Photo by Jonathan Borba: https://www.pexels.com/photo/high-speed-race-car-on-track-at-sunset-31266786/
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Pexels
Those final-race title deciders carry a certain chill. And it leaves you asking… does Lando Norris need to be perfect when it matters most?
We are heading to the final race of the season so what to expect and what does history really tell us?
Is Lando Norris safe? The equation look simple, with Lando Norris 408 points, if he wins, finishes second or third, he becomes F1 champion.
But what if Lando Norris finishes 4th and Max Verstappen wins the race? Or Oscar Piastri wins and Lando Norris slumps to sixth or lower?
It all sounds straightforward, but history has a way of reminding us that nothing is simple when the final race arrives, so let’s go through a few of those unforgettable finales where the championship leader watched the title slip away…
The F1 final race scenarios in history of the sport;
1950 – Juan Manuel Fangio
First season, first finale, drama all the way.
Fangio arrived the final race of the season leading the standings, with 27 points, five points ahead of Guiseppe Farina.
The unluckiest day for Fangio, he had two car failures, two retirements, even after swapping cars, which was legal at the time.
Guiseppe Farina, needed a win to snatch the crown, delivered exactly that, the first-ever title was decided by pure drama, and the championship leader fell.
That was the first warning history gave us, even later, it happened many times so let’s explore below in the content.
1964 – Graham Hill
Graham Hill led the standings and appeared in control of his destiny, he was the leader with 39 points ahead of John Surtees with 34 and Jim Clark, 30.
But then came the chaos, Hill was hit by a Ferrari, his care was damaged and he was not able to continue and fight at the front.
On the other hand, Clark dominated the race, only for his engine to die on the final lap.
Surtees could overtake Bandini on the last lap, giving him just enough points to win the world title.
This is probably one of the most dramatic finishes in history, and if you look at the stats before the finale, its almost similar to 2025 final race, with Lando Norris leading the championship ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
1976 – Niki Lauda
Few finales are as emotionally charged as Fuji in 1976, Lauda led the championship before the final race ahead of James Hunt.
The heavens opened over Japan with a storm so brutal even veterans hesitated, Lauda chose life over racing and withdrew from the race, a decision both heroic and human.
It was not easy for Hunt, he needed to finish third to win the title, a puncture dropped him to fifth.
The championship seemed gone, until he surged forward in the final laps to reclaim third and win the championship by a single point.
A leader of the championship lost in the final race, and the world learned again that little battles can flip in seconds.
1981 – Carlos Reutemann
Reutemann entered the final race of the season in 1981 leading the championship by one point.
He started the race from pole, but something was wrong, and the car was unbalanced, and a missing 4th gear turned the race into a nightmare.
He slid backward through the field, unable to defend his lead.
Piquet on the other hand, fighting heat exhaustion, dragged his Brabham to fifth place, scoring just enough points to win the championship.
1986 – Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell needed only third place in Adelaide to become world champion. He held that position comfortably — until one of the most infamous blowouts in F1 history tore open his left-rear tire at full speed.
Sparks, chaos, retirement.
In a heartbeat, everything he’d built came undone. Prost, always ready to pick up the pieces, won the race and stole the championship.
This finale is a reminder Lando Norris knows too well: control means nothing until the last lap is finished.
1997 – Michael Schumacher
Another dramatic race where Schumacher entered the finale leading Villeneuve by a single point.
Whoever finished ahead would almost take the title, when Villeneuve lunged down the inside, Schumacher turned into him.
Ferrari spun out into the gravel while Villeneuve, wounded but moving, dragged his car home in third.
The leader of the championship, Michael Schumacher lost the title in 1997.
2007 – Lewis Hamilton
A rookie, a sensation, a future champion waiting to happen, Lewis Hamilton entered the final race in Brazil as the favorite.
Then disaster struck, gearbox issue dropping him to the back, Raikkonen, the quiet outsider, won the Brazilian GP and took the championship by one point.
Hamilton who had led the standings before the final race of 2007, walked away empty-handed.
2010 Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso arrived in Abu Dhabi leading the championship. He didn’t need a win — just a clean, strategic race.
But strategy betrayed him.
Ferrari boxed him early to cover Webber. Alonso rejoined behind Vitaly Petrov, and the Renault turned into a blue-and-yellow wall he couldn’t break through. Lap after lap, the title drained away. Vettel won the race, and with it, the championship, even though he had never led the standings all season.
Again, the leader collapsed at the final hurdle.
So What Does All This Mean for Lando Norris?
History is screaming a warning, entering the final round in front does not guarantee anything, one mistake, ripped titles away from those who thought they were safe.
Lando Norris has the advantage but not enough of one to relax, Verstappen can still win this on pure pace, Piastri can still steal it with a single perfect Sunday.
And Abu Dhabi has decided championships before, often in ways nobody expected, if Lando Norris wins or finishes on podium, he seals the title, but the ghosts of F1’s past finales whisper the same truth:
No championship leader is safe. Not until the final lap. Not until the final corner.
