Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race predictions as F1 experts decide if Lando Norris can win 2025 title

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The 2025 Formula 1 season finale will take place this weekend with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with all focus on the drivers’ championship.

Three drivers are still in contention for this year’s title, with Lando Norris leading the way with 408 points. Max Verstappen leapfrogged Oscar Piastri after winning last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.

After an early safety car, most drivers came into the pit lane during the mandatory two-stop race, with only McLaren and Esteban Ocon staying out. The strategy decision proved wrong for McLaren, losing out to Red Bull for the victory.

Verstappen’s victory now sees him trailing Norris by just 12 points heading into the final race of the season, with Piastri just a further four points behind the Dutchman.

Our experts have shared their predictions for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including who they think will take the 2025 title this weekend.

Who do you think will clinch the 2025 title this weekend?

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Who will take pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Ben Evans: After being by far the quickest driver in Qatar, Oscar Piastri appears to have rediscovered his form, and even though he’s the least likely candidate to win the championship, he’s my pick to take pole position.

Shay Rogers: Oscar Piastri will claim pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, leaving it late to stamp some authority over his rivals in the title charge. McLaren go well around the Yas Marina circuit, and the Aussie proved in Qatar that he still has the clutch gene within him. Now, it’s time for manager and ex-Red Bull driver Mark Webber to give him some advice, given that he was in a similar situation almost exactly 15 years ago.

Kyle Archer: The 2025 F1 season is set for a fantastic finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri plus Red Bull racer Max Verstappen will all view pole position as a realistic ambition. Pole at Yas Marina could also decide who wins the title.

Norris scored pole for the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP with a phenomenal Q3 lap, which also ended Verstappen’s qualifying dominance at Yas Marina since 2020. The Briton will be the favourite for pole in 2025, as well, as long as he does not make a mistake on his final lap like in Qatar.

Ashley Hambly: Oscar Piastri claimed the bragging rights in Qatar after setting one of the best pole positions laps of the year, and his form all weekend showcased how gifted he is when given proper tarmac to race on. Another front of the pack start in Abu Dhabi will see him match his championship rivals in pole position count for the year, with seven apiece.

David Comerford: I reckon the top three will be separated by less than a tenth, but Max Verstappen will win out. Norris and Piastri have never faced pressure like this before, but Verstappen has.

Tyler Rowlinson: Oscar Piastri looks almost out of the running for the championship, but Qatar showed that in the right conditions, he can be dominant. He had the desire to control the weekend, and I expect him to come out on top again for pole in Abu Dhabi.

Who will win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Ben Evans: I’m backing Oscar Piastri to lead from start to finish and do everything he can to win the title, and he’ll just hope that chaos ensues behind him.

Shay Rogers: I think Piastri redeems himself, just ahead of an aggressive Max Verstappen. They both collided at turn one last year, but I can’t see them putting everything on the line that soon this year. They’re going to have an epic battle, with strategic elements involved that will fascinate fans.

Kyle Archer: McLaren saw just how easily things can go wrong at the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2024 after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen tagged Oscar Piastri into a spin at Turn 1. Verstappen will be desperate to get in front in 2025, as well, if he starts this weekend’s race behind Piastri and/or Lando Norris.

The fight for the victory in the Abu Dhabi GP, along with the 2025 drivers’ title, could easily come down to which pilot leads out of Turn 1 on Sunday.

Norris and Verstappen will both believe they can run off and control the race if they secure pole position for the Abu Dhabi GP. Piastri, however, knows that even a victory is unlikely to win him the title, so he will likely mimic Lewis Hamilton trying to back the pack up in 2016.

Ashley Hambly: I’m sticking with Oscar Piastri here as well. He was awfully unfortunate to not get the win in Qatar, and I don’t think McLaren are going to force any team orders once racing begins on the Yas Marina Circuit. The Australian was blisteringly quick in Lusail, and can use the added confidence to finish the season on a high, despite not securing the title.

David Comerford: McLaren will be faster, but Verstappen will win the race. Red Bull proved again in Abu Dhabi that they are strategically superior to McLaren, and Verstappen will not let anybody pass him in these circumstances unless they’re 100m ahead before the braking zone.

Tyler Rowlinson: Piastri will throw a real spanner in the works for the title fight and claim the win in Abu Dhabi that he deserved in Qatar. When he pulls away at the front, he dominates, and I don’t think anyone will come close to him, even if it means that he won’t win the title.

Who is going to be crowned the 2025 champion in Abu Dhabi?

Ben Evans: I think Lando Norris will do enough to win the championship. McLaren should have a competitive enough car in Abu Dhabi that even if Verstappen somehow wins the race, he should have no trouble securing that vital podium finish.

Shay Rogers: I think Lando Norris claims the title by the slender margin of one point over Piastri, and three points over Verstappen, by finishing in fifth place. Over the course of the season, he has been the most consistent and came strong at the right time. He needs to use the last of that momentum to get himself across the line in Abu Dhabi.

Kyle Archer: Lando Norris heads to Yas Marina with a big enough lead in the 2025 drivers’ championship at 12 points over Max Verstappen and 16 points over Oscar Piastri to feel at least slightly confident that he will end the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as a Formula 1 champion.

But Norris only has to look back to last weekend to know that the smallest hiccup can put his title hopes not only on hold but in the bin. The Briton could have won the title in Qatar last Sunday, and he will surely fear any sort of repeat of McLaren’s strategic catastrophe.

Ashley Hambly: Even with Oscar Piastri taking the victory, Lando Norris will still secure the title with a podium finish in Abu Dhabi. The task is simple for the British driver, finish ahead or as close to his title rivals as possible. He doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel here, and he’s aware of that. A cautiously consistent result should be enough to get him over the line.

David Comerford: I’m still backing Lando Norris for the title. He only needs third and he has 17 podiums in 23 races. Verstappen and Piastri may beat him, but I think he’ll be fast enough to see off Russell, Antonelli and Leclerc for that crucial P3.

Tyler Rowlinson: Lando Norris will pip Max Verstappen to the 2025 championship, just. McLaren need to reset after their strategy blunder and they have the car that is capable of winning, and while you can’t count Verstappen out by any means, I don’t see him overcoming the McLarens, handing Norris his first title.