This weekend will see the final race of the Formula One season in Abu Dhabi with three drivers theoretically in with a chance of winning the title. No one expected this as back in August Max Verstappen was trailing Piastri by 104 points and Norris by 70. McLaren continuing to cock up and unravel has left the door wide open for Max to drive right through.
The Papaya rules that McLaren use are seen as being fair to both drivers, but if you look close enough and analyze certain events it looks from an outsiders perspective they have favored Norris. Call it bad luck or whatever you want last weeks amateurish strategic call to forgo a pit stop under the safety car cost Piastri the race and protected Norris's lead. Everyone was questioning this call and you have to wonder the fall out from this could see Piastri leaving McLaren for another team. Mark Webber who is Piastris agent was seen talking to various key members of other teams after the race. Maybe a coincidence, but I do not think so and a move is definitely on the cards. The drivers seats have already been confirmed for 2026 and depending on the results this weekend we could see musical chairs in the off season.
Lando Norris is 12 points clear at the top and all he has to do is finish in the top 3 to win the Drivers Championship title. If Piastri wins and Norris comes 6th or lower then the Australian will win. Verstappen or Piastri needs to win to at least make a race out of this and put pressure on Norris.
I think there has to be some twists and turns yet to come and who knows maybe one of the three crashing in the first corner. We have not had many DNF's this season with the top cars as the cars generally have been very reliable.
I know many F1 fans are anti Norris because the Sky Sports commentary team have favored him all season. Many do not feel he deserves the title and this has been given to him on a silver platter and yet they have still found ways to cock this up. Personally I would love to see Piastri or Verstappen win the drivers championship as they seem to have the fighting spirit that Norris is lacking. Norris needs to win this race to prove he has the bottle and temperament to be a worthy champion which many feel he is lacking in these areas.
The biggest problem Norris and Piastri have is knowing how aggressive 4 time world champion Max Verstappen is. Max has been given an opportunity even if it is an outside chance at best with a car that is clearly not as good. All he needs is a sniff and with nothing to lose one can expect some dive bombing over takes with both Norris and Piastri petrified they could crash out if they try and defend their positions. Max will be all in as coming second or third means he has nothing to lose and both McLaren drivers know this all too well. This should be a fun 90 minutes of viewing this weekend and I know I will be ready and waiting by the screen.
