Mario Andretti names his clear favourite to beat Oscar Piastri to the 2025 F1 title in Abu Dhabi

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Mario Andretti expects Lando Norris and Max Verstappen will fight it out for the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri’s hopes over.

The title had seemed set to be heading back to Australia for the first time since 1980 earlier in the 2025 season, when Piastri held a 34-point lead over Norris and a 104-point lead over Verstappen through 15/24 rounds. Yet Piastri heads to the season finale down in third spot.

Piastri has only secured 83 points over the past eight rounds, to sit on 392 ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP. Verstappen scored 191 points through the same eight-round stretch to now sit on 396, and Norris has scored 133 points since retiring from the Dutch Grand Prix to sit on 408.

Mario Andretti thinks Lando Norris is ‘definitely’ the favourite for the 2025 F1 drivers’ title

Andretti believes the 12-point lead that Norris carries over Red Bull rival Verstappen plus his 14-point lead over McLaren teammate Piastri ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP “definitely” makes him the favourite to claim the title. But the 1978 F1 champion cannot count Verstappen out.

READ MORE: F1 experts predict the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP and if Lando Norris will win the title

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“It’s going to be very interesting,” Andretti told MARCA. He added: “It’s hard to know who is going to win, but obviously Lando is in the best possible position, which is leading. So, I think he’s in a strong position. He’s definitely the favourite.

“But never count Max out. He’s a very interesting driver to watch, [and] he brings a lot of excitement to the races.”

Oscar Piastri may need a miracle to win the 2025 drivers’ title in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Verstappen thrills Andretti and goes to Yas Marina after back-to-back wins in Las Vegas and Qatar, where Norris and Piastri endured costly setbacks. Norris and Piastri suffered a double disqualification in Las Vegas, which prevented them leading Verstappen by 42 and 12 points.

READ MORE: All you need to know about the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including past winners

Instead, Norris left Sin City leading Verstappen by 24 points and the Red Bull star drew level with Piastri. And while Piastri won the Qatar F1 Sprint to claw back some points, McLaren’s strategy error in the Qatar Grand Prix gave Verstappen a win that seemed his for the taking.

Now, Andretti doubts that Piastri can win the 2025 F1 drivers’ title in the season finale, with the 24-year-old needing Norris to finish in P6 or lower even if he were to win the Abu Dhabi GP. Norris will claim the title if he finishes in any podium position at Yas Marina this Sunday.

Norris failed to finish on the podium in the Qatar GP thanks to McLaren’s wretched strategy, with the Briton only able to rescue P4 after pitting out of sequence with Williams ace Carlos Sainz in P3 and Mercedes gem Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Piastri was still able to get P2 in Qatar.

The Qatar GP marked the second time since Norris retired from the Dutch GP due to an oil fitting at the end of August that he failed to reach the rostrum in a Grand Prix, excluding in Las Vegas where he finished P2 on the road. He also only managed P7 in the Azerbaijan GP.