Sunday 30 November 2025 19:01, UK
Karun Chandhok, at the SkyPad, breaks down McLaren’s decision not to pit Oscar Piastri under the lap-seven Safety Car and whether that call cost him the Qatar Grand Prix victory.
Chandhok highlights the core trade-off: pitting under a Safety Car usually reduces the time lost to a stop versus pitting under green, providing fresher tyres and a potential pace advantage later in the race. McLaren kept Piastri out to preserve track position, gambling that clean air and worn-tyre management would be enough to maintain the lead until a later stop. Key factors Chandhok examines include the Safety Car delta, the out-lap lost time in traffic if Piastri had pitted, tyre temperature and warm-up on used versus new rubber, and how rivals who did pit were able to exploit higher grip to undercut or run faster middle stints.
He argues the decision was marginal but ultimately costly. By staying out, Piastri retained immediate position but then faced older tyres and had to cover rivals on fresher rubber; that compromised lap times and overtaking difficulty once the race resumed. Chandhok notes team timing, on-track traffic after a pit, and tyre compound choice all influenced the outcome, but on balance the strategic gamble did not pay off. He concludes McLaren will need to review telemetry and simulation—showing this was a pivotal, learnable moment rather than a simple error.