Sky Sports Formula 1 commentator David Croft gives his verdict on title contenders Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale

View 3 Images

Three drivers can win the title on the final day for the first time in 15 years(Image: Getty Images)

Lando Norris may be the one with his destiny in his own hands heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale, but he has his two biggest rivals determined to pile on as much pressure as they can. David Croft has been championing team-mate Oscar Piastri’s title bid throughout the campaign and, despite the Australian being the outsider of the trio to claim world champion status come Sunday evening, refuses to change his stance.

The Sky Sports F1 commentator and Scalextric ambassador told Mirror Sport: “I’m still a very stubborn man. I’m not going to flip-flop around like my colleague Karun Chandhok – he’s got more flip-flops than an Australian beach shop. He’s gone Oscar, Lando, Oscar, Lando all season long.

“Will Oscar do it? I’d like to think he can. Does he want to qualify third? Will Max tangle with a McLaren at turn one like he did last year? Will that pave the way for Oscar to come through? There’s so many scenarios going into Sunday. As long as we don’t get a repeat of Abu Dhabi 2021 – let’s just follow the rules on this one.”

Piastri topped the championship standings for most of the season and appeared to be the clear title contender following the summer break, when he won the Dutch Grand Prix whilst Norris departed with nothing after a mechanical failure dashed his hopes.

However, the Australian endured a dismal streak of performances at a crucial juncture, leaving him third in the table, trailing Max Verstappen by four points and sitting 16 adrift of the summit. Piastri’s chances of success hinge on his team-mate finishing sixth or lower, even if he triumphs in Sunday’s race. Anything less than a second-place finish won’t cut it, regardless of how his competitors fare at the Yas Marina Circuit.

However, even if this isn’t Piastri’s year, Croft is confident that the 24-year-old will be back in the running soon. He said: “I’ve seen in Oscar a world champion in the making. His ability to absorb information, to then use that knowledge as and when needs be out on the race track, he has matured this season as well. He should be a world champion one day – whether it will be next Sunday, it’s probably increasingly unlikely now after the results in Qatar and the results leading up to the last few races.

“There are things in his driving he probably needs to iron out to make sure that, on these low-grip tracks, he doesn’t struggle quite as much in the future. But it is only his third season in F1 and he’s still learning. Lando has got four seasons on him in F1. I think he has that ruthlessness, he has that ability to pounce when he needs to pounce, to understand the strategy, to be calm and rational when making those decisions.”

Verstappen found himself trailing by 104 points following the Dutch GP in August and had effectively written off his championship hopes by that stage. But a potent Red Bull upgrade rolled out at Monza in September has finally allowed the Flying Dutchman to battle at the business end once more, whilst a string of expensive McLaren errors has thrust him back into contention.

View 3 Images

David Croft continues to back Oscar Piastri for glory(Image: Getty Images)

The Red Bull ace has consistently insisted he won’t be losing any sleep should he fail to clinch another crown, though Croft remains sceptical about Verstappen’s sincerity. He said: “There’s a big difference between a four-time and a five-time world champion.

“And to win them consecutively, he’ll go up there with [Juan Manuel] Fangio, with [Michael] Schumacher, with [Lewis] Hamilton. That’s the pantheon of greats. The way he deals with it is, ‘Nothing’s going to change my life here, I’m already a four-time world champion’. I think he deserves to be a five-time world champion.”

With Norris holding the advantage, Croft can only envisage one approach for his British compatriot to handle the pressure. He explained: “Lando still needs to just keep calm, relax and know that a third place will be good enough for him. There’s a lot of options that that might not happen, but his car is still very good, he’s still very good and they go well in Abu Dhabi. It’s a track he’s won at before, convincingly won last year as well.”

However, the man who will be providing live commentary for millions of viewers worldwide during Sunday’s race believes that regardless of who emerges as champion, F1 is the ultimate victor. He explained: “The beauty for me for this final race is that whatever the outcome, it’s a great story.

View 3 Images

Lando Norris is the championship leader and title favourite(Image: Getty Images)

“Either Max, the underdog this season, becomes a five-time world champion, Oscar, in his third season, becomes a champion for the first time, surviving all the pressure and all the adversity that have been thrown at him, or Lando Norris comes good and the driver who joined McLaren as a boy when he was 17 and made the teas for Fernando Alonso can now take his place as the 35th different world champion as very much a man.

“So it’s a coming-of-age story, or it’s a high-five story – but it’s a great story. I just love the way that Formula 1 throws these stories up year after year after year.”