F1 2025 Standings: McLaren disaster sets up Max Verstappen showdown in Abu Dhabi

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F1 2025 Standings: McLaren disaster sets up Max Verstappen showdown in Abu Dhabi

The F1 standings after the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix

Originally written by Sheona Mountford. This version is a translation.

Monday 1 December 2025 17:06

McLaren's tactical blunder at the Qatar Grand Prix means that not only did Lando Norris not wrap up the championship this weekend, but also that Max Verstappen has a real chance of snatching his fifth in a row in Abu Dhabi.

Oscar Piastri, the third man in the three-way battle, dominated running on Friday and Saturday, and was leading when an early safety car came out on Sunday evening.

Most of the grid pitted, including Verstappen, but McLaren opted to stay out with both of their drivers and lost track position to their rivals after their second pit stop.

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By winning the Qatar GP, Verstappen has soared to second in the standings and is now 12 points behind Lando Norris with Piastri also 16 points behind his team-mate, despite finishing ahead in second and the Brit finishing in fourth.

Oh! And Carlos Sainz managed to benefit off McLaren's strategy blunder and claimed his second podium of the year, finishing P3.

F1 Drivers' Standings after 2025 Qatar Grand Prix

Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	Lando Norris	McLaren	408
2	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	396
3	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	392
4	George Russell	Mercedes	309
5	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	230
6	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	152
7	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	150
8	Alex Albon	Williams	73
9	Carlos Sainz	Williams	64
10	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	51
11	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	49
12	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	48
13	Ollie Bearman	Haas	41
14	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	38
15	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	33
16	Esteban Ocon	Haas	32
17	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	32
18	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	22
19	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber	19
20	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	0
21	Jack Doohan	Alpine	0

F1 Constructors' Standings after 2025 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint

Position	Team	Points
1	McLaren	800
2	Mercedes	459
3	Red Bull	426
4	Ferrari	382
5	Williams	137
6	Racing Bulls	92
7	Aston Martin	80
8	Haas	73
9	Kick Sauber	68
10	Alpine	22

2025 rule change removes fastest lap point

The fastest lap point has been removed for the 2025 season. Since 2019, drivers have picked up an extra point if they finish in the top 10 and achieve the fastest lap.

However, in the past, this led to some drivers abandoning their races to pit and fit a new set of tyres in the final stages of the race in order to claim the fastest lap point or prevent a rival from getting the extra point, playing the tactical long game in the championship standings.

The most famous example of this last season came during Daniel Ricciardo's final F1 race, when the Australian finished last but claimed the fastest lap on the final lap of the Singapore GP, taking the extra point away from Norris and helping Verstappen's 2024 title bid.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

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