The penultimate weekend of the 2025 Formula 1 season threw yet another curveball as three drivers enter the last race with a shot at the title for the first time since 2010.
Max Verstappen: 8.5
Despite being outqualified for the first time since the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday night, Max Verstappen would have come away from Qatar a happy man.
A muted fourth from sixth in the Sprint, Verstappen was again on the move in the Grand Prix, fighting from third on the grid to pass Lando Norris on the opening lap.
Unable to match the pace of Oscar Piastri ahead, the Dutchman would take advantage of a strategic slip-up from McLaren not to pit under the Safety Car on Lap 7.
Verstappen’s improved pace on race day saw him easily overcome McLaren’s strategy gamble to register a third straight victory in Qatar and a 70th Grand Prix win.
With McLaren’s latest misstep, the reigning F1 champion now trails just 12 points behind Norris as his unexpected title challenge continued to gain more momentum.
Yuki Tsunoda: 7
Yuki Tsunoda showed glimpses as the Japanese driver outqualified Verstappen for the first time in his Red Bull career.
However, the weekend wouldn’t be plain sailing for Tsunoda as a five-second penalty for track limits initially saw him lose his fifth-place finish in the Sprint.
However, that would soon be reinstated when the same penalty was handed down to Andrea Kimi Antonelli after the chequered flag.
Unfortunately, Tsunoda was unable to repeat his one-lap performance from Sprint Qualifying, dropping out in Q1, but a good recovery drive saw him snag the final point.
Oscar Piastri: 9.5
Piastri finally put his demons to bed and ended his run of six weekends without a podium on a circuit where he clinched his first-ever victory back in the 2023 Sprint.
A dominant drive from pole saw him win the Sprint, and after stealing pole for the Grand Prix, the opening stages of the race looked as if he was going to repeat that.
However, McLaren’s error put Piastri at a disadvantage that even he couldn’t recover, coming home speechless in second, knowing victory was well within his grasp.
While the Australian was downhearted, he still gained on Norris through the weekend and is now just 16 points away going into Abu Dhabi with everything to play for.
Lando Norris: 7
Norris will be left to rue what could have been after mistakes from himself and the McLaren pit wall could have cost the Brit dear as he closes in on the World title.
Having come home third in the Sprint, Norris put in a stunning opening lap in Q3 to take provisional pole, but an error on his second run allowed Piastri to take it away.
Losing out to Verstappen on the opening lap, Norris questioned McLaren’s call and spent much of the race seemingly a bit flustered trying to recover lost ground.
Crossing the line fourth was damage limitation on a weekend where he was comfortably the slower McLaren, though the Briton still upholds the points advantage.
Carlos Sainz: 9.5
Carlos Sainz continued his resurgence, wrapping up the weekend with his second podium for Williams on the fourth anniversary of Sir Frank Williams’ passing.
After a solid eighth-place finish in the Sprint, the Spaniard put in another strong lap to place his Williams seventh on the grid.
Sainz made a strong start and then capitalised on McLaren’s blunder and slick Williams pit work to inherit third place once Norris completed his final pit stop.
Alex Albon: 5.5
It was a less impressive weekend for Alex Albon as the Anglo-Thai driver was unable to match his team-mate’s performance over the weekend.
Missing out on points in the Sprint with 10th, a Q2 exit for the Grand Prix in 15th was too much to recover from as he crossed the line in 11th.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli: 8.5
Antonelli continued his impressive recent uptick in results with another two top-six finishes in Qatar, but his weekend did not materialise without much drama.
Having thought he’d taken advantage of Tsunoda’s penalty for track limits abuse at the end of the Sprint, the Italian was given an identical penalty post-race.
Then, having almost missed out on Q3, getting a reprieve from Liam Lawson’s lap being deleted, the rookie converted his top-five start at the chequered flag.
However, Antonelli squandered the chance to take a potential third straight podium as an error while chasing Sainz on the penultimate lap allowed Norris past.
George Russell: 8.5
Despite an impressive run to second place in the Sprint, George Russell would miss out on the podium on race day with an uncharacteristically scrappy Grand Prix.
Starting from fourth, the Brit slipped back to seventh at the start and would only manage to recover back to sixth come the chequered flag, aided by incidents for others.
Fernando Alonso: 9
A best qualifying of the season with fourth for the Sprint saw Alonso score a crucial haul of points for Aston Martin in its fight in the midfield.
Coming home seventh in the Sprint, Alonso was once again at the head of his now iconic trains in the Grand Prix as he ran in sixth place.
However, a spin on Lap 42 would blunt the Spaniard’s aspirations as he came home seventh for his best Grand Prix finish since Singapore.
Lance Stroll: 4
On the other side of the garage, Lance Stroll had another weekend to forget.
It’s now confirmed that the Canadian will end 2025 with the most Q1 exits, with 15 to his name, something that summed up his weekend.
Charles Leclerc: 7.5
Leclerc had to perform miracles to get his SF-25 into the top 10 in qualifying for both the Sprint and Grand Prix, though he would come away from both rather unrewarded.
A scruffy drive in the Sprint saw the Monegasque driver drop from ninth to 13th, and on race day, it was a boring drive from 10th on the grid to eighth at the chequered flag.
Lewis Hamilton: 4
Lewis Hamilton was as downbeat as ever after recording consecutive Q1 exits for the first time since 2009.
The Ferrari car seemed at its unhappiest in Qatar, with nothing tempering both drivers’ woes across the weekend.
Despite a pit lane start to change the set-up in the Sprint, the Brit failed to make any ground, crossing the line in 17th, only improving to a 12th place finish on race day.
Liam Lawson: 6.5
A rather average weekend for Lawson saw him rewarded with a ninth-place finish in the Grand Prix.
The Kiwi got feisty with both Ferrari drivers at times, but made the most of setbacks for others, including his team-mate in the latter stages.
Isack Hadjar: 8.5
Isack Hadjar departed Qatar, unfortunate not to score any points after a strong performance across the weekend.
Missing out on points with ninth in the Sprint, the Frenchman put in a great lap to start the Grand Prix from sixth.
The Racing Bulls driver was on course to convert his grid position if not for a puncture on the penultimate lap cruelly stealing away a third consecutive points finish.
Gabriel Bortoleto: 6
Gabriel Bortoleto endured a quiet weekend, not making a mistake but also not threatening a points finish.
11th in the Sprint and 13th in the Grand Prix was all the Brazilian could muster as he recovered from his five-place grid penalty from last weekend in Las Vegas.
Nico Hulkenberg: 6.5
Nico Hulkenberg’s weekend ended in disappointment, retiring on the seventh lap after a clash with Pierre Gasly as he tried to pass around the outside of Turn 1.
The German had looked good for a points finish after qualifying in 11th place for the Grand Prix, but the collision put pay to a fourth points finish in six weekends.
Franco Colapinto: 5
Two pit lane starts saw Colapinto have all the work to do, and a best finish of 14th saw another weekend of disappointment go by for the Argentine.
Pierre Gasly: 6.5
Pierre Gasly put a disappointing Sprint race behind him to register a 10th appearance in Q3 in 2025, with ninth for the Grand Prix.
However, a promising run to the points ended when contact with Hulkenberg gave him a puncture and damage, leading to an eventual finish of 16th.
Esteban Ocon: 5.5
Points were not on the table for Esteban Ocon this weekend as Haas had a horrible weekend in Qatar.
15th in the Sprint was compounded by a five-second penalty for a false start for the Grand Prix, where he would also finish 15th.
Oliver Bearman: 6
After five consecutive races in the points, it was a weekend to forget for Oliver Bearman.
12th in the Sprint was looking better in the Grand Prix, although an unsafe release and the following 10-second stop-and-go penalty put pay to a top 10 finish.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen takes F1 title to the wire as Red Bull outsmarts McLaren in Qatar GP
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