Lando Norris Favorites The Key To The 2025 F1 Title At The Qatar Grand Prix

Lando Norris currently leads the F1 2025 (Instagram/@lando) standings.

JAKARTA Lando Norris is very favorite to secure the Formula 1 (F1) title for the 2025 competition season in the race which will take place in Qatar this weekend.

The competition for the 2025 F1 world title has entered a crucial phase in the race which will take place at the Lusail Circuit on Sunday, November 30, 2025. Norris, who leads the standings, has a chance to lock the title there.

The British racer, who is more favored towards the main podium and also holds his first world title as Max Verstappen aims for a third straight victory in Qatar.

Qatar is one of the remaining two series of races this season and Verstappen is still 24 points behind Norris. This situation makes Verstappen unable to lose a lot of points in Qatar if he wants to keep competing in the title race.

Norris arrived in Qatar with the strongest candidate status. The 26-year-old McLaren racer only needed to maintain consistency and leave Qatar with a 26-point advantage over Verstappen to ensure the title.

If the ideal scenario is achieved then he will become the first British rider to become world champion since the Lewis Hamilton era and open up the opportunity for McLaren to repeat the dual glory of drivers and constructors since 1998.

Oscar Piastri also still has a mathematical opportunity even though his performance has shown a decline in recent series. The number of points is the same as Verstappen, but has always appeared unsatisfactory in recent races.

The relatively safe margin of points provides room for Norris to regulate the rhythm, including playing more conservatively in the Sprint Race on Saturday, November 29, 2025, and the main race taking place the next day.

The head of McLaren Team, Andrea Stella, reiterated the team's commitment to maintaining fair treatment for its two drivers until the opportunity is completely closed. He emphasized that there would be no specific instructions to support any of the riders.

"We will not close the door unless it is closed by math," Stella said.

Stella has an experience record in the race for a tight title. He was once an engineer for the Kimi Raikkonen race when he won the 2007 title with Ferrari. At that time he overtook two McLaren riders, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, despite being 17 points behind with two races remaining.

He also accompanied Alonso in 2010 when the title was released in the final series and Sebastian Vettel took the title for Red Bull with a deficit of 15 points at the start of the race week.

With this experience, Stella assesses that Piastri's chances are not completely closed. His performance can be lifted again because the upcoming race takes place over a fast track like Lusail.

The Lusail Circuit will feature extra challenges after Pirelli requires a minimum of two pit-stops due to the high level of tire wear. Each set of tires is only allowed to be used for a maximum of 25 laps, opening up a strategy space that can invite surprises from teams like Mercedes or Ferrari.

This technical situation could trigger a tight duel to the final series in Abu Dhabi, which has the potential to become a 'winner takes all' battle between two or even three candidates.

If Verstappen is able to maintain the momentum that has cut 104 points since early September 2025, pressure on McLaren is predicted to be even stronger, and make the end of the season even more dramatic.