The battle for the 2025 Formula 1 championship is beginning to take shape as Max Verstappen seized the opportunity presented by another McLaren strategic blunder to secure his seventh victory of the season. Oscar Piastri showed great form in Qatar, but barring an extraordinary turn of events in Abu Dhabi, he seems poised to just miss out on the championship.
Here’s how each driver performed over the Qatar Grand Prix weekend:
Max Verstappen – 9
Verstappen capitalized on McLaren’s poor race strategy to claim victory, keeping his title hopes alive by staying just 12 points behind Lando Norris with one race left. His only drawback was being beaten by teammate Hiroki Tsunoda in sprint qualifying.
Oscar Piastri – 9.5
Piastri returned to top form in Qatar, clearly the fastest on track, although his potential was hindered by McLaren’s pit decisions. It was likely his best weekend of 2025 to date.
Carlos Sainz – 9.5
Sainz enjoyed an excellent weekend, maintaining a positive attitude and taking advantage of McLaren’s mistakes to secure a podium finish ahead of Norris.
Lando Norris – 6.5
Despite McLaren’s poor choices, Qatar was Norris’ weakest event since Canada. He struggled with pace relative to Piastri and made a critical error in the final Q3 lap, although he remains the favorite to win the title in Abu Dhabi.
Kimi Antonelli – 7.5
Antonelli had an eventful weekend, starting strong by moving into the top four before losing crucial ground to Sainz due to his pit stop. He narrowed the gap to George Russell as the weekend progressed.
George Russell – 7.5
Russell performed well initially but fell back early in the race. Due to the difficulty of overtaking, he finished in 6th with limited progress.
Fernando Alonso – 7.5
Alonso showed strong performance until a late spin at Turn 10 cost him positions to Russell and Isaac Hajar.
Charles Leclerc – 8
Leclerc deserves credit for reaching Q3 in both qualifying sessions despite Ferrari’s problematic and inconsistent car setup. Overall, it was a disastrous race weekend for Ferrari.
Liam Lawson – 6.5
Lawson, fighting for his F1 future, outperformed teammate Hajar in Qatar, putting himself in a stronger position as Red Bull decides on driver seats.
Yuki Tsunoda – 5.5
Tsunoda shone in sprint qualifying by beating his teammate for the first time but slipped back in main qualifying and finished 10th after benefiting from Hajar’s late race puncture.
Alex Albon – 5
Albon had a quiet weekend and was once again outperformed by teammate Sainz, raising concerns about his current form.
Lewis Hamilton – 4
Hamilton had a forgettable weekend, failing to advance past the early qualifying stages and unable to recover during the race due to Ferrari’s struggles.
Gabriel Bortoleto – 6.5
Bortoleto improved on qualifying compared to teammate Nico Hulkenberg but was hampered by a grid penalty, reducing his chances for points.
Franco Colapinto – 5
Colapinto’s weekend was disappointing, with Alpine lacking pace and teammates like Pierre Gasly showing much stronger performances.
Esteban Ocon – 4
Ocon endured a difficult weekend, losing out to his teammate in both qualifying sessions and earning a time penalty for a false start.
Pierre Gasly – 7
Gasly qualified in the top 10 but was involved in a racing incident early on, ending his chances for points.
Lance Stroll – 4.5
Stroll continued his streak of failing to outqualify teammate Alonso, marking 35 consecutive events without doing so.
Isaac Hajar – 8
Hajar impressed with a strong performance and was on track to finish in the top 10 before suffering a late puncture. He is expected to join Red Bull soon.
Oliver Bearman – 7
Bearman aimed for points but was set back by a penalty for a dangerous pit stop release. Nonetheless, he outpaced teammate Ocon throughout.
Nico Hulkenberg – 7
Hulkenberg was aggressive early in the race, overtaking Leclerc at Turn 1, but a collision with Gasly, which was ruled a racing incident, prematurely ended his chances.
Fan Take: This race weekend highlights the importance of team strategy and execution, which can dramatically shift the championship battle. As Verstappen closes in on the title, the sport’s excitement is reaching new heights, promising an electrifying finale in Abu Dhabi that racing fans won’t want to miss.
