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Formula OneFormula One's 2025 World Drivers' Championship fight will go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi this weekend after a second successive McLaren race-day mistake. The Qatar GP saw the team make the wrong call under Safety Car conditions, costing both drivers valuable points in their championship fight. Max Verstappen is within touching distance of an unthinkable turnaround after McLaren's Las Vegas GP disqualification and the papaya team handing him victory in Qatar.
It was always going to be a unique race in the Lusail desert after Pirelli mandated a 25-lap limit for every set of tyres. After issues at previous Qatar grands prix, the Italian tyre manufacturer chose caution and safety, necessitating each driver to pit at least twice in the 57-lap race. Medium compound rubber filled much of the starting grid, with an all-McLaren front row lockout starting with Oscar Piastri on pole ahead of teammate Lando Norris.
Cars on the right side of the grid seemed to struggle at the getaway, and Norris in P2 was part of that. Piastri led through the first corner, and Verstappen used the slipstream behind the Australian to slot in behind and advance past Norris to P2. It was a disastrous start for George Russell, too. The Mercedes was also slow leaving the grid slot, and a wobble in Turn 2 had him down three positions, dropping behind Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso.
The race had eased into the usual Qatar train of cars with limited overtaking opportunities. Nico Hulkenberg was the exception, though, overtaking Charles Leclerc at Turn 1 and then lining up Pierre Gasly for a repeat of the move. Unfortunately for the Sauber driver, the Alpine's understeer had him hitting Hulkenberg's right-rear wheel. A puncture for both had Hulkenberg out of the race, triggering a Safety Car and Gasly limping back to the pits.
Serendipitous timing had the Safety Car's appearance coming at a point where the mandatory two-stop strategy imposed by the 25-lap limit would allow for a 'cheap' pit stop. Everyone dived into the pit lane except for the McLarens. Questioning radio messages came over the airwaves, with the McLaren pit wall suggesting they'd be more flexible in strategies. All their hopes had to be on their drivers having incredible pace in clear air, though.
A busy pit lane had 17 cars all looking to change their tyres. The double-stacking and waiting for rivals saw positions juggling. Sainz was the main beneficiary, gaining P4 ahead of Antonelli and opening up a run at the podium. Russell, however, dropped back, with Isack Hadjar also getting by after the Briton had to wait behind his rookie teammate.
Piastri led the pack after the restart and extended the gap to Norris. The McLarens had the pace, but they would have to be over 20 seconds faster than Verstappen to beat the Red Bull. That was nowhere near the case when they stopped, and both could feel lucky to reappear on the track ahead of Alonso. It was Mediums for both McLarens, meaning they'd need to switch to Hards or Softs for their final stop.
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A fired-up Piastri got to work chasing down the deficit, with it becoming clear that McLaren's strategists had made a mistake. A decisive overtake on Antonelli had the Australian closing the gap. Piastri swept by the Mercedes and was right on the tail of Sainz before the second round of pit stops, but Norris could not do the same and fell a little further back.
Pit stop drama was inevitable with so many teams stopping simultaneously, and Russell had to think on his feet to avoid a collision when exiting into the path of a rival. Ollie Bearman lost out the most, though, after an issue with his left-rear wheel left him stuck in the pits. Things went from bad to worse when the stewards slapped on a 10-second stop-go penalty for his car leaving the pit lane in an unsafe condition.
Of course, there was still another team needing to pit, with the McLarens circulating at the front and weighing up their best strategic options. Piastri requested a switch to Pirelli's fastest Soft compound tyre to close the gap, but the team put him onto Hards for the final stint. The Australian returned to the track in P2 and began chasing down Verstappen, but it was a different story for Norris. Those seconds lost earlier continued to hurt him, with more time stuck behind Antonelli's rear wing in P5.
Norris piled the pressure on the Italian teenager, however, and it eventually paid off. A mistake from Antonelli allowed Norris through to P4 and regained two potentially championship-altering points. Another lap might've earned him P3, too, with the speed he closed in on Sainz, but his old teammate held on for a surprise podium for Williams. He joined a jubilant Verstappen and crestfallen Piastri on the rostrum for the celebrations.
Questions will continue to be asked of McLaren's race operations heading to this weekend's season finale. Verstappen is now just 12 points adrift of Norris, and an identical result to this Qatar GP would see the Dutchman champion by one point. Piastri is still in the fight, but he will need a lot of luck to recover his title hopes. It's a 14-point swing to Verstappen after McLaren's questionable strategy for the Australian, who'll have nothing to lose in Abu Dhabi. Norris remains on top, but will he still be there after F1's final 58 laps of 2025?
