Max Verstappen kept his title hopes alive with victory in the Qatar Grand Prix as a late strategic twist turned the championship into a three-way fight heading to the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen beat Oscar Piastri to the win while championship leader Lando Norris could do no better than fourth, leaving Norris on 408 points, Verstappen on 396 and Piastri on 392.
The decisive moment came on lap seven when a collision between Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly at Turn One brought out the Safety Car. Verstappen, running third behind the McLaren team-mates Piastri (first) and Norris (third), dove into the pits for fresh tyres. McLaren elected to keep both drivers out. Because Pirelli’s special rule for the Qatar weekend limited any one tyre set to 25 laps, the Safety Car stop effectively offered a “free” pit that allowed those who pitted to complete two 25-lap stints to the finish with one further stop, while McLaren still required two visits and left their drivers vulnerable.
Verstappen’s decision to pit under the Safety Car — followed by most of the field — meant he only needed one more stop thereafter. McLaren’s gamble relied on their cars being significantly faster or a second Safety Car appearing; neither happened. When the race resumed, Piastri and Norris ran longer but ultimately rejoined the fight too far behind Verstappen. Piastri closed some of the gap after bringing forward his second stop to lap 42 but could only reduce a 17-second deficit to seven seconds by the chequered flag.
Piastri was left visibly frustrated, calling his feelings “speechless” and saying afterwards that he’d left the decision to the team. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella admitted the call was a mistake, saying it was a decision not to pit and that they had not expected everyone else to do so. Stella also noted the potential risk of double-stacking if both cars had pitted together, which could have cost Norris positions in the pits.
Verstappen described the win as unexpected but credited the team for making the right call under the Safety Car. “Looking at pure pace, we were not on the same level as McLaren, but we made the right call,” he said, adding that tyre management over two long stints was key and that “it was all under control.”
Carlos Sainz capitalised on McLaren’s strategy error to take his second podium of the year for Williams, finishing third just under a second ahead of Norris. Kimi Antonelli’s late mistake allowed Norris to gain a crucial place to finish fourth; Antonelli ended fifth ahead of team-mate George Russell, who lost ground off the start. Isack Hadjar suffered a late puncture, promoting Russell to sixth. Fernando Alonso recovered from a late spin to seventh, ahead of Charles Leclerc’s lead Ferrari, with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the points in ninth and 10th.
Lewis Hamilton’s difficult Sprint weekend continued as he finished 12th, and Ferrari’s poor weekend confirmed them fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Championship top three
1) Lando Norris — McLaren — 408
2) Max Verstappen — Red Bull — 396
3) Oscar Piastri — McLaren — 392
Qatar GP top 10
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
3) Carlos Sainz, Williams
4) Lando Norris, McLaren
5) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
6) George Russell, Mercedes
7) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
8) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
9) Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
10) Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
With three drivers separated by 16 points heading to Abu Dhabi, the title will be decided at the season finale. Norris remains the favourite but his margin for error has narrowed: if Verstappen wins in Abu Dhabi, Norris must finish on the podium to be certain of the championship. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix takes place on Sunday December 7, with the race scheduled to start at 1pm (build-up from 11.30am) and qualifying on Saturday.