A strategy error from McLaren and another masterclass from Max Verstappen means the Qatar Grand Prix could prove pivotal in the outcome of the 2025 Drivers’ Championship.
While Verstappen claimed his seventh win of the campaign, McLaren’s Lando Norris missed the chance to seal his maiden title with a race to spare after only finishing fourth, with team mate Oscar Piastri claiming second.
Here are all the key moments from another captivating round in Qatar…
Verstappen’s ‘incredible’ win keeps his title chances alive
Having finished P4 and behind Norris in the Sprint, Verstappen’s margin to the McLaren driver sat at 25 points ahead of the 57-lap Grand Prix, meaning the Dutchman needed to finish ahead of his title rival to keep his chances alive in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen jumped Norris on the run to Turn 1 from P3 on the grid and then shadowed polesitter Piastri over the opening laps until a Safety Car was called for Nico Hulkenberg’s stranded Kick Sauber.
Red Bull brought Verstappen in for the first of two mandatory pit stops due to a 25-lap limit on tyre usage, and rejoined third as both McLaren drivers opted to stay out.
Verstappen stayed within touching distance, cycling back into the lead as the McLarens pitted, and was soon on the tail of Norris having made his second visit to the pits.
When both McLarens stopped a second time, the way was clear for Verstappen to claim another win and heap pressure on Norris ahead of the title-decider this coming weekend.
“This was an incredible race for us. We made the right call as a team to box under the Safety Car,” he said.
“That was smart. Of course, I’m super happy to win here and stay in the fight until the end.”
McLaren’s strategy decision backfires
With a front row lockout and overtaking extremely difficult around the high-speed turns of the Lusail International Circuit, McLaren sat in a prime position for the Qatar Grand Prix.
Even with Norris slipping behind Verstappen at the start, the McLaren duo had shown strong pace during the 19-lap Sprint where Piastri had taken victory with Norris third.
But the decision to not pit under the Safety Car, which McLaren CEO Zak Brown called “the wrong decision”, proved costly both for the race result and in the title battle.
By the time both made their second pit stops, Piastri was left P2 but 15s adrift of Verstappen, while things were worse for Norris having struggled to match the pace of his team mate throughout.
The Drivers’ Championship leader was left in P5 behind Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli, but was handed a position as the Mercedes driver ran wide on the penultimate lap.
It means Norris holds a 12-point margin over Verstappen heading to Abu Dhabi, with Piastri a further four points behind, after a race where victory would have guaranteed Norris the title.
Sainz secures an impressive Williams podium
With Williams having struggled 12 months ago in Qatar, both Sainz and team mate Alex Albon were realistic about their chances at the weekend.
But Sainz entered the race on a good run of form, the Spaniard having started third and finished fifth in Las Vegas after McLaren’s double disqualification.
Spirits were raised after he came away with a point in the Sprint before lining up seventh for the main race.
Having moved ahead of both Isack Hadjar and George Russell on the opening lap, Sainz sat P5 before jumping Antonelli in the opening pit stop.
Thereafter, he managed the gap to the Mercedes driver behind and capitalised on McLaren’s alternative strategy to move ahead of Norris and secure his second podium of the season after his Baku rostrum.
He said: “We came into this weekend thinking it was going to be the most difficult weekend of the year, and suddenly we came out of it with a podium.”
Ferrari’s struggles continue
Ferrari arrived in Qatar off the back of a difficult weekend in Las Vegas, but instead of bouncing back on a more traditional race track, their poor form continued.
Both drivers struggled to get to grips with the car in practice, before Lewis Hamilton suffered the ignominy of an SQ1 exit in Sprint Qualifying.
Charles Leclerc at least qualified ninth for the Sprint, but he went backwards in the 19-lap dash as his car seemed too much of a handful to keep on the track.
The Monegasque driver was vociferous on the radio as he complained about a number of things, with no points scored on Saturday.
Leclerc did at least score on Sunday after Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly collided ahead, while Isack Hadjar suffered a late puncture, but he again went backwards off the line before coming home a dispiriting eighth.
As for Hamilton, he exited Qualifying in Q1 for the second weekend in a row, and finished outside the points as he looks set to record a season with zero podium appearances.
All in all, it was a weekend to forget for the Scuderia.
The stars come out to play
Qatar played host to plenty of celebrity guests all weekend, with the Alpine team getting the honour of exercising alongside tennis great Novak Djokovic on the grid – not something that happens every day.
Djokovic stuck around to hand out the Sprint trophies too, but he was not the only sports star on show in Lusail. Footballers Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville were on the grid on Sunday, as was David Beckham – those four enjoying the spectacle, but refusing to be drawn on whether they were supporting their fellow countryman, Norris.
Serena Williams was also in attendance, the former tennis GOAT soaking up the atmosphere on the grid while, away from the world of sport, Metallica were spotted in the pit lane across the weekend as the rock stars got very close to the action.
As for the chequered flag, that was waved by Kevin Hart – the actor doing the honour of bringing to a close an electric Qatar Grand Prix.
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