Oscar Piastri enters the final round of the Formula One season in Abu Dhabi with a narrow chance to become Australia's first world champion in 45 years. The McLaren driver trails teammate Lando Norris by 16 points and Red Bull's Max Verstappen by four points in the standings.
Piastri needs to finish first or second to have any hope of overtaking Norris. A victory would secure the title if Norris finishes no worse than sixth. A second-place finish would require an even more improbable set of results, including Norris and Verstappen underperforming or failing to finish.
Norris has placed below sixth only four times this season, including a collision with Piastri in Canada, a late oil leak in the Netherlands, and a disqualification in Las Vegas. Verstappen, who has won five of the past eight rounds, has dominated in Abu Dhabi with four consecutive wins from 2020 to 2023.
Last year's Abu Dhabi race saw Verstappen clip Piastri at the first corner, sending the Australian to the back of the pack and a 10th-place finish. Piastri's championship hopes may depend on similar chaos or external help.
This is the first season since 2010 to have three or more drivers in title contention at the final round. That year, Mark Webber—now Piastri's manager—and Fernando Alonso were overtaken by Sebastian Vettel, who overcame a 15-point deficit to win the title.
