MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 03: Sprint winner Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Second placed Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren talk in parc ferme during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 03, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Formula 1 via Getty Images
Formula 1 reaches the final stretch of the 2025 season, with Las Vegas kicking off a crucial final triple-header that will decide the drivers’ championship.
The title fight took a dramatic turn recently when Lando Norris of McLaren retook the lead from his teammate Oscar Piastri with a win in round 20 in Mexico City.
The Briton then went on to secure dominant victories in the sprint and the main race at Interlagos in Sao Paulo, now holding a 24-point lead over Piastri heading into round 22 in Las Vegas.
Max Verstappen’s hope for a fifth consecutive world championship is still alive after a series of outstanding performances that brought him back into the title conversation.
The Dutchman faces a critical task this weekend however, needing to avoid losing nine points or more to Norris to stay mathematically in contention heading to Qatar.
There are 83 points to play for over the remaining three rounds (25 points for each race plus eight for the Qatar sprint), meaning the championship can’t be decided this weekend, as 58 points will still be up for grabs after Las Vegas.
For Norris, the earliest he could secure the title is next Saturday at the sprint race in Qatar, provided that he manages at least a 51-point lead over Piastri after the 100 km race.
This means the Briton must win in Sin City and Piastri finishes outside the points to end the weekend with a 49-point advantage. If this scenario were to play out, he would only need to outscore his teammate by two points in the Qatar sprint – finishing at least seventh to secure the championship.
Norris doesn’t need to win again this season however to secure his maiden title. Even if he were to finish second to Piastri in the remaining races and the Qatar sprint, he would still win it by a slim margin of two points over his teammate.
This means that for Piastri to be crowned champion, he not only needs to win all remaining races but also for Norris to falter.
This would require the Australian to pull off a late-season comeback and return to winning ways after going five races in a row without a podium finish, having not tasted victory since the Dutch Grand Prix back in August.
As for Verstappen, he must do his part and win all the remaining rounds to have a chance while Norris and Piastri trip each other up – finishing off the podium or ideally outside the points.
ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS – AUGUST 30: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren, Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren, and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing pose for the top three photograph during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 30, 2025 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Heading to Sin City, Norris knows mistakes are not an option since Piastri’s and Verstappen’s title hopes hinge on his performance as much as theirs.
While Verstappen is at risk of getting eliminated from the title race this weekend if Norris outscores him by at least nine points, McLaren’s poor performance in the first two runnings of the Las Vegas Grand Prix gives him hope to remain in the title fight until at least round 23 in Qatar.
The Woking squad never finished higher than sixth in both qualifying and the race, which gives the Dutchman a fantastic opportunity to use Red Bull’s superiority around the Las Vegas Strip Circuit to further chip away at the gap.
But the fight for victory might not just come down to McLaren and Red Bull, as Mercedes will be hoping to replicate their dominant performance from last year where George Russell headed a one-two finish for the team.
A victory for the Brackley squad this weekend would further strengthen their second-place position in the constructors’ standings, currently holding a 32-point advantage over third-placed Red Bull.
Ferrari, too, enters the weekend hoping to bounce back from a disastrous outing in Sao Paulo where Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both faced DNFs.
This result saw the Italian team fall from second to fourth in the constructors’ championship, now sitting four points behind Red Bull and 36 behind Mercedes.
F1 Drivers’ Standings Ahead Of Las Vegas Grand Prix
- Lando Norris (McLaren): 390 points
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): 366 points
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing): 341 points
- George Russell (Mercedes): 276 points
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 214 points
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 148 points
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 122 points
- Alexander Albon (Williams): 73 points
- Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber): 43 points
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls): 43 points
- Oliver Bearman (Haas): 40 points
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): 40 points
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): 38 points
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls): 36 points
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): 32 points
- Esteban Ocon (Haas): 30 points
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing): 28 points
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): 22 points
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber): 19 points
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine): 0 points
F1 Constructors’ Standings Ahead Of Las Vegas Grand Prix
- McLaren: 756 points (champions)
- Mercedes: 398 points
- Red Bull Racing: 366 points
- Ferrari: 362 points
- Williams: 111 points
- Racing Bulls: 82 points
- Aston Martin: 72 points
- Haas: 70 points
- Kick Sauber: 62 points
- Alpine: 22 points
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/yaraelshebiny/2025/11/21/f1-standings-ahead-of-the-2025-las-vegas-grand-prix/
