Lando Norris had his first opportunity to win the 2025 Formula 1 championship in Qatar, but it didn't come to fruition. Norris, who started in second place and finished in fourth place, needed to outscore Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen by two points in Qatar. Instead, the championship battle is more than alive going into the season finale.

Norris will hold a 12-point lead over Verstappen and a 16-point lead over Piastri in the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The McLaren driver is still the favorite to win the 2025 Formula 1 championship; however, the room for error has disappeared. Any issue in Abu Dhabi could end Norris' bid for a championship.

In fact, if the same results from Qatar carried over to Abu Dhabi, Verstappen would win the 2025 Formula 1 championship. Norris only needs a podium finish in Abu Dhabi to become the champion, but as seen in Qatar last weekend, that is easier said than done.

This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Lando Norris takes narrow F1 championship lead into 2025 season finale

Reporting by Austin Konenski, Motorsports Wire / Motorsports Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect