Over the course of a 24-race Formula 1 season, which is really a 30-race season when you factor in the six sprint races to go along with the 24 Grands Prix, there are naturally going to be moments every single driver wants to have back.
When there are three drivers still in world championship contention heading into the season finale for the first time since 2010, those moments are naturally poised to be magnified.
And with two of those three drivers guaranteed to fall short, those drivers' moments might well be replayed in the minds of the drivers (and fans) time and time again after the season.
Regardless of what happens in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which McLaren's Lando Norris is set to enter with a 12-point lead over four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull and a 16-point lead over McLaren's Oscar Piastri, "what-if" moments will, in some way, shape, or form, define the 2025 world championship battle.
I joked with a couple people earlier this week that, had any one of about 50 things – probably even more – gone differently for any of these three drivers during the season, it probably would have been a stress-free week for Formula 1 fans heading into Sunday's 58-lap race around the 16-turn, 3.281-mile (5.28-kilometer) Yas Marina Circuit.
But 23 Grands Prix (and 29 total races) later, Formula 1 is now set for its first title decider in a season final since 2021.
So let's be "that guy" and look back on the many, many what-if moments that could have – and, at least for two of these three drivers, probably would have – altered the complexion of the 2025 Formula 1 world championship battle.
Lando Norris
What if McLaren had gotten away with the plank violations in Las Vegas, or quite simply, not committed them? What if their strategy call hadn't gone completely wrong in Qatar? What if he and Piastri had not collided in the first corner of the opening lap of the sprint at Circuit of the Americas?
What if he had not crashed out while making an ill-advised overtake attempt on Piastri in Montreal? And what if his MCL39 had not experienced an ultra-rare engine failure in Zandvoort?
Max Verstappen
What if he hadn't spun out in the rain at Silverstone? What if he hadn't let his emotions get the best of him in Spain when he ran into George Russell, producing a penalty? What if Kimi Antonelli hadn't taken him out on the opening lap in Austria? And what if Antonelli's defense of Norris in Qatar had been as strong as his defense on Verstappen in Brazil?
What if Russell's Montreal move had been penalized the same way Piastri's (more on that below) was in Silverstone? And dare we say it, what if Red Bull had actually fielded a remotely competitive car in the three months leading up to the summer break? What if the switch from Christian Horner to Laurent Mekies had been made earlier?
What if the many other "marginal" incidents between Norris and Piastri had actually resulted in contact? What if he had taken advantage of Norris' minor slip-ups in the rain during the closing laps of the season opener in Melbourne?
Oscar Piastri
What if he hadn't spun out in the rain toward the end of the season opener in Melbourne? What if he hadn't listened to team orders in Monza? What if he hadn't had his complete disaster of a weekend in Baku? What if he hadn't let Verstappen get into his head in Silverstone and handed Norris the win due to penalty? What if McLaren hadn't let Norris get away with the opening lap contact in Singapore?
As we spoke about with Norris, what if McLaren hadn't been caught in violation of a clear rule in Las Vegas? What if McLaren hadn't botched the strategy call in Qatar? What if the team's bold strategy call for Norris in Hungary had not panned out? And what if the opening lap collision with Norris in the sprint at Circuit of the Americas hadn't happened?
I'm sure I'm missing a few other things from over the past nine months, but that just further proves the point. Change any one or more of these things, and we'd be looking at an entirely different world championship picture heading into the season finale.
Clinching scenarios, by the way, can be found here.
There's a strong case to be made that any one of these three drivers would be a deserving 2025 Formula 1 world champion; each has his strengths and weaknesses. But only one of them can earn it, and it needs to be earned during the final race weekend of the year.
And at the end of the day, Verstappen said it best himself. Regarding all the "what-if", "what-if", "what-if" that is almost sure to take place after the checkered flag flies: "If my mum had balls, she would be my dad."
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