Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi as a three-way title fight for the first time in 15 years after Max Verstappen capitalised on a late strategic error by McLaren to win in Qatar.
McLaren’s decision not to pit under a safety car at Lusail handed Verstappen the victory and slashed Lando Norris’s championship lead to 12 points, with team-mate Oscar Piastri a further four behind. Piastri had appeared set for a certain win before the call left him stunned and demoted to second, dropping from second to third in the standings. ‘It’s pretty painful,’ he said, while Norris remains favourite: he can secure the title in Abu Dhabi with a third place even if Verstappen wins.
The situation echoes 2010, the last time more than two drivers arrived at the final race with a mathematical chance of the crown. That year Ferrari’s missteps in Abu Dhabi opened the door for Sebastian Vettel; the memory is particularly resonant after a season in which McLaren have already suffered costly errors, including a double disqualification in Las Vegas that cost vital points.
The pivotal moment in Qatar came after a lap seven crash between Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly prompted a safety-car period. Pirelli’s 25-lap maximum for tyre stints, imposed because of the circuit’s aggressive kerbs, meant that with 50 laps remaining a pit then would lead to two legal 25-lap stints. Most teams took the chance to pit under the safety car; McLaren kept both drivers out.
Stopping during a safety car typically saves around nine seconds compared with a green-flag stop, making it an obvious call in normal circumstances and one Verstappen recognised immediately. Norris asked his engineer why they had not stopped; the team replied they had deliberately resisted pitting to preserve strategic variability later in the race. That reasoning cost them track position on a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult. By delaying their stops McLaren ensured they would rejoin behind Verstappen after the final round of pit stops, and that proved decisive.
Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal, said the team had been concerned others might stay out, which would have left McLaren surrendering a lead if they had pitted. He accepted the decision was wrong and pledged a thorough, constructive review of the sequence of calls that led them to expect not all cars would pit. ‘We will have to go through the review in a very thorough way,’ he said.
The team also factored in the possibility of a double-stack stop. As race leader at the time, Piastri would have had priority, and changing both cars could have forced one to queue behind the other, costing roughly an extra five seconds for the second car. Norris had already been shuffled behind Verstappen at the start and could have fallen further during a stacked stop. Stella described the double-stack as an ‘extra consideration’ but said it was not the primary reason to keep both cars on track.
Rumours in the paddock suggested McLaren’s attempts to manage both drivers equally this season have complicated split-second decisions in high-pressure moments. Some insiders point to instances such as Hungary and Monza where strategy appeared to favour Norris, although McLaren CEO Zak Brown has repeatedly rejected accusations of favouritism as ‘nonsense’ and stressed the team’s fairness policy.
For the championship the outcome is a dramatic finale: three drivers go to Abu Dhabi with a chance to lift the title. Norris tried to keep perspective, saying his approach would be unchanged — he will race as he always does. Piastri acknowledged the setback but stressed the team will learn from the mistake. Verstappen, chasing a fifth successive title, said he goes to Abu Dhabi with ‘positive energy’ and welcomed the opportunity to fight back despite the points gap, adding that an otherwise ‘amazing season’ removes some pressure and allows him to enjoy racing.
Stella, who has been on the receiving or delivering end of dramatic title swings in the past, framed the Qatar disappointment as a tough but valuable lesson. He worked as a race engineer for Kimi Räikkönen’s 2007 title and for Fernando Alonso in 2010, and also with Michael Schumacher during dominant years. That experience informs his view that painful moments can strengthen a team if they are analysed and addressed properly.
McLaren now faces intense internal scrutiny and high external expectation ahead of the season finale. The team has committed to review its decisions, learn from the failure in Qatar, and deliver its strongest performance in Abu Dhabi to try to halt Verstappen’s run of recent dominance. For neutral fans, the stage is set for a classic final showdown.
