F1's thrilling 3-way title fight echoes a history of dramatic championship deciders

A thrilling Formula 1 season ends on Sunday in Abu Dhabi with precisely the kind of showdown race fans want to see: three drivers in title contention and the championship leader under mounting pressure.

Over the years, F1 title deciders have seen deliberate crashes, unexpected heartbreak and perhaps the most controversial finish of them all, when Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton on the final lap in 2021.

McLaren’s Lando Norris is 12 points ahead of Red Bull driver Verstappen, who is chasing hard for a fifth straight F1 title, and 16 ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.

Norris will win the title if he finishes on the podium on Saturday, regardless of what Verstappen and Piastri do.

If Verstappen takes the race win, he needs Norris to be fourth or lower. If Piastri wins the Grand Prix, Norris would have to finish sixth or lower.

Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 title with Ferrari, despite trailing both Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton two races before the end. The Finnish driver won both to clinch his only F1 title.

Sebastian Vettel won the 2010 title for Red Bull at the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Vettel entered the race behind teammate Mark Webber and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who was the heavy favorite.

Vettel won the Abu Dhabi GP from pole and clinched the title along the way, mainly because Alonso was stuck behind another driver following a Ferrari strategy error.

In 1986, a three-way battle ended in heartbreak for a British standings leader. Nigel Mansell was ahead of Alain Prost and Keke Rosberg on points ahead of the final race in Adelaide, Australia, but had to stop with a puncture.

The 2021 title fight between Hamilton and Verstappen was one of the fiercest ever, with heated incidents between the rivals heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

They entered the race level on points and Hamilton looked certain to secure a record eighth straight F1 title and break the record he shared with F1 great Michael Schumacher. But a controversial one-lap restart gave Verstappen — who was on faster tires — a small window of opportunity and he seized it to win his first title and deny Hamilton a history-defining moment.

Sunday's finale to F1's 75th anniversary season has memories of the first championship in 1950, when Nino Farina won a three-way title fight at his home Italian Grand Prix.

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher won one title and lost another in controversial finishes. In 1994, he collided with title rival Damon Hill, knocking them both out of the final race in Adelaide. Hill later alleged it was a deliberate act by his German rival.

Then in 1997, Schumacher rammed Jacques Villeneuve in the final race at Jerez in Spain and was disqualified from the championship as the Canadian took the title.

Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, pole position, center, is flanked by second best time McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands after the second qualifying session at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Qatar Formula One Grand Prix, in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, races past the grand stand followed by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, during for the F1 U.S. Grand Prix auto race at the Circuit of the Americas, Oct. 24, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, Pool)

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2007 file photo, Ferrari's driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland celebrates after winning the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File)

FILE - First place Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, of Germany, celebrates as Red Bull team principal Christian Horner looks on at the podium after winning Brazil's Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nov. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Here’s a guide that tells you what you need to know about the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It’s the 24th and final round of the 2025 Formula 1 season, and a three-way title decider between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.

— In the U.S., on ESPN.

— Other countries are listed here.

Friday: First and second practice.

Saturday: Third practice and qualifying.

Sunday: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 58 laps of the 5.28-kilometer (3.28-mile) Yas Marina Circuit. It starts at 5 p.m. local time (8 a.m. EST / 1300 GMT).

The final race of every F1 season since 2009 has been held under lights on the seafront in Abu Dhabi, including the controversial finish which saw Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the 2021 title on the final lap. Overtaking is difficult and the race has been won by the driver on pole position every year since 2015, including Norris last year.

Norris had the chance to wrap up the title at last week's Qatar Grand Prix but a pit strategy blunder by McLaren handed Verstappen the win to boost his title defense chances, with Piastri second and Norris fourth in Qatar. That means that Norris will still win the title if he's on the podium in Abu Dhabi. Even if Verstappen wins the race, he needs to hope Norris is fourth or lower. Even if Piastri wins the race, he still requires Norris to finish outside the top five.

— Norris says he won’t ask Piastri to move over if needed in F1 title decider

— McLaren’s botched strategy call helps Verstappen win Qatar GP as F1 title fight goes to final race

— Red Bull voices regret after Kimi Antonelli is threatened online over Lando Norris incident

— Hadjar to partner Verstappen at Red Bull in 2026 as Tsunoda loses F1 seat

— Toyota deepens connections in F1 by sponsoring Haas team in 2026

11 — Norris can become the 11th different British driver to win the title. Verstappen is the only Dutch champion and Piastri could become Australia's first champion in 45 years.

5 — Verstappen has the chance to win the F1 title five years running, a feat only achieved by Michael Schumacher in 2004.

34 — Piastri led Norris by 34 points and Verstappen by a vast 104 points following the Dutch GP in August, but hasn't won a Grand Prix since then and is now 16 points off the lead. Norris leads overall with 408 points, Verstappen has 396 and Piastri 392.

“Honestly, I mean I would love it but I don’t think I would ask it because it’s up to Oscar if he would allow it. I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me.” — Norris on whether he'd like Piastri to help him out if Verstappen is on course to win the title decider.

“I’m very relaxed. Nothing to lose, you know?” — Verstappen.

“Obviously, I need a fair few things to happen this weekend to come out champion, but I’ll just make sure I’m in the right place at the right time and see what happens.” — Piastri.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Winner Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, centre, second placed McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, left, and third placed Williams driver Carlos Sainz of Spain celebrate on the podium after the Qatar Formula One Grand Prix, in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025.(AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Cars exit the pitlane during a safety car session at the Qatar Formula One Grand Prix in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025.(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, Pool)