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What McLaren will do with their Oscar Piastri champion t-shirts if he does not win the 2025 F1 title

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McLaren will have 100 t-shirts ready to go in case Oscar Piastri pulls off a surprise and wins the 2025 F1 drivers’ title in the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 24-year-old is the outside contender for the crown entering the final race of the season. McLaren teammate Lando Norris tops the F1 drivers’ championship with 408 points after 23 rounds, as he leads Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on 396 points and papaya pal Piastri on 392.

Piastri needs a lot to work in his favour to become the first Australian to win the F1 title since Alan Jones in 1980. The Melbourne native can only seal the title if he wins the Abu Dhabi GP and Norris is no higher than P6, or he finishes second and both of his title rivals face trouble.

The big talking point ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP is also CEO Zak Brown confirming McLaren will give Piastri team orders to help Norris win the 2025 F1 title, should the Briton require it. Norris only has to get on the Yas Marina podium to hand McLaren their first title since 2008.

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri on track during practice at the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

McLaren and Red Bull will donate any unneeded F1 championship t-shirts after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

McLaren and Red Bull are prepared for any scenario should Norris, Piastri or Verstappen win the title on Sunday. Both teams have 100 t-shirts ready to dish out among their staff straight after the chequered flag drops to end the 2025 F1 season to celebrate their driver’s success.

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

Three contenders. One crown. Who takes it?

Graphic which shows the 2025 results for the three championship contenders Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri

Both teams are also prepared for their championship t-shirts to never see the light of day. F1 photographer and paddock insider Kym Illman has revealed the plans that McLaren and Red Bull have put in place to ensure that any unneeded t-shirts are never in the hands of F1 fans.

Illman said on his YouTube channel: “When one of these drivers wins the world drivers’ championship on Sunday night, everyone in their team will be wearing a special t-shirt.

“Red Bull will have 100-odd shirts ready to go, and it’ll say, ‘Max Verstappen, world drivers’ champion 2025’. McLaren will have 200 t-shirts, 100 with Oscar’s name on it and 100 with Lando. And what happens to the 200 shirts that are redundant?

“I’m told that they’re either sent off to countries where F1 is not a thing and given to those in need of clothing, or they’re incinerated. Either way, they shouldn’t end up in F1 fans’ hands.”

What does Oscar Piastri need for the 2025 F1 title if he wins in Abu Dhabi this weekend?

Norris has the most routes available to him in the 2025 season-closing Abu Dhabi GP to win the F1 drivers’ championship this weekend. The 26-year-old can win the title in any position, but he would need Verstappen and Piastri to have varying degrees of misfortune in the race.

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

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

Three tables showing the championship permutations for the 2025 title fight

To keep things simple, any podium finish in the Abu Dhabi GP would be enough for Norris to lift the title regardless of what Verstappen and Piastri achieve. The Dutchman and Australian respectively need Norris to finish P4 and P6 at best, with three and two scenarios available.

If Piastri wins the Abu Dhabi GP this weekend, it would give the 24-year-old his best chance to also win the 2025 F1 drivers’ title. But he would still require Norris to finish in P6 at best, while Verstappen would have zero chances to deny Piastri even if he were to also finish P2.