F1 News Today: Max Verstappen left laughing as Red Bull driver announcement ‘leaked’ at Qatar GP

Max Verstappen has been left laughing after a win at the Qatar Grand Prix saw him move up to P2 in the drivers' standings.

The Dutchman has not only leap-frogged Oscar Piastri in the championship, but also cut the gap to standings leader Lando Norris to just 12 points.

As a result, the title fight will now go down to the wire at next weekend's Abu Dhabi GP.

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Red Bull driver exit LEAKED as Max Verstappen's team-mate 'confirmed' for 2026

Sky Sports' F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz may have leaked who Max Verstappen’s team-mate will be at Red Bull in 2026.

During the post-qualifying Notebook on Saturday in Qatar, Kravitz confirmed live on air that Red Bull had made their mind up over the future of Isack Hadjar, opting to promote the Racing Bulls driver up to the main team next season.

The F1 presenter noted that Yuki Tsunoda's future was still up in the air and that the official announcement over both team's lineups was expected ahead of the season finale.

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F1 Qatar GP Results: Verstappen takes big stride to title after McLaren outsmarted

Max Verstappen took a mighty victory at the Qatar GP despite starting the 57-lap race from the second row.

The Dutchman got a better start off the line than title rival Lando Norris, overtaking the McLaren on the first lap in Lusail.

The papaya team then made a costly strategy mistake whilst Red Bull pulled off a gutsy gamble with their star driver that saw him storm to victory and also pick up valuable points in the standings.

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Lewis Hamilton out? Ferrari chief 'meets Carlos Sainz's manager' in Qatar

The deputy team principal of Ferrari F1 team is believed to have been spotted in a 'meeting' with Carlos Sainz’s manager at the Qatar GP.

In a picture shared to social media, Jerome D’Ambrosio sat outside Ferrari's hospitality unit where he was joined at the table by Carlos Onoro, the manager of ex-Ferrari driver Sainz.

Onoro is also Sainz’s cousin and is responsible for just about everything off track in the driver’s life from contracts to finances, but given how successful the Spaniard has been at Williams this year, a move to Ferrari certainly looks unlikely for now!

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How Max Verstappen can win the championship in Abu Dhabi

After picking up 25 points in Sunday's Qatar GP, Verstappen has now claimed second place in the drivers' standings.

So, with one final race remaining, how can the reigning champion cling on to his title?

At next weekend's Abu Dhabi GP, the Red Bull driver must out-score Norris by a minimum of 13 points to take the title. Check out the GPFans breakdown of the title scenarios below!

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