8+ min ago (557+ words) Max Verstappen overtakes Lando Norris to take second place on the opening lap of the Qatar Grand Prix. (1:17) McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has explained the reasons behind his team's strategy blunder at the Qatar Grand Prix and promised to learn lessons from the mistake. A decision not to pit Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris under a safety car period in Qatar ultimately left the door open for Max Verstappen to win Sunday's race while depriving Piastri of a crucial victory in the championship fight. The strategy error could have much wider implications for McLaren as Verstappen's victory saw him move ahead of Piastri in the drivers' standings and just 12 points behind championship leader Norris with one race left to run. Stella said McLaren passed up the opportunity to pit its cars on Lap 7 as it was worried Piastri, who…...

31+ min ago (362+ words) Furious Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has lashed out at Red Bull's "brainless" claim that Kimi Antonelli deliberately moved over for Lando Norris to aid the British driver's championship challenge. Norris, whose bid to win his maiden world crown at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday was derailed through a McLaren strategy fumble, finished fourth after Antonelli ran off the road on the last but one lap. Norris gained two points from the late mistake which means he now can finish third, rather than runner-up at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, to be assured of beating Red Bull's Max Verstappen to the title. Verstappen won in Qatar but his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase hinted at foul play when he told his driver over the radio: "I am not sure what happened to Antonelli there. It looked like he just pulled…...

1+ hour, 18+ min ago (804+ words) Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris react to a Qatar Grand Prix result that sends the championship race down to Abu Dhabi. (1:16) DOHA, Qatar -- "Speechless. I don't have any words," said Oscar Piastri after crossing the line at the Lusail International Circuit. He wasn't the only one in the paddock who felt that way on Sunday evening. "Obviously not our greatest day," Norris said later, before remarking that he just wanted to go to bed. Even more remarkable was that it was the team's second mistake on both cars in a week, following its double disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix for a minuscule-but-avoidable technical infraction related to plank wear. McLaren CEO Zak Brown said earlier this year that he would rather see Verstappen beat his drivers to the title than deviate from the policy of letting Norris…...

4+ hour, 11+ min ago (161+ words) The 2025 title fight will go down to the final round in Abu Dhabi after Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix while championship leader Lando Norris finished fourth. Max Verstappen overtakes Lando Norris to take second place on the opening lap of the Qatar Grand Prix. (1:17) The 2025 title fight will go down to the final round in Abu Dhabi after Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix while championship leader Lando Norris finished fourth. Verstappen is now Norris' closest competitor heading into next weekend's season finale as Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri slipped to third place in the standings with a second-place finish in Qatar. Verstappen is just 12 points behind Norris in the standings with a maximum of 25 points available at the final round, with Piastri 16 points adrift after his McLaren team appeared to throw away his shot at victory…...

5+ hour, 55+ min ago (351+ words) Max Verstappen overtakes Lando Norris to take second place on the opening lap of the Qatar Grand Prix. (1:17) Max Verstappen has told Zak Brown to call him "Chucky" after the McLaren CEO likened the reigning champion's persistence in this year's title race to a villain in a horror movie. "He's like that guy in a horror movie, that right as you think he's not coming back, he's back!" Brown said. Verstappen's victory in Qatar means he is now Lando Norris' closest title rival, just 12 points behind the McLaren driver ahead of next weekend's season finale in Abu Dhabi. Asked what he thought of Brown's quotes and whether he felt as though he was in the heads of McLaren's team leadership Verstappen referenced the famous horror movie franchise Child's Play and its death-defying lead character. Verstappen took his 3rd straight win at…...

6+ hour, 46+ min ago (452+ words) Max Verstappen overtakes Lando Norris to take second place on the opening lap of the Qatar Grand Prix. (1:17) Oscar Piastri described the outcome of the Qatar Grand Prix as "painful" after a McLaren strategy blunder cost him a crucial victory ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend. Piastri is still in contention for the title, but his chances were reduced significantly by finishing second to Max Verstappen in Qatar. The Australian is now 16 points adrift of McLaren teammate and championship leader Lando Norris in the standings, while Verstappen is just 12 points behind Norris. After winning Saturday's sprint race and taking pole position in Qatar, Piastri was leading the Sunday's grand prix when an early safety car presented an opportunity to make one of two mandatory pit stops with minimal time loss. McLaren was the only team not…...

7+ hour, 58+ min ago (301+ words) Lando Norris said he simply wanted to "go to bed" after a McLaren strategy blunder at the Qatar Grand Prix handed victory and a chance at championship glory to Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The title race will go down to the final round in Abu Dhabi next weekend after Verstappen won in Qatar to close the gap to Norris to 12 points in the drivers' standings. Although Norris never looked in contention for victory in Qatar, his teammate Oscar Piastri lost out on a clear opportunity to win after McLaren opted not to pit its cars under a safety car on Lap 7 while the rest of the field did. The decision ultimately led to Piastri finishing second and Norris fourth, meaning Piastri is now third in the standings -- four points behind Verstappen and 16 points behind his McLaren teammate. Asked how he would…...

11+ hour, 32+ min ago (87+ words) Oscar Piastri has dominated every session so far at the Qatar Grand Prix. On Friday after sprint qualifying, he said: "It's nice to be back." The Australian starts on pole for the grand prix, with Lando Norris second and Max Verstappen third. Find out how the grid shapes up in Laurence Edmonson's qualifying report. Join us for live build-up of the Qatar Grand Prix from 3 p.m. with the race from 4 p.m. GMT. F1 permutations: How can Norris win the title in Qatar?...

23+ hour, 45+ min ago (390+ words) Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc share their disappointment with the performance of their Ferraris in Qatar qualifying. (0:28) DOHA, Qatar -- Charles Leclerc said there has not been a single lap he has driven in Qatar that gives him hope his Ferrari can compete for points on Sunday. As has so often been the case this year with a driver who is widely considered to be F1's best qualifier, Leclerc used his one-lap prowess to drag his wayward Ferrari into Q3 after the team went scoreless in the sprint earlier in the day. Leclerc had a huge spin in the final session as he wrestled with his Ferrari on a timed lap -- he qualified 10th. "[It's] really difficult to drive," Leclerc said of the car. "And it's just frustrating. I mean, the second lap in Q3 was a really good one, but that's only good…...

1+ day, 4+ hour ago (259+ words) McLaren's Oscar Piastri keeps the pressure on team mate Lando Norris as he secures pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix. (1:00) Max Verstappen has vowed to "try everything" to keep his slim title hopes alive by the end of Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix. The defending world champion will remain in contention for this year's title if he can finish ahead of championship leader Lando Norris in Qatar, but will start the race from third place behind both Norris in second and fellow title contender Oscar Piastri on pole position. Verstappen finished Saturday's sprint race in fourth place behind Norris, but said he would not give up until it is mathematically impossible for him to defend his title. "We'll try everything we can," Verstappen said after Saturday's qualifying session. "At the start [of the race], turn one, all the laps." He…...