DOHA: Max Verstappen boosted his late bid for a fifth successive drivers’ world championship on Sunday when he took full advantage of a McLaren strategic blunder to complete a sensational hat-trick of victories at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver made an immediate pit-stop during an early safety car intervention, when McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris stayed out, and he capitalized by driving with cool precision to triumph in convincing style.
His win lifted him into second place in the title race with 396 points, 12 behind series leader Norris who finished fourth on a disappointing evening for him and the Woking-based team who were stunned by the outcome.
Pole-sitter Piastri slipped to third, but trimmed his deficit to Norris to 18 points with one race remaining in Abu Dhabi next Sunday where Verstappen has won four times in the last five years.
“It’s all possible,” said Verstappen.
The Dutch ace came home 7.995 seconds ahead of Piastri with Carlos Sainz third for Williams, 14.670 seconds adrift, ahead of Norris and the Mercedes pair Kiimi Antonelli and George Russell.
It was Verstappen’s seventh win of the season, his third in succession in Qatar and the 70th of his career.
“That was an incredible race for us,” said Verstappen, who had written off his title hopes at the end of August before embarking on a sequence of results that turned a 104-point deficit to Piastri into a four-point advantage.
“We made the right call as a team to box under the safety car and it was scrappy, but we got there in the end.”
Red Bull’s race strategist Hannah Schmitz joined Verstappen on the podium to mark her part in his success.
Piastri, who had a potential win taken from him by poor decisions, said: “I’m speechless. I have no words. Clearly, we didn’t get it right tonight. I drove the best race I could and there was nothing left out there.
“In hindsight, it’s pretty obvious what we should have done, but we’ll discuss it as a team... It’s obviously tough to swallow.”
At lights out Piastri surged clear with a near-perfect start.
Behind him, Verstappen swooped to pass Norris round the outside of Turn One.
On lap seven Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg tagged Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and spun off, prompting a safety car.
Verstappen pitted immediately from second for fresh mediums, but the McLaren pair stayed out — effectively missing out on a ‘free stop’ in a race where two stops were mandatory because of a 25-laps limit for each set of tires.
- Tense finale -
“We should have followed him in, no? If we knew the car in front was staying out?” asked Norris on team radio.
The safety car period ended on lap 11 with Piastri surging clear again fromn Norris.
However, as the only team not to have stopped, they faced two mandatory stops while the rest required only one.
The Australian pitted on lap 24 and re-joined fifth before Norris made his first stop, handing the lead to Verstappen.
Verstappen led by 18 seconds before he pitted again for hards, on lap 32, the Dutchman returning third behind the two McLarens knowing they both had a further stop to make.
Unable to shake off Verstappen, the McLaren pair pitted on laps 43 and 45, hoping their new hard rubber would allow them to chase him down, but Piastri re-joined second 15 seconds adrift and Norris returned fifth behind Sainz and Antonelli.
It meant a tense finale for the McLaren pair who had the fastest cars in the race and had started with a front row lockout — but threw it away with a basic strategy error that ensured the drivers’ title race will be decided in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
Max Verstappen exploits McLaren blunder in Qatar to set up final race title showdown in Abu Dhabi
https://arab.news/yw227
Max Verstappen exploits McLaren blunder in Qatar to set up final race title showdown in Abu Dhabi
- Win lifted him into second place in the title race with 396 points, 12 behind series leader Norris
Saudi rally driver sets her sights on the fast lane
- With podium finishes at home and ambitions abroad, Mashael Al-Saad is ready for the next race
- Rally Jameel remained a defining chapter in Al-Saad’s journey, exposing her to the demands of desert racing and pushing her beyond familiar limits
MAKKAH: What began as a chance encounter with motorsport has evolved into a growing rallying career for Saudi driver Mashael Al-Saad.
With a growing list of domestic achievements and ambitions that extend beyond the Kingdom’s borders, Al-Saad is carving out her place in a discipline defined by endurance, precision and mental resilience.
Her first exposure to rally driving came as she emceed the second Rally Jameel in 2023, the region’s first women-only navigational rally.
Witnessing the participants’ determination and competitiveness sparked Al-Saad’s curiosity about motorsport and encouraged her to explore the possibility of competing herself.
A recommendation from Saudi rally driver Abdullah Bakhashab opened the door to her first professional opportunity with Lexus, marking the start of her rally career during the fourth Rally Jameel in 2024.
That quickly translated into results. As a Lexus team driver, Al-Saad secured first place in her category and sixth overall among more than 40 participants.
Rally Jameel remained a defining chapter in her journey, exposing her to the demands of desert racing and pushing her beyond familiar limits. She continued to compete in subsequent editions, later earning second place overall and first in her category, before taking part in events at other race circuits across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
Despite entering a traditionally male-dominated sport, Al-Saad says she did not perceive her path as a challenging one.
Instead, she highlights the extensive support she received on multiple fronts, from Saudi Arabia’s leadership and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation to corporate backing from Lexus.
She also credits her family, particularly her mother, for playing a vital role in shaping her confidence and determination long before she entered competitive racing.
Among her domestic successes, Al-Saad considers her Time Attack victory in Jeddah last year as one of the most significant milestones of her career. One of her earliest races, it saw her progress steadily to first place in the Women’s Cup, reinforcing her belief in her own capabilities.
Another pivotal moment came in 2024, during the Racing Hill Climb, where she raced on mountainous terrain for the first time in Taif. The unfamiliar conditions tested her technical skills and adaptability, ultimately accelerating her development as a driver.
Competing at a high level has reshaped Al-Saad both on and off the track. Racing alongside experienced champions has, she says, been both humbling and motivating.
Over time, she has developed a deeper understanding of the technical side of motorsport, spending increasing amounts of time studying vehicle dynamics and kinematics to better synchronize her driving style with the car. Personally, the sport has made her more confident in facing uncertainty, strengthening her ability to approach new challenges with focus rather than fear.
Al-Saad is often viewed as a role model for Saudi women entering motorsport, something which makes her feel humble. She says she would be honored to inspire just one woman but believes role models exist across all levels of the industry. For her, progress comes from observing the strengths of others and applying those lessons to one’s own journey — a philosophy she sees as relevant far beyond motorsports.
Managing pressure and risk is an integral part of rallying, and Al-Saad relies on preparation and composure to navigate intense stages. Planning ahead helps her mitigate challenges, while calm decision-making becomes crucial when conditions change unexpectedly.
In a sport where every second counts, she emphasizes that clarity and decisiveness often make the difference between success and setback.
Looking ahead, Al-Saad has set her sights firmly on international competition. She aims to compete in the Middle East Rally Championship and hopes one day to line up at the start of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
She is also eager to explore other racing formats, viewing the learning process itself as one of the most rewarding aspects of her career.
To young Saudi women who aspire to follow a similar path but hesitate because they fear failing, Al-Saad offers a simple word of advice — start.
She believes progress begins with the first step, learning through experience and allowing confidence to grow over time.
In a rapidly evolving motorsports scene, her journey stands as a reflection of what is increasingly possible in Saudi Arabia — both on the road and beyond it.
