Qatar GP driver ratings: McLaren denies Oscar Piastri a perfect weekend

A crucial McLaren strategy decision could go on to be one of the defining moments of the F1 2025 season as Max Verstappen moved to within 12 points of Lando Norris.

Elsewhere on the grid, Carlos Sainz had another memorable day behind the wheel for Williams while his former team Ferrari will be hoping to forget their race as quickly as possible.

Driver ratings for the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix

Max Verstappen – 9

It’s not quite Christmas but McLaren felt like giving Verstappen an early present.

The Red Bull was lacking in comparison to McLaren this weekend and P2 was perhaps the best Verstappen could have hoped for but McLaren’s tactical blunder saw him rise up to the lead.

The result was the gap being cut to 12 points and Verstappen still being alive in this title race.

Oscar Piastri – 9.5

Piastri was in need of a perfect weekend and he was two hours away from just that, only to be let down by his team.

The Australian was the quickest man all weekend at a circuit he clearly feels comfortable at but McLaren zigged when they should have zagged with their strategy and left both him and Norris vulnerable.

To his credit, Piastri wanted an aggressive end to try and catch Verstappen but the damage was done.

Carlos Sainz – 9

It was about this time last year that Sainz was relishing his final few races in the Ferrari, perhaps concerned it would be a long time before he was ever back up in the top spots.

Twelve months on and he is on the podium with the Italian team nowhere to be seen.

Was he one of the main beneficiaries of McLaren’s safety car call? Yes, but his speed put him in a place to reap those kinds of rewards.

Afterwards, he described it as his proudest day at Williams.

Lando Norris – 8

Like Piastri, Norris was let down by the McLaren strategy call but he did make an error late on that ultimately stopped him recovering as well as his teammate did.

An off meant he lost valuable seconds and while he was able to get past Antonelli, Sainz proved a step too far.

Overall, the title battle is still very much in his favour.

Kimi Antonelli – 8

A slight mistake at the end but still a good race from Antonelli.

He had to deal with a slow pit stop as the team struggled to reintroduce him into a busy pit lane but he emerged P5 and did get up to P4 before a snap of oversteer allowed Norris to get by.

More Qatar GP reaction from PlanetF1.com

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👉 ‘Speechless’ Oscar Piastri fumes at McLaren tactical mistake in Qatar GP
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George Russell – 7

Lost three places at the start which meant he was on the back foot at a track where he had looked quick to that point.

After eventually getting round the human wall of Alonso, Russell worked his way up to P6.

Fernando Alonso – 8

There will be more than one driver with the rear wing of Alonso imprinted in their mind as he kept a large DRS train in his rear view mirrors.

He is no stranger to doing so and once he felt the time was right, he put his foot down and burned through his rubber.

It was P7 from a P8 start and a return to the points for the first time in four races.

Charles Leclerc – 7

The end of the season can’t come quick enough for Charles Leclerc who spent most of the weekend trying to keep his car inside the white lines.

With an SF-25 that looked like a mechanical bull at times, Leclerc could not find any comfort in it and duly qualified 10th.

Come race day, he moved up to eighth but still a long way off where he would like to be.

Liam Lawson – 7

Lawson was one of the many passengers on the Alonso DRS train but did manage to escape late on and scored some valuable points for Racing Bulls after Hadjar’s late puncture.

The New Zealander wasn’t too happy though, describing it as a “pretty pointless race” given how hard it is to overtake.

Yuki Tsunoda – 6

It’s at least a point for Tsunoda but, again, that does not look so good when his teammate won the race.

Still, he started 16th and rose to 10th so an improvement in the race at least.

Alex Albon – 6.5

Rolled the dice with the hards to start but the early safety car scrapped any hope of a rise up the order.

Lewis Hamilton – 4

What more can you say?

If Leclerc is having a torrid time at least he is still reaching the points, which cannot be said for Hamilton.

He qualified 18th and rose to 12th but it’s zero points for the second time in the last three races.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 6

Was always on the back foot after his Las Vegas GP hangover but the Sauber did have some pace around the circuit.

He started 19th but recovered to rise to 13th.

Franco Colapinto – 6.5

Better from Colapinto who earned his best finish since the Dutch Grand Prix.

All this came from a pit-lane start in which he admitted it made for a “long and lonely evening” but he persevered.

Esteban Ocon – 5

A race that very much began on the wrong foot for Ocon as he picked up a penalty for a false start.

That meant it was always going to be damage limitation and he ended up a lap off the pace.

Pierre Gasly – 5.5

Did well to put his Alpine in Q3 once again but his race came undone when he and Hulkenberg made contact, sending the German out and giving Gasly a damaged floor.

He continued to the end but was the last of the drivers over the line.

Lance Stroll – 3

Started 19th and only finished ahead of drivers who did not complete the race.

Isack Hadjar – 7

Was performing well and in the top six before a puncture cruelly ended his race.

Oliver Bearman – 6.5

Was let down by his team after they released him from the pit with his rear left not attached.

He was handed a penalty and served it before retiring.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5.5

Started on the softs and was making good on moving up the order before he and Gasly collided with Hulkenberg coming out the worst of the two.

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