Who will win the drivers' world championship? Ralf Schumacher, former Formula 1 driver and Sky pundit, has a dream champion. His gut feeling says otherwise. And who does Bernie Ecclestone think will win?
04.12.2025, 11:00
dpa
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- The Formula 1 title will be decided on Sunday. Lando Norris has the best chances and goes into the final race of the season with a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen.
- Ralf Schumacher would grant the current championship leader the title. However, his gut feeling tells a different story: "Somehow I can't shake the feeling that the McLaren will get in each other's way and Max will become world champion."
- Decades-long Formula 1 managing director Bernie Ecclestone is also betting on the defending champion: "You can never bet against Max."
Ralf Schumacher would be personally delighted if Lando Norris won the world championship - but his inner voice is predicting something else ahead of the final Formula 1 triple-header this weekend. "Somehow I can't shake off the feeling that the McLaren will get in each other's way and Max will become world champion. I don't know why either," said the former Formula 1 driver and Sky pundit in a press conference for the broadcaster.
"Although I personally would really like Lando to be world champion," added the 50-year-old. Norris, who repeatedly speaks openly and publicly about his doubts and mental struggles, would appeal to a different audience. "He is an interesting personality," emphasized Ralf Schumacher.
Ecclestone is not backing fellow countryman Norris
"Lando is good, a really good driver, but he's too self-confident, too cocky," said former Formula 1 managing director Bernie Ecclestone to the British Daily Mail. Norris gets nervous at crucial moments and cannot deliver under pressure like Verstappen.
"I still believe that Max will make it. He deserves it," said Ecclestone, who is now 95 years old. He believes that Verstappen is the best he has ever seen: "You can never bet against Max."
From 104 points behind to a chance of the title
Norris also has the best chance of winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this Sunday (14:00). First, second or third place and the 26-year-old Briton will become drivers' champion for the first time and also end the era of Max Verstappen. The 28-year-old Red Bull driver was already a whopping 104 points behind first place at the end of August, held at the time by Norris' McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.
The 24-year-old Australian has since slipped to third place overall, 16 points behind Norris. All three have won seven of the 23 races.
The starting position is therefore highly explosive, and McLaren itself has made sure of that: After the race in Las Vegas, both drivers were disqualified; Norris and Piastri were not at fault, a technical infringement was to blame. Last Sunday in Qatar, the team management messed up the tactics, leaving both on the track while everyone else had their tires changed during a safety car phase. Piastri, who started from pole, finished second, while Norris even missed out on the podium in fourth place. The winner was the same as in Las Vegas: Verstappen.
Ralf Schumacher: McLaren needs a clear stable order
Not forgetting the team's internal Papaya rules, named after the color of the car's paintwork: The decision should be made on the track, with no preference given to either driver.
"If McLaren doesn't manage to finally make a clear stable order in the last race, preferably after qualifying, then I'm almost afraid that both will somehow meet on the track and Max will still become world champion because both McLaren will retire," confirmed Ralf Schumacher. As a racing driver, the worst thing would be for his own team-mate to become world champion.
