Who will win the 2025 F1 championship? Williams boss gives surprising answer. Williams team principal James Vowles gives a surprising take on the 2025 F1 title fight.

F1 Abu Dhabi: one team principal surprisingly rules out a title contender

The Abu Dhabi GP will decide the fate of the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship, but for one team principal, the title fight is essentially between just two drivers.

Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri will compete for the championship in the season’s final race at Abu Dhabi. Norris leads by 12 points over Verstappen and 16 over Piastri—a slim margin, but one that could secure him the title with a podium finish. The battle, however, remains tight, and nothing can be left to chance. On the eve of the weekend, many are asking: “Who will win the F1 championship at Abu Dhabi?” This very question was posed to Williams team principal James Vowles upon his arrival in the Abu Dhabi paddock. His answer, careful not to overcommit, was surprisingly revealing.

Although Norris leads the standings, Max Verstappen’s post-summer surge has kept the British McLaren driver under pressure. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri, who led the championship for much of the season, now finds himself chasing both his teammate and the reigning champion.

James Vowles weighs in

In a video shared on social media by Williams, James Vowles attempted to answer the most common question these days: who will take the championship? While he didn’t give a definitive answer, he implicitly ruled one contender out of the title fight. The Grove-based team principal admitted: “I was thinking about it this morning because I didn’t expect you to ask me, but I tried to figure it out and every time I did, I was wrong in predicting how the situation would unfold.”

James Vowles added: “I don’t think you can rule out Max [Verstappen], he’s in great form, completely relaxed. He’s in good shape, things are going well. But this title is in Lando’s [Norris] hands.”

Noticeably absent from Vowles’ final prediction? Oscar Piastri. Whether intentional or not, the Williams boss effectively reduced the three-way fight to a straight duel – a view that will delight Lando Norris fans and spark plenty of debate among the McLaren garage as the countdown to Sunday’s decisive grand prix begins.