A thrilling end to what has been a brilliant Formula One season. Max Verstappen fought till the final day but it wasn't meant to be despite winning the last three races. Norris reigns supreme in Abu Dhabi. He needed to finish in top 3 if Max wins the race, and that's what he exactly did despite early jitters in the race. That's how close it was!

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McLaren's17-year wait for a Drivers' title is finally over! The last man to stand on the top for them was Lewis Hamilton in 2008, in one of the most dramatic final-lap title deciders in the sport's history at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Double-delight for the Papaya team, who had sealed the Constructors' title long back ago.

Emotional moment for Norris who broke down on the team radio! Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri hug Lando Norris with a hug before he falls into his parents' arms. Fireworks erupt in the Abu Dhabi night sky. Lando is 11th British F1 champion. 

Lando Norris gets the job under pressure! He finishes P3, but most importanly wins the world championship title for the first time in his career. He dethrones Max Verstappen, who finishes second in the Drivers' Championship despite three race wins on the bounce. Norris is the 35th driver to win the F1 world title. Oscar Piastri finishes P2 and 3rd in the standings.

So, with just seven laps to go, Norris is sitting pretty well at the moment. His mum Cisca takes a big breath in, deep inside the McLaren garage. As things stand, Norris is about to give McLaren their first Drivers' Championship since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

The gap between Norris and Leclerc is just under 4s. The Monegasque is on the charge, but there is not a huge difference in the pace of the two cars.

Current Top 5

Max Verstappen

Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris

Charles Leclerc

George Russell

Verstappen overtakes Piastri to reclaim the lead of the race. The Australian makes a quick pitstop after losing the lead and comes out ahead of teammate Norris. McLaren won't mind even if the race finishes like this. However, Leclerc, currently P4, is flying on his medium tyres, Norris on a set of hards.

There's some movement in the McLaren garage, which can only mean that Piastri will pit soon. He will come out on P4 if all goes as planned. Meanwhile, Verstappen's teammate Yuki Tsunoda has been given a five second penalty. The Japanese pitted and took his penalty, allowing Lance Stroll to move to P6.

Despite early jitters, Norris is sitting pretty. As things stand, he will win the Drivers' World Championship. Piastri is leading but he will have to pit once at least. If he pits now (lap 34), he will come out on fourth behind Verstappen, Norris and Leclerc.

Yuki Tsunoda tried to defend against Norris, but the McLaren driver managed to overtake him around the outside and is up to a key third place. Piastri now leads the race, but the Australian is yet to pit. Max is trailing him by 15 seconds

After overtaking Sainz and Antonelli, Norris now makes the move on Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen pits. However, the Dutchman will come ahead of Norris on the track. 24 laps completed

Norris makes the moves! He overtakes Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz in double quick time to move up to P7. Excellent job from the current World Championship leader. Meanwhile, at the top of he grid, Max still leads Oscar Piastri by two seconds. 20 laps completed

Norris completes a rapid pitstop! He comes out on P9 behind a trail of DRS.

Here's the current top 5

Max Verstappen

Oscar Piastri

Esteban Ocon

Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson

Verstappen is holding a steady two-second advantage over Oscar Piastri, who is on hard tyres. Lando, on the other hand, has managed to contain the pressure from Leclerc, who is chasing his 8th podium of a rather disappointing season for Ferrari. 13 laps completed!

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton pits in the 9th lap. He is one of the few drivers to try something a touch different. It has been a bizarre season for the seven-time world champion, barring the sprint win in Shanghai in March.

More bad news for Lando! Charles Leclerc, currently P4, is gaining on Norris. The Monegasque is right behind the Briton, who needs to finish in the top three to win the title. This is going to be a very nervy few hours for Norris

Piastri overtakes Norris! The Australian makes the move on his teammate and moves to second behind race leader Max Verstappen. Can't rule him out just yet. No room for error there! Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc also goes past George Russell to go fourth

We are underway at the Yas Marina Circuit. Lando tries to make the early move on Verstappen at Turn 1, but the defending champions does well to close down the space.

Not long to go for the start of the final race of the season. Let's take a look at the starting grid

THE STARTING GRID FOR THE SEASON FINALE #F1 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/ICa1fOfByx

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 6, 2025

The four-time world champions was 104 points off the lead at one stage, and wrote his chances off again after a bad result in qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, three races ago. However, back-to-back wins in the last two races, coupled with McLaren's double disqualification in Las Vegas, has revived his title charge.

Norris will start from the front row, alongside pole-sitter Verstappen. The Briton saw his comfortable 24-point lead entering last week's Qatar Grand Prix cut down to 12 by the end of it, after McLaren's decision to not pit their two drivers under the safety car backfired. A race before that, Norris and Piastri were disqualified in Las Vegas.

So, what's the equation? Norris will win the title if he's on the podium in Abu Dhabi. Even if Verstappen wins, the Dutchman needs Norris to be fourth or lower. If Piastri wins, he will hope Norris finishes outside the top five. Just over 30 minutes for 'Lights Out' at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Norris is 12 points ahead of Red Bull's Verstappen and further four of teammate Piastri. Verstappen is aiming for his fifth straight F1 title, while Norris and Piastri are chasing their first. While Verstappen claimed pole on Saturday, Norris is favourite to lift his maiden title.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the season-ending F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen will battle it out in a three-way to decide the 2025 Formula One World Champion.