The 2025 Formula 1 season is set to come down to one final showdown at the Yas Marina circuit this weekend, and McLaren are already feeling the pressure as two of their drivers look to claim a maiden world championship.
Lando Norris arrived in Abu Dhabi as the championship leader, with Max Verstappen circling 12 points behind, and his McLaren counterpart, Oscar Piastri, 16 points behind.
That means that it is all still to play for at the Yas Marina circuit, and predicting who will walk away from the track as the 2025 world champion is a complete stab in the dark.
The season finale comes after a tough-to-swallow race for Norris and Piastri at the penultimate round of the campaign in Qatar.
Despite locking out the front row, the McLaren duo were hindered by some questionable decisions made on the pit wall, and ended up losing out to Max Verstappen as he ran away with the victory.
McLaren are ‘very nervous’ about getting qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix wrong
Speaking on an episode of the Nailing the Apex podcast with Tim Hauraney, F1 journalist Nelson Valkenburg was asked to share what the atmosphere is currently like in Abu Dhabi as the 2025 campaign reaches a head.
The Dutch reporter was quick to share what he had seen within the papaya-adorned hospitality centre in the paddock, replying, “Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed this as well, Tim, but they’re battening down the hatches at McLaren.
“It’s a closed shop at the moment. They’re very nervous. And I think what they’re most nervous about is Q3 of qualifying, something to go wrong, not nailing the lap.
“And for, in this case, Lando Norris, who’s their biggest ace for the championship, to have to start sixth or seventh. That’s what they’re nervous about.”
Norris needs a podium finish to guarantee himself a spot in the exclusive club of Formula 1 world champions, regardless of where his title rivals end up in the race.
However, if he finishes lower than third place, he’s going to want to hope that Verstappen or Piastri aren’t standing on the top step of the podium once the celebrations in parc ferme begin.
Helmut Marko recently noted that he has never seen Max Verstappen ‘more relaxed’ than he is at the moment
In contrast to the nerves over in the McLaren garage, Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko recently highlighted how he has never seen Verstappen more relaxed than he is in his current title fight.
Speaking to Sport ahead of the most recent round of racing in Qatar, the Austrian said, “Max is more relaxed and confident than he has been in a long time.”
He also noted that the four-time world champion has “reached new peak performances” during recent Grand Prix race weekends.
“Max is like a terrier, such a small dog, but incredibly tenacious and afraid of nothing,” Marko added.
“Nobody’s nervous, we’re focused on the task at hand. If we succeed, great. If not, we’ll have shown what Red Bull Racing is capable of.”
As the only one out of the three championship protagonists this year to already have a championship under his belt, it’s clear that Verstappen will be heading into the final Grand Prix of the year with an edge over his opponents.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
