Did McLaren Hand Max Verstappen the 2025 F1 Title?
The dust has settled in Lusail, and Max Verstappen, with a shiny new Qatar GP trophy for his cabinet, is suddenly breathing down Lando Norris’s neck for the driver’s championship. The gap is a measly 12 points. While Verstappen drove a masterful race, as he often does, one has to wonder if he should be sending a thank-you card and a fruit basket over to the McLaren pit wall. Because, let’s be honest, their strategy was… a choice.
A “peculiar” one, as some outlets have generously put it. “Interesting,” was Verstappen’s own sarcastic-sounding assessment. I’d call it a tactical blunder of epic proportions that may have just handed Red Bull the championship on a silver platter.
How a Safety Car Sealed McLaren’s Fate
Picture this: It’s Lap 7. Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly get a little too friendly, bringing out the Safety Car. With Pirelli imposing a strict 25-lap limit on tires, this was a golden ticket. A free pit stop. A no-brainer. Every team, up and down the grid, dived into the pits. It was the most obvious strategic call since “put wheels on the car.”
Except for two cars. The two papaya-colored McLarens, running strong with Oscar Piastri in the lead and Lando Norris in P3, just sailed on by. It was a bizarre, head-scratching moment. Were they playing 4D chess while the rest of the paddock was playing checkers? Or did someone just forget to make the call? Either way, it was a gamble that backfired spectacularly.
Verstappen, having pitted under the safety car, couldn’t believe his luck. He later commented on the move, saying, “I was like, ‘that’s an interesting move’. Of course then, we had a little bit of a gap but still we needed to keep the tires alive for 25 laps as well, the wear is very high around here. But luckily it all worked out.” “Luckily” is one way to put it. More like, “Thanks for the free race win, guys!”
Verstappen Capitalizes on a Gift
For Max Verstappen and Red Bull, this was Christmas come early. The weekend hadn’t been a walk in the park. The car was bouncing more than a kangaroo on a trampoline, leading to a lackluster Sprint race and a P3 in qualifying. A win seemed like a tough ask. But when opportunity knocks (or in this case, when your main rival’s team face-plants on strategy), you have to answer.
By staying out, Piastri and Norris were forced to make their mandatory stops under green flag conditions, losing a massive chunk of time. Verstappen, having already ticked one stop off his list with minimal time loss, simply had to manage his race. He cruised to a comfortable victory, almost eight seconds ahead of the recovering Piastri, with Norris trailing in a disappointing P4.
After the race, a clearly elated Verstappen praised his team for, you know, making the smart call. “This was an incredible race for us. We made the right call as a team to box under the Safety Car. That was smart.” You can almost hear the unsaid part: “…unlike some people.”
The Championship Fight Is Officially On
Just a few races ago, Lando Norris looked like he had the championship in the bag. The mid-season break seemed to have derailed Verstappen’s momentum. Now? “Well, it’s all possible now,” Verstappen stated with a cool confidence that should terrify the folks at McLaren.
The title fight now heads to the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Norris still has the lead, but it’s a fragile one. Verstappen has the momentum, the experience, and a team that doesn’t seem to make unforced errors that cost them entire races. The pressure is now squarely on Norris and McLaren to be perfect. After the disaster in Qatar, you have to wonder if they have what it takes.
While Piastri still has a mathematical chance, sitting 16 points behind his teammate, the battle is realistically between Norris and Verstappen. And thanks to a truly baffling strategic call, the reigning champion is in the perfect position to snatch a record-equalling fifth consecutive title. It would be a remarkable turnaround, but one he might owe more to his rival’s mistakes than his own brilliance.
