Verstappen wins in Qatar after McLaren's strategy failure

Why McLaren Got It Wrong

The Woking-based team ignored a critical variable: Pirelli set a maximum of 25 consecutive laps for each set of tires. In a 57-lap race, everyone needed two mandatory pit stops without exception.

This restriction exists because in 2024 the left front tires suffered excessive wear at Lusail. In 2023, the circuit's aggressive kerbs caused micro-cuts in the tire sidewalls. Pirelli wasn't going to risk a third year of problems.

McLaren bet that maintaining track position would outweigh losing time at the second stop. The calculation failed because they underestimated how much pace Verstappen would have with fresh rubber after the safety car.

The Lap 7 Safety Car

Piastri kept his pole position at the start by making better use of the grip on the outside of the track. Verstappen attacked Norris on the inside and passed him without contact to move into second before the first corner. George Russell lost three positions, dropping from fourth to seventh.

The expected procession lasted just six laps. Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly made contact at turn 1 during lap 7. Hulkenberg ended up in the gravel and retired. Gasly received a black and white flag for an unsafe rejoin but finished the race in 16th place.

The safety car came out and Verstappen pitted along with most of the field. McLaren kept Piastri and Norris out to protect the 1-2. That decision defined the final result.

Photo By Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen Took Control After the Second Stop

While Piastri and Norris were leading with older tires, Verstappen was running behind on fresh medium compound rubber. The pace difference was enough for Verstappen to get within a second of Norris before the pit stop window.

Verstappen made his second mandatory stop first on lap 32. He fitted hard tires with 25 laps ahead - exactly the maximum allowed. Sainz, Antonelli, Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar, and Russell did the same within the next three laps.

McLaren waited. Piastri pitted on lap 42, Norris on lap 44. Both rejoined behind Verstappen with no margin to attack. Piastri ran in clean air to the flag and finished second, 7.9 seconds back. Norris came out directly into traffic.

Sainz Defended the Podium From Norris

Sainz completed his second stop in the correct window and came out ahead of Norris when the latter pitted two laps later. Sainz reported problems with his car in the final laps but maintained enough pace to defend third place.

Antonelli joined the train of cars and Norris spent 13 laps looking for an opening. He passed Antonelli on the penultimate lap when the Italian went wide, but it was too late to attack Sainz. It was Williams's second podium of the year. Alexander Albon finished 11th with the second Williams after receiving a black and white flag for repeatedly exceeding track limits.

Russell recovered three of the four positions lost at the start and finished sixth. Russell received multiple lap time deletions for exceeding track limits at turns 10 and 1, plus a black and white flag on lap 45. Antonelli finished fifth, adding 10 valuable points for Mercedes in their fight for second place in the constructors' championship.

Ferrari Had a Quiet Sunday

Charles Leclerc started tenth and finished eighth, recovering two positions in a race where he lacked the pace to fight further forward. Lewis Hamilton finished 12th with the second Ferrari, two laps behind Leclerc on an anonymous Sunday.

Fernando Alonso completed a full 360-degree spin during the race without losing his position and finished seventh for Aston Martin, scoring six points. Lance Stroll was not so lucky. Stroll received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane on lap 27 and retired on lap 55.

Racing Bulls Lost Points

Liam Lawson finished ninth, scoring two points for Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10 in his first race with Red Bull Racing after his promotion from Racing Bulls.

Isack Hadjar suffered a puncture on his left front tire three laps from the end while running sixth. Hadjar pitted, but the stewards investigated his car for an unsafe condition after the race. He retired on lap 55, letting eight points slip away that would have been valuable for Racing Bulls.

Haas and Kick Sauber at the Back

Oliver Bearman received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for an unsafe condition on his Haas on lap 40. Bearman served the penalty but retired on lap 41. Esteban Ocon finished 15th with the second Haas after receiving a five-second penalty for a jump start.

Gabriel Bortoleto finished 13th with Kick Sauber in his first full race with the Swiss team. Hulkenberg retired on lap 6 after the contact with Gasly that caused the safety car.

Franco Colapinto finished 14th with Alpine, completing 56 of the 57 laps. Colapinto received three blue flags on lap 55 when the leaders lapped him. Gasly finished 16th with the second Alpine after the incident with Hulkenberg.

What Each Needs in Abu Dhabi

Norris has 408 points. Verstappen 396. Piastri 392.

Norris is champion if he finishes sixth or better, regardless of where Verstappen finishes. If Norris finishes seventh or eighth, Verstappen needs to win. If Norris finishes ninth or worse, Verstappen wins the title with second place.

Piastri needs to win and hope Norris finishes out of the points and Verstappen does not finish higher than fifth. It is technically possible but requires a disaster for Norris and Verstappen.

McLaren arrived in Qatar with everything needed to decide the championship. They leave Lusail praying that their strategic error does not cost them the title in the final race.

Photo By Red Bull Content Pool

Race Results - 2025 Qatar GP

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	#1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	84:38.241	57
2	#81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+7.995s	57
3	#55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+22.665s	57
4	#4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+23.315s	57
5	#12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+28.317s	57
6	#63	George Russell	Mercedes	+48.599s	57
7	#14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+54.045s	57
8	#16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+56.785s	57
9	#30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+1:00.073	57
10	#22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing	+1:01.770	57
11	#23	Alexander Albon	Williams	+1:06.931	57
12	#44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+1:17.730	57
13	#5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber	+1:24.812	57
14	#43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	N/A	56
15	#31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	N/A	56
16	#10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	N/A	56
DNF	#18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	N/A	55
DNF	#6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	N/A	55
DNF	#87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	N/A	41
DNF	#27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	N/A	6