Raceday Recap: Las Vegas, Lusail, and The Final Countdown
The last three rounds of the 2025 F1 season are here, and this is arguably the most nail-biting title fight in F1 history. A three-way battle for the championship is at stake - here’s everything from the Las Vegas and Qatar Grands Prix to get you up to speed before the final showdown in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
Round 22 took place in Sin City, and it was a wild ride of a weekend. On Sunday, championship leader Lando Norris started from pole position, with Max Verstappen alongside him on the front row and fellow championship contender Oscar Piastri following them from the 5th grid spot. The action began on lap 1, as Norris had a quick start but ended up going wide off of the track, allowing Verstappen to slip by. Norris then fell back a place again as George Russell overtook him on the initial straight. On lap 2, Liam Lawson took car damage to his floor, letting Piastri advance. As the race continued, Piastri was pushed back by Charles Leclerc into P7 on lap 12, but then took P6 from Isack Hadjar just four laps later. On lap 23, Carlos Sainz beat Piastri on the way out of the pit exit, but his efforts were in vain as Piastri flew by to claim P9. Midway through the race, Norris had a DRS opportunity and was able to snatch P2 from Russell. Meanwhile, Piastri was stuck between Kimi with Charles Leclerc behind. At the end of the race, Norris dropped almost 20 seconds behind Verstappen’s race lead because of a perceived fuel issue, and was told to lift and coast to the checkered flag on lap 50. However, Norris was still able to hold on to P2, a decent result for his championship hopes. Piastri ended the race in P5, where he started from, but because Kimi Antonelli got a 5 second penalty for jumping the start, Piastri gained an extra place to take P4. BREAKING NEWS! After the race, disaster struck for McLaren as both papaya drivers were disqualified because of the invalid floor thickness of their cars. This double disqualification along with Verstappen’s win spelled possible trouble for both McLaren drivers in the championship fight.
Max Verstappen celebrating his win and 125th F1 podium. Photo courtesy of F1.
But never fear - the Qatar GP is here! Piastri went fastest on Saturday to start from pole, followed by teammate Norris for McLaren’s 70th front row lockout in history. If there’s anything we’ve learned this season though, it’s that Verstappen can never be counted out - the Dutchman started from the third grid spot for Sunday’s race, eyes set on the McLarens in front. When the lights went out, Verstappen was not playing around - he took P2 from Norris in turn 1. The race stayed consistent for a while until Pierre Gasly hit Nico Hulkenberg, causing the Sauber driver to spin out on lap 7. Our favorite safety car driver Bernd Mayländer came out for a few laps on the track along with the yellow flag, under which every driver pitted except for Norris and Piastri…a strategy that did not pay off, because it put them out of sync with the rest of the field. Piastri took the lead of the race and Norris slid into second, and by lap 22 the top three (Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen) were miles ahead of the rest of the pack. The McLarens took their first pit stop on laps 25 and 26, and Verstappen took back the lead of the race for good. The top 5 by lap 30 were Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Antonelli, Piastri and Norris. A couple of laps later, Verstappen pitted again but emerged still in first because Sainz was about 20 seconds behind. Piastri took his second stop on lap 43, which let Norris pass him on the exit after getting his hard tires put on. Norris took his last stop on lap 45, exiting in 5th place and snuck by Antonelli on the last lap to take home a P4 result.
Both of these races have a massive impact on how the championship could play out in Abu Dhabi this weekend, and all three drivers are still 100% in the title fight. As of FP1 and FP2, Norris’ performance looks hopeful as he has been top of the ranks all weekend so far. For Norris to automatically clinch the championship, all he has to do is finish on the podium. It doesn’t matter where Verstappen or Piastri finish the race - even if they are ahead of Norris and he gets 3rd, he is still the 2025 World Champion. Here’s a link to a post that shows the rest of the ways the championship can be won - who are you rooting for? Let me know on Instagram at @thewinningformulablog, and as always, thanks for reading.
Lights out and away we go,
Lucy xx
