While not the most exciting race, the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix set the stage for a three way championship battle in the final race of the season. As Abu Dhabi quickly approaches, let’s reflect on how the teams performed at Qatar.
P10: As if They Want to Lose
McLaren failed to deliver for their drivers this weekend. Oscar Piastri was set for a grand slam victory, until strategy caused his race to end with a P2. Winning the Sprint race is not enough to sweeten the deal. With this, he slips into third in the Drivers’ Championship. Things were equally disappointing on Lando Norris’ side of the garage. A good podium in the Sprint race, and P4 in the main race due to a late mistake from Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli is solid points, but not enough to keep away Max Verstappen, who is now within 12 points of the British driver.
P9: Happy to See the Back of Qatar
No points this time round for Haas. Oliver Bearman was forced to retire from the race on lap 43. This followed a ten second stop-and-go penalty he received after an unsafe release. He was noted for this on lap 36, when he attempted to leave the pit box with equipment still attached to his car. The race did not go much better for his teammate Esteban Ocon. While he did finish the race, ending up in P15, it wasn’t smooth sailing for him either. He received a five second penalty after false starting the race.
P8: Pointless
Kick Sauber did perform slightly better than Haas, but only just. Nico Hulkenberg was the first DNF of the race. He crashed out early, following contact with Pierre Gasly, triggering the deployment of the Safety Car on lap seven. His teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, had an overall unassuming race. Starting fourteenth, and ending the race in P13 is nothing to write home about. No points from the Sprint Race or the Grand Prix.
P7: Pointless Part Two
Alpine’s performance was very characteristically Alpine. Nothing special, but not catastrohpic. P16 for Gasly, while Franco Colapinto was good enough for fourteenth. No points across either race, and contact in a racing incident for Gasly which heavily damaged his car, are all you need to know about how their weekend went. Sunday’s race was a better performance than the Sprint.
P6: What is the Point?
As fans of motorsport, the Formula 1 community expects better than what Ferrari was able to produce this weekend. On the opening lap, Lewis Hamilton was able to climb from P17 to fourteenth, but in the end, still finished out of the points. While not completely awful, they are Ferrari, and have a seven time world championship winning driver in their line up, but can only produce a collective four points, which Charles Leclerc achieved with P8 in Sunday’s race.
P5: It Was Going So Well
Isack Hadjar looked a shoe-in for points, until a puncture on the penultimate lap ruined any scoring potential for the rookie driver. Narrowly missing out on points in the Sprint, it looked promising for him on Sunday by lap 16, since he was holding seventh place as the leader of the DRS train that had formed. His teammate, Liam Lawson, managed a ninth place finish to get two points.
P4: Doing Them
Aston Martin had a mixed bag. While Lance Stroll was only good enough for seventeenth and did not score in the Sprint, Fernando Alonso had a double points haul. P7 in both races of the weekend gave him a good amount of points ahead of the final race of the season.
P3: Verstappen For WDC?
Verstappen is not going down without a fight. Double points from both the Sprint and Grand Prix – including a win on grand prix Sunday; so typically Max Verstappen. He was able to overtake Norris, who has now emerged as his main championship rival out of the two McLaren drivers, on the opening lap. Another win on the tally leaves it all to play for going into the final race. Unfortunately, Tsunoda scoring points in both races is not enough to delete his previous struggles from memory, and with the announcement of Hadjar taking his place in Red Bull, these points are too late really be of any help.
P2: The Double Double
Double, double points for Mercedes. Despite his error at the end of Sunday’s race, Antonelli gave another performance to be proud of. This season he has been a contender for one of the best performing rookies; it is easy to see why the Mercedes camp had so much faith in his ability. For George Russell, Sunday’s start was rocky, as the opening lap saw him drop down the order, but he was able to make it back. P6 in the grand prix race, with a stunning second position in the Sprint showed off his consistency once again.
P1: Surprise Podium or Team on the Rise?
The surprise of the weekend came from Williams: third for Carlos Sainz on Sunday. What a performance! Coming from seventh on the grid, he drove well, and the pit wall did their job to match. He took the final points position in the Sprint race also. For Alex Albon, no points did not dampen his excitement during team celebrations. He narrowly missed out on points on Sunday, only good enough for P11. Sainz has proved this season that, on its day, the Williams car is able to get on the podium, but when will we see Albon up there too?
Written and edited by Alexandra.
Featured image credit: GETTY IMAGES via bbc.co.uk
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