Round 23 of 24.
The end of the 2025 season is nigh, and after the drama of last weekend's disqualification for McLaren, there's never been a better time to follow Formula 1.
Lando Norris could win the championship this weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix, or it could go down to the final race next week in Abu Dhabi.
Norris is 24 points ahead of rivals Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, who are level on points.
Here's what's to come this weekend...
Weather forecast - hot
It's the Arabian Desert, so expect it to be hot and likely humid. Qatar, like Singapore, is another race that sees drivers facing heat-related challenges.
Friday sees highs of 29°C (84°F), reducing to 27°C (81°F) by Sunday, while humidity levels are forecast to be around 48%.
Jump to: Circuit history & stats | Predictions | How to watch | Championship standings
This week's must-read
MCLAREN DISQUALIFIED: Laurence Edmondson explains why Norris and Piastri were disqualified for excessive wear on their cars, in what is essentially a hair's width.
'CALM DOWN': Lewis Hamilton has been urged to "calm down" by Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur following the seven-time world champion's latest attack on his own form.
HORNER RETURNS?: Christian Horner has emerged as a candidate to take a leadership role at Aston Martin's Formula 1 team. But what's the likelihood?
PIN WINS F1 ACADEMY: Mercedes' Doriane Pin won the F1 Academy title on Sunday, beating Ferrari's Maya Weug to the trophy with a fifth-placed finish at the final race of the season in Las Vegas.
UNLAPPED: For more analysis, listen to the latest episode of ESPN's F1 podcast Unlapped with F1 writers Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson.
How the championship looks
Lando Norris leads by 24 points ahead of his rivals Piastri and Verstappen who are level on the same points.
A maximum of 58 points are available across the final two races, with 33 available at Qatar since it's a sprint race weekend.
Norris will be crowned champion if he finishes this weekend 26 or more points ahead, which effectively means outscoring both Piastri and Verstappen by two points or more (across the sprint and the grand prix).
For other scenarios, check out our F1 permutations piece.
As for a breakdown of podiums and wins, this is how it looks for the top three:
Norris (390 pts) - 17 podiums, 7 wins
Piastri (366 pts) - 14 podiums, 7 wins
Verstappen (366 pts) - 13 podiums, 6 wins.
- How many points for a race win? How the F1 points system works
Circuit stats and history
Lusail International Circuit served as a motorbike circuit prior to joining the F1 calendar in 2021 on a 10-year contract. Qatar did not host a grand prix in 2022 as they focused on the FIFA World Cup, but it returned in 2023 and 2024.
The circuit is one of the most demanding on the calendar with long straights and sweeping high-speed corners coupled with intense heat and humidity, making conditions for the cars and drivers difficult.
Qatar Grand Prix
Circuit: Lusail International Circuit; Lusail, Qatar
First F1 race: 2021
Lap record: 1:22.384, Lando Norris (2024)
Laps: 57 laps of 5.4km
Most wins: Verstappen (2023, 2024). Hamilton (2021) is the only other winner.
Poles: Hamilton (2021), Verstappen (2023), George Russell (2024) have each taken pole across three editions.
What makes it special: A fast-flowing circuit in the desert, originally built for MotoGP but proving to be a thrilling addition to the F1 calendar. Under the floodlights, it has a similar night-race atmosphere to Bahrain but with more high-speed turns.
What the drivers say about it: "It takes some time to focus and find your rhythm, but overall this is a very fun circuit to drive," -- Sebastian Vettel.
What happened last year?
It was a scrappy win for Max Verstappen in a race that saw three safety cars and a 10-second stop-go penalty for Lando Norris when he was running in second.
Charles Leclerc took second in the end, ahead of Oscar Piastri as Norris finished 10th.
Who will win?
On paper, Qatar should suit McLaren. The combination of a smooth, high-grip track surface with medium to high speed, long-duration corners play to the strengths of MCL39.
However, if this season has taught us anything it's that the form guide quite often counts for nothing. Combined with Max Verstappen's relentless push to remain in the title fight, we're backing the defending champion to win in Qatar and take the championship down to the final round in Abu Dhabi.
How to watch the GP
For fans in the U.S. only, watch live on ESPN and ESPN+ -- view the schedule.
In the UK, live broadcast coverage is on Sky Sports F1 and BBC Radio 5 Live, with highlights on Channel 4.
For news, analysis and updates, follow the coverage with ESPN's F1 team Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson in Qatar and on social media.
Session times below in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Local time is (AST) Arabia Standard Time (GMT+3 hours).
Friday
Practice: 13:30-14:30 GMT
Sprint qualifying: 17:30-18:14 GMT
Saturday
Sprint: 14:00-15:00 GMT
Qualifying: 18:00-19:00 GMT
Sunday
Race starts: 16:00 GMT (live text commentary build-up from 15:00 GMT on ESPN.co.uk/F1).
- Standings | Calendar | Teams
- 2025 F1 circuits: Their history, stats and why they're special
- Key facts on drivers, teams, venues, more
- Reasons to root for each F1 driver, questions for every team
- Meet the rookies: What to expect from F1's Class of 2025