Reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen closed to within 12 points of leader Lando Norris heading into the final round in the United Arab Emirates next weekend.
Red Bull Racing’s four-time Formula One (F1) world champion Max Verstappen kept the three-way 2025 drivers’ championship battle alive with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after winning the final race of the season at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen closed to within 12 points of McLaren’s Norris, finishing fourth at the Lusail Circuit, heading into the 24th and final round of the season in Abu Dhabi the following weekend.
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Norris’ teammate Piastri finished second in the race after starting from pole position and is now 16 points behind in the championship battle. But the Australian still has a chance to win the driver’s title.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz finished third in Qatar to reach the podium behind Verstappen and Piastri.
The win was Verstappen’s 70th career Grand Prix win.
The top three drivers each now have seven wins for the 2025 season.
McLaren found at fault on initial safety car call
Piastri won the holeshot at the first corner, with Norris on the front row alongside him, but was overtaken by Verstappen, who started the race third on the grid.
During lap seven, Red Bull pitted Verstappen under a safety car, resulting in a free pit stop, unlike McLaren, which grounded two of its drivers on track, resulting in Norris and Piastri subsequently losing valuable time when they made their final pit stops.
This played into Verstappen’s hands, with the Dutchman being able to control the race for the remainder of the 57-lap contest, and crossing the finish line ahead of Piastri by just under eight seconds.
“Obviously, we didn’t get it right tonight,” Piastri admitted.
“I drove as fast as I could, but it wasn’t meant to be. Looking back, it’s quite clear what we should have done, but we’ll discuss it as a team. (At the moment) it’s a bit hard to understand,” said the Australian.
Verstappen said: “An incredible race for us. We made the right call to box in under that safety car. A strong race for us on a weekend that was tough.”
The McLarens now head to Abu Dhabi with a hard-charging Verstappen looking to repeat history by winning the championship in the last race in Abu Dhabi, which he did when he overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap after a controversial finish in 2021.
“It is possible now, but we will see,” said Verstappen, who had dismissed his chances earlier this season. “I don’t really worry too much about it.”
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