the most striking element of that recap was the reminder that the F1 calendar used to be a little leaner, with 16 races that year.
Back to 2021, a season hosting 22 grand prix on the year, when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had battled throughout the year and entered the season-ender level on points (369.5 apiece). Though Verstappen snagged pole, Hamilton took control of the race and looked to be on his way to claim his eighth drivers championship. That narrative held until the race became a satirical parody of F1 officiating, which ostensibly gifted Verstappen the title. That championship became the first of his four-straight, and sets him up to move into a tie with Juan Manuel Fangio should he earn the title in Abu Dhabi.
For Verstappen, this race exists as a moment to further his incredible resume and cement himself as one of the best to ever get behind the wheel. Aged 28, with 70 wins already, his statistics are cartoonish. All of his Darth Max-inspired memes are indicative of his dominance over the past five years. He is, indeed, one of those generational talents.
If you want to buy into the hype, then Norris represents the New Hope. Or something like that.
Norris, of course, has been driving for the yearʻs dominant team. McLaren clinched the manufacturers title back in July or something. (Narratorʻs voice: McLaren closed out the constructors championship in early October after the Singapore GP.) With an impressive resume of 11 wins at age 26, Norris is crafting a solid career, the kind Charles Leclerc has been trying to craft but has been hampered by the fact that he drives for Ferrari. Leclerc, two years older, sits with eight wins and nigh a championship fight to his name. Norris, an affable character or one turned heel, depending on your disposition, has looked to be a future champion for years, if only that pesky Verstappen character werenʻt around. Then again, thereʻs also his teammate Piastri.
Piastri, in many ways, has looked to be the real contender for the title – until his season hit a pothole, wrecked his front suspension, and cratered his confidence. The youngster of the trio, turning 24 in April, Piastri has grabbed nine wins, seven this year, and is certainly brings the attitude of a champion-in-waiting. His cool, if not insouciant, demeanor seems ready-made to handle all the absurdity that comes with the spotlight. Just not this year.
The 12-point lead that Norris holds as the 2025 season concludes is a helpful buffer to any potential gaffes, but perhaps not enough to deal with anything catastrophic. Should Norris finish anywhere on the podium at the race he won last year, he will win the title regardless of where Verstappen finishes. After that, the title becomes less certain, and McLarenʻs confusing pit strategy at Qatar becomes the albatross that challenges either of their drivers from becoming champions. For Verstappen, it all seems like, been there, done that.
As a writer and editor, Ava anchors the Formula 1 coverage for the site, while working through many of its biggest columns. Ava earned a Masters in Sports Studies at UGA and a PhD in American Studies from UH-Mānoa. Her dissertation Chased Women, NASCAR Dads, and Southern Inhospitality: How NASCAR Exports The South is in the process of becoming a book.