They have the best minds, the best engineers, and the best car on the grid. Still, McLaren completely screwed up their pit-wall strategy during the Qatar Grand Prix, gifting victory to Max Verstappen and severely damaging their bid to win the Drivers’ Championship. Now the championship will be decided at the final race of the season — and who do you think will win that race? It has to be McLaren, because they still have the best of everything.
The 2025 Qatar Grand Prix will go down as McLaren’s “rabbit in the headlights” moment, and the driver causing the panic was Max Verstappen. His presence alone isn’t just domineering on track; he also intimidates a pit wall into making mistakes because they know he will punish even the slightest error.
And so it was that McLaren’s pit wall handed victory to Verstappen on a silver platter — not through strategy, but through sheer psychological intimidation.
How The Race Unfolded
Max Verstappen claimed an unexpected victory after McLaren’s alternative strategy backfired during an early Safety Car period and the mandated 25-lap tyre limit. Verstappen jumped Lando Norris at the start and gained track position when Oscar Piastri and Norris stayed out during the first round of stops, ultimately falling behind the Red Bull driver.
Piastri recovered to a comfortable P2 after his final stop, but Norris became stuck behind Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli, costing him a podium. Sainz secured P3 for Williams, with Antonelli finishing P5 to strengthen Mercedes’ Constructors’ standing. Further back, Isack Hadjar lost a strong P6 due to a late puncture, promoting George Russell and leaving Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda to complete the top 10.
Several incidents shaped the race: Ollie Bearman retired after a penalty for an unsafe car, Nico Hulkenberg ended in the gravel after contact with Pierre Gasly, and Hadjar and Lance Stroll also recorded DNFs.
In the Drivers’ Championship, the gap tightened as Verstappen’s late pass on Antonelli cut the leader’s advantage from 22 points to just 12, with Piastri now 16 points behind heading into the season finale.
2025 Qatar Grand Prix Race result:
| Position | Driver | Team | Notes/Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Race winner |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | Recovered to P2 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 2nd podium of season |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Stuck behind Sainz & Antonelli |
| 5 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | P5, helped Constructors’ points |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | Promoted after Hadjar DNF |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | Completed full race, spin |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Top-10 finish |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | Second Racing Bulls car |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | Top-10 finish |
| 11 | Alex Albon | Williams | Outside points |
| 12 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | Outside points |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | Finished P13 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | Finished P14 |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 5-second penalty applied |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | Finished P16 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | DNF |
| 18 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | DNF, puncture late in race |
| 19 | Ollie Bearman | Haas | DNF after penalty |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | DNF after collision |
Drivers’ Championship Impact:
The leader’s margin was reduced from 22 points to 12 points over Verstappen.
Oscar Piastri is now 16 points behind the leader heading into the final race.
The championship will be decided at the season finale.
