Louis Bollard previews the final race of the 2025 F1 season, with the title very much up for grabs in Abu Dhabi.
F1 betting tips: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
3pts Oscar Piastri to beat Lando Norris 29/20 (General)
2pts Kimi Antonelli to Beat George Russell 23/10 (General)
1pt double Piastri and Antonelli at 7/1 (General)
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For the first time since 2010 we have a title decider with more than two drivers still in the hunt after another McLaren blunder in Qatar resulted in Max Verstappen being a 7/2 shot, having been matched at a high of 400 on the Betfair Exchange.
The Dutchman still faces an uphill battle to secure his fifth successive drivers' title with Lando Norris only needing a podium to win a maiden championship, a feat he has managed on 18 occasions this year, but anything can happen in an Abu Dhabi decider.
History is on Verstappen's side as he loves this venue. He has won four of the past five races here (yes, including that one) and has been on the podium in six of the last seven. The only worry is that his car didn't perform here last year and was comfortably beaten by Lando Norris.
OSCAR PIASTRI is still in title hunt, but requires his teammate to finish no higher than sixth while he takes top spot. While there is a slim chance of this of this happening, on merit he is value to be the first McLaren driver across the line.
After a torrid run of form since the Monza position swap fiasco, he returned to his best in Qatar, being clearly the quickest driver all weekend only for McLaren to fumble the victory in the name of fairness between the drivers, a bold strategy that could cost them the World Championship. Zak Brown, McLaren CEO, is on the record saying they would rather not win the championship than impose team orders.
With all the pressure on Norris this weekend and his record of handling pressure I have to be against his performance, especially when he isn't required to beat his teammate. If there's any battle to be had between the two drivers at turn one or later, expect Norris to take the safer approach and back out of it as a collision will only benefit Verstappen.
Magic Mercedes
The one other factor in the title fight could be Mercedes. With Norris's rivals requiring at least another car to get in between the trio the most likely car to occupy that space is a Mercedes.
But which Mercedes? This is now a valid question to ask as KIMI ANTONELLI has answered his critics having beaten George Russell on merit in three of the last four, with the outlier being Las Vegas which was arguably his strongest race of the lot having got unlucky in qualifying and recovered to the podium.
Antonelli can continue his strong form in this matchup at a venue where his teammate has not set the world alight in the past.
Antepost selections update
Alex Albon to beat Carlos Sainz outright
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes Carlos Sainz has kept this battle alive after a phenomenal run of form which has coincided with a barren run from Albon.
If Albon were to fail to score again here, P5 would be enough for Sainz to take the Williams battle crown. Williams will be more confident here than they were last weekend and I fear we may need Albon to get some points as Sainz looks like he could get the better of the struggling Ferraris.
Ollie Bearman to beat Esteban Ocon outright
Another teammate battle, we have a nine-point advantage going into the final race, and in this case it would take a miracle for it to be overturned. Ocon needs a P5 finish without Bearman scoring which looks like pigs will be flying if he can turn his recent form into a result like this. Ocon looks mentally checked out for the season so we should be safe here.
Ollie Bearman to score over 50 points
Another bet that looked done and dusted until a late season flurry of strong results brought it back into play. Bearman needs a P5 finish which isn't impossible, but may need some mishaps from the title contenders.
If Texas (spinning after Tsunoda chaotic defending and Qatar (pitstop issue) had gone our way we would only need a minor points scoring result. Not dead yet but needs help.
Posted at 11:30 GMT on 04/12/25
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