Overview
- McLaren declined to pit under a lap‑7 Safety Car in Lusail, a call CEO Zak Brown conceded cost Oscar Piastri victory and Lando Norris a podium and has intensified scrutiny of the team’s strategy process.
- Max Verstappen won in Qatar to cut Norris’s lead to 12 points, with Oscar Piastri 16 back, keeping a three‑driver title fight alive for the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
- Red Bull said suggestions that Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli let Norris past were incorrect, citing replays showing a brief loss of control and expressing regret over the online abuse directed at the driver.
- Helmut Marko later moderated his post‑race remarks after Toto Wolff condemned the insinuations, underscoring how instant commentary fueled a social‑media backlash.
- Ferrari explained its poor weekend by pointing to mandated tyre pressures and 25‑lap stint limits, and the team slipped to fourth in the constructors’ standings.