The title fight is going all the way to Abu Dhabi as Max Verstappen took victory in Qatar to ensure he remains in with a shout of a fifth straight Championship.
But the Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit will be remembered for McLaren’s strategy calls as much as the Dutchman’s victory, when the papaya team opted not to pit either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri under a Safety Car, which ultimately cost the Australian the win and Norris a podium.
Instead, Verstappen took maximum points to jump up to second in the Championship – just 12 points behind Norris with one race to go. F1 TV commentator Jolyon Palmer and Alpine Reserve Driver Paul Aron join Tom Clarkson in the paddock to discuss all the events from a dramatic race in Qatar.
They also discuss what this result means for McLaren, with Piastri cutting a frustrated figure after the race – knowing he drove well enough to grab the win, and yet instead finds himself bumped to third in the Championship standings.
Away from the title fight, Carlos Sainz bagged a second podium of the year for a jubilant Williams team, meaning they have secured fifth in the Championship.
And Ferrari had a very difficult weekend across the board, scoring just four points courtesy of Charles Leclerc’s P8 in the Grand Prix, with neither driver finishing in the points in the Sprint.
Can Ferrari turn things around and be competitive in Abu Dhabi, or are the team just going to be grateful to see the back of a very difficult season?
To hear the latest on all the biggest talking points from the race weekend, hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen to the latest episode on your preferred podcasting platform.
Fancy getting your question answered by the F1 Nation team on a future episode? Simply record it as a voice note and email it to F1Nation@F1.com.
.webp?ssl=1 "The state of play at Williams after three rounds of the 2026 season")
