Max Vertsappen claims his seventh win of the season in a dramatic 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. Gaining crucial championship points, Verstappen is now in the hunt for his fifth Driver’s Championship.
With a McLaren making critical mistakes, Oscar Piastri was left in second. While Carlos Sainz claimed his second podium for Williams finishing the Qatar Grand Prix in third.
So Far This Weekend…
Oscar Piastri has had a dominating weekend so far. After some sub-par weekends from the Australian, he was back on top. Leading the field in the only free practice of the weekend, Piastri clocked a 1:20.924 ahead of Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso.
Piastri continued his dominance in Qatar, claiming pole position for the sprint race at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. His exemplar driving continued as the championship contender cruised from a pole to flag win in the Sprint Race Piastri added crucial points to his campaign, finishing ahead of George Russell in second and Norris in third.
Qualifying around the Lusail International Circuit was tight, but it was Piastri who came out on top. While Norris failed to start his second qualifying run, Piastri was improving on his lap time. Piastri drive his way into pole with a 1:20.234, ahead of Norris is second of Max Verstappen lining up third.
Lights Out in Qatar
The lights were out of the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, and it was Piastri who held onto his pole position. Behind him, Vertsappen dived past Norris into turn one, while Russell dropped down into seventh. The championship contender was quick to escape up the road, putting 1.5 seconds between himself and Vertsappen by the first DRS zone.
Ferrari’s woeful weekend hasn’t improved, with Charles Leclerc slipping out of the points into 11th. Yuki Tsunoda was one of the first drivers to appear of the stewards radar, picking up multiple track violations in the opening laps.
After seven laps, the safety car was out for Nico Hulkenburg who had been hit, before spinning off and crashing into the foam barrier in Turn 2. Pierre Gasly picked up a puncture, creeping his way back to the pits as the drivers went for their first pit stops. With 50 laps remaining in the race, the drivers were able to pit under the two stop regulation. Every driver except for the McLarens were quick to get off their tyres, as Piastri caught up to the safety car. By failing to pit under the safety car, McLaren risk being undercut by most of the field once they do pit.
Green Flags Over Lusail
After three laps, the race was green again. Piastri got the jump on the field, putting over a second between himself and Norris. With both McLarens being told to go as fast as they can until Lap 25, Norris dropped Verstappen by over two and a half seconds by Lap 12.
The field began to settle into pace as a DRS train opened up behind Alonso. Hadjar hovered behind the Aston Martin in seventh, while it was Stroll in 15th who was at the end of the train. The laps continued to tick down and there was no movement in the field as the drivers were stuck behind Alonso. With the Aston Martin running over six seconds behind Antonelli, he was creating the perfect slot for the McLarens to fall into when they do pit.
As Lap 25 approached, McLaren brought in Piastri first. The Qatar pole sitter managed to escape the DRS train, exiting 2 seconds ahead of Alonso. Norris was next into the pits with a 2.2 second pitstop, bringing him out only mere meters ahead of Alonso. With the McLarens on fresh tyres they were now on the hunt. Piastri was quick to close up to Kimi Antonelli on Lap 28, however it wasn’t until Lap 30, when the Australian was able to pass. Norris was next to close into Antonelli’s DRS, while Piastri was gaining on Sainz for second.
Pit Lane Chaos
As Lap 32 approached, so did the mandatory pit stop for 17 drivers. As the DRS train began to disassemble, so many drivers in the pitman was bound to be chaos. Verstappen was the first to pit, exiting 2.7 seconds behind Norris.
The drivers begun to dive into the pits, with Russell being released into the path of Liam Lawson. While it was Oliver Bearman who received a 10 second stop and go penalty for an unsafe release. Hass, who are in the midst of a midfield battle for the constructors championship, had both drivers pick up penalties, as they now sit in 17th and 18th respectively. Following his penalty, Bearman dropped to 19th on track before retiring from the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix.
Norris suffered a slip up in Turn 14, before regaining control of his car. Verstappen began to close in on Norris, with the Red Bull only 2 seconds behind on Lap 39. Elsewhere on the Lusail International Circuit, drivers were picking up track infringements at Turn 10, with many drivers, including Russell receiving the black and white flag.
Piastri On The Hunt
Oscar Piastri was pulled into the pits on Lap 42 at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. A 1.8 second stop put Piastri in prime position to hunt down Vertsappen for a crucial 25 points. Two laps later, Norris was in the pits, the championship leader exited the pitman behind Carlos Sainz and Antonelli.
Back in sixth, Russell attempted to make a move on Isack Hadjar, before running his car through the gravel trap. On Lap 46, Alonso spun out before he was able to get going again.
With 10 laps to go, Sainz was on track to secure his second podium of the season, sitting in third, 2.6 seconds ahead of Antonelli. Norris was closing in on Antonelli for fourth, as the championship confirmed to go to Abu Dhabi. Piastri continued to close in on Verstappen, now 13 seconds behind the leader.
As the last ticked down, Norris was in Antonelli’s DRS, closing in on the rookie for fourth. Moments later, Sainz was on the radio after puffing some damage during an understeer. With three laps to go, it was Norris who didn’t have the pace to overtake Antoneeli into Turn 1. While Antonelli chased down Sainz, the Italian now only 1.3 seconds behind.
With two laps to go, Isack Hadjar suffered a puncture, limping around the track before returning back into the pits. While at the front of the field, Antonelli ran wide letting Norris slide through for fourth place, gaining a crucial two points heading into Abu Dhabi.
Checkered Flag
Verstappen claims another victory at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix sending the Drivers Championship into the final round in Abu Dhabi. Polesitter Piastri finished the 57 lap race in second. While Sainz, who started the race in seventh gained his second podium of the season, finishing in third.
Norris, who had the chance to win the championship in Qatar, finished fourth, losing crucial points to Vertsappen and Piastri. Mercedes claimed fifth and sixth, while Alonso gained valuable points for Aston Martin in seventh. Leclerc, Lawson and Tsunoda finished the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix in the points.
Championship Standings
Following the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, Norris sits on 408 points, leading Vertsappen by 12 points. Piastri who had been dominant all weekend, falls into third in the championship, a further four points behind Vertsappen.
It will be all to play for at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Formula 1 back on track at 1:30pm on the 5th of December for Free Practice 1.