High tension in Formula 1
The decision could be made now
November 28, 2025 – 12:50 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
At the race in Las Vegas, the fight for the Formula 1 world title came to a head again. Nevertheless, the decision could already be made at the penultimate round in Qatar.
It was another turn in the World Championship fight: Shortly after the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Formula 1 regulators announced that both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, had been subsequently disqualified. The reason: A part of the underbody of their cars had become more worn than allowed.
Norris, who had actually finished in second place, and Piastri, who had finished fourth, lost their points. The result: Max Verstappen, who was already hopelessly behind in third place in the World Championship fight, gained a full 25 points on the McLaren drivers with his victory in the race in the Nevada desert – and is now getting another taste of defending his title.
With the sprint race and the Grand Prix in Qatar next weekend and the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi a week later, a total of 58 points are still up for grabs for a driver. However, the following still applies: Norris has the best starting position. He leads the overall standings with a 24-point lead over Verstappen and Piastri, who are tied behind. Accordingly, the decision could already be made in Qatar. t-online explains the scenarios.
No. The World Cup decision cannot yet be made in the sprint. Even if Norris wins the sprint, securing the full eight points and his two opponents come away empty-handed, the Brit’s lead would be “only” 32 points. With the Grand Prix in Qatar and the race in Abu Dhabi, 50 points would still be available.
Of course, that also depends on the sprint result. To put it simply, Norris has to score a total of at least two points more than his two pursuers on the Qatar weekend – i.e. in the combination of sprint and main race. Then with 25 points still to be awarded (in Abu Dhabi) he would be 26 points ahead. The World Cup title could no longer be taken away from him. That would be the case, for example, if Norris finished at least sixth in the sprint race and won the Grand Prix. However, numerous other scenarios can also lead to this result.
A scenario in which Norris is 25 points ahead of his pursuers after the Qatar weekend would only mean the world title if Norris wins the Grand Prix.