LUSAIL CITY, QATAR – NOVEMBER 29: Pole position qualifier Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren Second placed qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Third placed qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing are interviewed in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on November 29, 2025 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Formula 1 via Getty Images
The F1 championship goes to a three-way showdown in Abu Dhabi this weekend thanks to a dramatic Qatar Grand Prix where Max Verstappen took advantage of McLaren’s catastrophic strategy error.
McLaren was the team to beat around Lusail all weekend, with Oscar Piastri topping the sole practice session, sprint qualifying and sprint race before claiming a crucial pole position for Sunday’s main race from title rivals Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
With everything going his way, the Australian looked set to wrap up the weekend with another victory that would put him in a good position in the championship fight heading to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Piastri got off to a great start and maintained his lead, but the race turned on its head several laps later when Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly collided on lap 7, prompting a safety car period.
With two mandatory pit stops (25-lap limit on tire stints) in place over the 57-lap race, it was a good chance for teams to make one of the two stops early under the safety car period – in which drivers lose less race time compared to pitting under the green flag.
Everyone on the field took advantage of the cheap pit stop except for the McLarens and Haas’ Esteban Ocon – though the Frenchman pitted the following lap.
McLaren did not want to end up in traffic after the pit stop, nor did they anticipate that all the cars behind them would pit. A double-stacked pit stop would have cost Norris positions too – something team principal Andrea Stella said was “in the consideration” but “wasn’t the main reason” to keep both cars out on track.
Also, when Norris queried the decision over team radio, he was told that everyone who pitted “lost all their flexibility for the remainder of the race” as the team gambled on another safety car period that never materialized.
McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris behind the safety car during the Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit. Picture date: Sunday November 30, 2025. (Photo by David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images)
PA Images via Getty Images
When the race resumed a few laps later, Verstappen was right behind Piastri and Norris in third, only needing to pit once more, while both McLarens had two pit stops ahead of them.
The team’s gamble to not pit under the safety car period backfired as they couldn’t make up for the time lost in a pit stop under the green flag, opening the door for Verstappen to snatch victory with a margin of 7.995s ahead of Piastri, who voiced his frustration over team radio, saying, “Speechless. I don’t have any words.”
Norris, who emerged in fifth after his final pit stop, managed to get past Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the penultimate lap after the Mercedes driver ran wide, securing fourth behind Carlos Sainz of Williams.
Norris now leads the championship with just 12 points over Verstappen, who has climbed to second in the standings, while Piastri sits 16 points adrift heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
LUSAIL CITY, QATAR – NOVEMBER 29: Pole position qualifier Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren Second placed qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Third placed qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing are interviewed in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on November 29, 2025 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Formula 1 via Getty Images
There are a number of scenarios which would see Norris secure his maiden championship in Yas Marina. The easiest route is to finish on the podium in any position, and the title will be his regardless of what Verstappen and Piastri do.
Meanwhile Verstappen will secure his sixth title if:
- He wins the race, and Norris finishes fourth or worse.
- He secures second, Piastri finishes third or worse, and Norris secures eighth or worse.
- He finishes in third, Piastri second or worse, and Norris ninth or worse.
As for Piastri, he will win his maiden title if:
- He wins the race, and Norris finishes sixth or worse.
- He secures second, Verstappen finishes fourth or worse, and Norris finishes 10th or out of the points.
F1 Drivers’ Standings Ahead Of Abu Dhabi
- Lando Norris (McLaren): 408 points
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 396 points
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): 392 points
- George Russell (Mercedes): 309 points
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 230 points
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 152 points
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 150 points
- Alexander Albon (Williams): 73 points
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): 64 points
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls): 51 points
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber): 49 points
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): 48 points
- Oliver Bearman (Haas): 41 points
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls): 38 points
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull): 33 points
- Esteban Ocon (Haas): 32 points
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): 32 points
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): 22 points
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber): 19 points
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine): 0 points
F1 Constructors’ Standings Ahead Of Abu Dhabi
- McLaren: 800 points (champions)
- Mercedes: 459 points
- Red Bull Racing: 426 points
- Ferrari: 382 points
- Williams: 137 points
- Racing Bulls: 92 points
- Aston Martin: 80 points
- Haas: 73 points
- Sauber: 68 points
- Alpine: 22 points
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race starts at 5 p.m. local time (8 a.m. EST, 1 p.m. U.K. time) on Sunday, December 7.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/yaraelshebiny/2025/12/02/f1-standings-2025-ahead-of-abu-dhabi-title-decider/
