What Max Verstappen Needs to Happen to Win F1 Title in Abu Dhabi

Here's what needs to happen for Max Verstappen to win a fifth straight Formula 1 championship after winning the Qatar Grand Prix.

Verstappen beat McLaren rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to win Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix.

The victory in Qatar was his seventh of the season, equalling Norris and Piastri, who finished second.

As for Norris, he could only manage fourth as he finished behind Williams' Carlos Sainz, but won himself an extra two points by passing Kimi Antonelli on the penultimate lap.

Verstappen, Norris and Piastri will now contest a final-race championship showdown in Abu Dhabi next Sunday.

As things stand, Norris leads the way, with 408 points on the board, 12 points ahead of Verstappen, who has 396 points, while Piastri has 392 points to his name.

Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Qatar Grand Prix. Image: Getty

Norris will win a maiden F1 title if he finishes P3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He must finish second if the Dutchman wins the race.

Verstappen, however, will make it five F1 championship titles in a row if he wins next Sunday's race and the British driver is P4 or lower.

Piastri, meanwhile, will be F1 champion if he wins and Norris finishes P6 or lower.

Lando Norris leads Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri ahead of next Sunday's final race of the season. Image: Getty

On the F1 championship, Verstappen said: "It's possible now but we will see. I don't really worry about it too much."

He added: "This was an incredible race for us, we made the right call as a team to box under that safety car and yeah that was smart.

"Super happy to win here, we stayed in the fight until the end. Incredible."

The Red Bull star's victory in Qatar puts him in the frame to win his fifth F1 championship, having won the previous four seasons.

Norris and Piastri will be hoping to spoil Verstappen's chances as they aim to win their first F1 title of their respective careers.

On remaining in the F1 championship battle, the Australian said: "Yep, I mean it is not all bad obviously. It has been a really good weekend, the pace has been very strong but it is a little bit tough to swallow at the moment."