LUSAIL CITY, QATAR – NOVEMBER 30: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates on arrival in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on November 30, 2025 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen produced a flawless drive at the Qatar Grand Prix to secure a crucial victory and set up a three-way title showdown next weekend in Abu Dhabi.
The Dutchman entered the race with a critical task on his shoulders, needing to finish ahead of championship leader Lando Norris to avoid being eliminated from the title contention.
Having started the race in third behind Norris, the reigning champion made a clean start and got past the McLaren driver right at the first corner of the opening lap, clearing the way for himself to chase down race leader Oscar Piastri.
The race turned on its head several laps later when Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly collided on lap 7, prompting a perfectly timed safety car period to allow teams to commit to the two mandated 25-lap tire stints.
Everyone pitted during the safety car period except for the McLarens – a strategy Norris questioned before being told over team radio, “They have lost all of their flexibility for the remainder of the race.”
The gamble backfired however and opened the door for Verstappen to snatch a flawless victory with a margin of 7.995s ahead of Piastri, who slipped to second.
Piastri voiced his frustration over team radio following the race, saying, “Speechless. I don’t have any words.”
Norris ended up in fourth after failing to pass the Williams of Carlos Sainz, who delivered a fantastic drive to secure his second podium of the season in third.
The Briton now leads the championship by just 12 points over Verstappen, who has climbed to second in the standings, while Piastri sits 16 points adrift heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
LUSAIL CITY, QATAR – NOVEMBER 30: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing Second placed Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren Third placed Carlos Sainz of Spain and Williams and Hannah Schmitz, Principal Strategy Engineer of Oracle Red Bull Racing on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on November 30, 2025 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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Further down the order, Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured fifth place after running wide on the penultimate lap and losing his fourth place to Norris.
George Russell in the other Mercedes secured sixth place ahead of Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, with Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top 10.
2025 F1 Qatar Grand Prix Results
Here are the full race results for the Qatar GP at Lusail:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:24.968
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): +7.995
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): +22.665
- Lando Norris (McLaren): +23.315
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): +28.317
- George Russell (Mercedes): +48.599
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): +54.045
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +56.785
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls): +60.073
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull): +61.770
- Alexander Albon (Williams): +66.931
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): +77.730
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber): +84.812
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine): 1 lap
- Esteban Ocon (Haas): 1 lap
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): 1 lap
DNF
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/yaraelshebiny/2025/11/30/2025-f1-qatar-grand-prix-results-verstappen-wins-as-title-fight-goes-to-abu-dhabi-finale/
