The top three contenders for the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship will start next to each other during Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that serves as the 2025 season finale.
Videos by FanBuzz
Four-time champion Max Verstappen won the pole during the final round of Saturday's qualifying session at the Yas Marina Circuit. He completed a lap in 82.207 seconds.
Lando Norris, the current championship leader, qualified second with a lap of 82.408 seconds. Oscar Piastri qualified third with a lap of 82.437 seconds. Piastri enters the weekend third in the championship standings.
George Russell qualified fourth while Charles Leclerc claimed fifth. The rest of the top 10 included Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Isack Hadjar, and Yuki Tsunoda.
"It's tough. It's tough," Norris said after qualifying, according to F1's official website. "Max did a good job, so congrats to him. We did everything we could. I think my lap was pretty good, I was pretty happy.
"Of course I'm disappointed not to be on pole for the final weekend, but we just weren't fast enough today, so we'll have to try and do it tomorrow."
DRIVER STANDINGS (after 23/24 rounds)
It's going to be a grandstand finish to the season 🍿#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/WzJSpwRnK7
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 30, 2025
Norris still has an advantage heading into the season finale despite falling short of the pole position. He has a 12-point lead over Verstappen, which puts him in position to potentially win his first World Drivers' Championship.
All Norris has to do on Sunday is finish on the podium. He will clinch the title regardless of what Verstappen and Piastri do in the Grand Prix.
Norris won last season's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He finished the finale with a time of 1:26:33.291, and he finished nearly six seconds ahead of runner-up Carlo Sainz Jr.
Verstappen finished sixth while winning the World Drivers' Championship over Norris by 63 points. Piastri finished 10th.
"It's just always nice to end the season on top like we did last year," Norris said. "We didn't win the (Drivers') Championship last year, but it was just nice to end with a win.
"That's what I would like to do tomorrow, in either our cases. I feel good, and we'll go in and do everything the same as normal."
