This weekend in Abu Dhabi, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri will vie for the title. It is only the 10th time this century that a championship has been decided at the final race, and just the third time since 2000 it has involved more than two drivers.
History suggests such finales rarely disappoint. Dramatic swings in the standings are nothing new — only nine times in the sport’s 75-year history has the championship leader entering the finale failed to secure the title. Yas Marina promises another weekend of tension and spectacle.
Here’s a look back at the nine title-deciding finales since 2000.
2003 Japanese GP – Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) v Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren)
The 2003 season reached its climax at Suzuka with Schumacher holding a nine-point lead over Raikkonen, needing just a single point to secure a record sixth championship.
Schumacher’s weekend was far from straightforward. Qualifying saw him start 14th, while Raikkonen took eighth, leaving the German’s title hopes hanging by a thread. On race day, Raikkonen drove brilliantly to take victory, but Schumacher methodically moved through the field, finishing eighth — just enough to clinch the championship.
2006 Brazilian GP – Fernando Alonso (Renault) v Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
Three years later, Schumacher faced a very different challenge at Interlagos. Trailing Alonso by 10 points, he needed a perfect storm: a win and Alonso failing to score to steal the championship on countback.
Qualifying left Schumacher 10th after a fuel-pressure issue, and an early puncture dropped him to the back in the race. Yet he mounted a relentless charge through the field, finishing fourth in a masterclass of overtaking under pressure. Alonso though did enough up front, finishing second to secure his second consecutive drivers’ championship.
2007 Brazilian GP – Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) v Fernando Alonso (McLaren) v Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
If the 2025 finale carries echoes of two McLarens dominating most of the season only to face a final-race uncertainty, the 2007 Interlagos showdown is its closest historical parallel. Two McLarens had dominated the year, yet their fate was undecided in the last race. Hamilton led Alonso by four points and Raikkonen by seven, needing a calm, controlled drive to clinch a remarkable rookie-season title.
But his race unravelled immediately. A wide first corner dropped him behind both Ferraris, and a gearbox glitch compounded his woes, leaving Hamilton seventh. Alonso could not capitalise, finishing second, while Raikkonen executed flawless strategy alongside Felipe Massa to take the win and the championship by a single point.
2008 Brazilian GP – Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) v Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
The 2008 finale at Interlagos remains one of the sport’s most dramatic conclusions. Entering the final race of the season competing at home, Massa needed victory and for Hamilton to finish sixth or lower to become Brazil’s first world champion since Ayrton Senna.
He delivered a near-perfect race under mixed conditions, crossing the line first to the delight of the Sao Paulo crowd. But late rain, tyre gambles, and a desperate Timo Glock led to one of F1’s most famous twists: on the penultimate corner of the final lap, Hamilton overtook Glock to claim fifth and snatch the championship by a single point.
The emotional rollercoaster — jubilation for Hamilton, heartbreak for Massa — cemented the 2008 finale as an enduring F1 classic.
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2010 Abu Dhabi GP – Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) v Mark Webber (Red Bull) v Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) v Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
The 2010 finale at Yas Marina was unprecedented: four drivers entered the last race with a shot at the championship — the only time in F1 history such a scenario has occurred. Alonso led the standings, with Webber and Vettel close behind and Hamilton holding an outside chance.
The race unfolded as a strategic chess match. Pit stops trapped Alonso and Webber behind Vitaly Petrov, while Vettel controlled the race from the front. Ferrari’s focus on Webber failed to account for Vettel, who capitalised with a composed, pressure-free drive.
When the chequered flag fell, Vettel had overturned a 15-point deficit to claim his first championship. It was the second consecutive finale with more than two drivers in contention where the third-placed driver entering the weekend emerged as champion, and the last time the points leader failed to secure the title.
2012 Brazilian GP – Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) v Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
Two years later at Interlagos, Vettel and Alonso went head-to-head once more, with Vettel holding a 13-point lead. Alonso needed a podium and a favourable result elsewhere to claim his third title, while Vettel could secure the championship with a fourth-place finish.
Disaster struck Vettel on the opening lap, when a collision with Bruno Senna spun him to the back of the field. Alonso moved up steadily, looking set to snatch the championship in a dramatic comeback.
In the end, the Spaniard fell just short, finishing second behind Jenson Button, with Vettel mounting a remarkable comeback to finish sixth — just enough to clinch his third consecutive drivers’ championship by three points.
2014 Abu Dhabi GP – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) v Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
The 2014 finale concluded the first season of the turbo-hybrid era with a dramatic intra-team battle at Mercedes. Hamilton led Rosberg by 17 points, with double points on offer for the first and only time in F1 history.
Hamilton made the perfect start from second, taking the lead from pole-sitter Rosberg at the first corner. Sticking to his teammates gearbox for the opening part of the race, Rosberg’s championship hopes collapsed on lap 24 when an ERS failure forced him down the order to finish 14th. Hamilton’s victory, his 11th of the season, secured his second drivers’ title and first of six for Mercedes.
2016 Abu Dhabi GP – Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) v Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 
Two years later, the roles were reversed, with Rosberg entering Abu Dhabi with a 12-point lead over Hamilton. Although Hamilton won the race, Rosberg’s second-place finish was sufficient to claim his first and only world championship.
Hamilton started from pole and dominated the race, but Rosberg held his nerve, keeping close despite Hamilton attempting to slow the field and force an overtake on his teammate by those behind him.
A jubilant Rosberg celebrated hard after the race, but a bigger moment would follow only a few days later. The German shocked the sport by announcing his retirement, bring to a close one of F1’s most intense intra-team battles.
2021 Abu Dhabi GP – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) v Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
The 2021 finale produced one of the most controversial and dramatic conclusions in F1 history. Verstappen and Hamilton entered the race tied on points, creating a winner-takes-all showdown for the first and only time in F1 history.
Hamilton dominated much of the race, looking set to secure a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship. But on lap 53, Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams, bringing out the Safety Car. With several lapped cars between the title rivals, race control controversially allowed only those cars to un-lap themselves, setting up a one-lap shootout with Verstappen on fresher soft tyres as the Safety Car came in on the penultimate lap.
On the final lap, Verstappen overtook Hamilton into Turn 5, holding firm to win the race and claim his first drivers’ championship. The outcome sparked global debate that continues today, and the race remains the most recent instance of a championship being decided at the final round.
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