Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Oscar Piastri snatches F1 Sprint pole for Qatar GP as Max Verstappen struggles.
Oscar Piastri will start the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix F1 Sprint race on pole position, with the McLaren joined on the front row by George Russell in his Mercedes.
28 November 2025
Euan Burns
Total Motorsport

Lando Norris had a compromised final flying lap in SQ3 which meant he could only achieve P3, whilst Max Verstappen‘s misbehaving Red Bull will start Saturday’s Sprint from P6. There was more misery for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc qualifying in P9 and Lewis Hamilton all the way down in P18.

Piastri put himself on provisional pole after his first lap, as he was 0.044 seconds quicker than Norris. It seemed inevitable that a McLaren would be on pole for the Sprint, unless Verstappen could produce something on his next attempt. His final lap was only good enough to go to P4, and Tsunoda then went up to P4, pushing Verstappen further down.

“It’s been a good day, which is nice for a change. It has been a day where things have clicked from the start. I’m happy with the result, a few things to tidy up but it is nice to be able to say that starting from pole,” Piastri said after the session. “It is only the Sprint, but I’ll take what I can get. The pace was there all day, hopefully we can keep that going.”

‘Oscar Piastri snatches F1 Sprint pole’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/osc...pen-struggles/


Qatar GP: Sprint Qualifying Results
Full results from Sprint Qualifying for the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.
29 Nov 2025
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:21.286 1:21.005 1:20.055 18
2 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:21.432 1:21.136 1:20.087 19
3 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:21.398 1:20.956 1:20.285 18
4 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:21.276 1:21.272 1:20.450 18
5 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing 1:21.458 1:21.152 1:20.519 20
6 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:21.172 1:21.036 1:20.528 20
7 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:21.555 1:21.376 1:20.532 18
8 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:21.438 1:21.172 1:20.542 20
9 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:21.636 1:21.190 1:20.622 20
10 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:21.721 1:21.212 1:20.788 20

‘Sprint Qualifying’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-q...fying-results/


Oscar Piastri fires 'nice to be back' warning after stealing Qatar Sprint pole
Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Qatar GP Sprint - his first in any format since the Dutch Grand Prix.
28 November 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

"It was a good day, which is nice for a change, and it has been a day where things have clicked, from the start," Piastri explained. "The Sprint quali session went really well, and I had a pretty big moment on my lap, but it was just enough in the end. The car has been really good this weekend, so I'm pretty happy.”

"I think if you hook it up, there was a 1:19 in there, but I'm just happy with the result. There are obviously a few things to try and tidy up, but it is nice to be able to say that when you are starting on pole. It's only Sprint pole and for a few points, but I will take whatever I can get.”

"Sprint weekends are always really tough to know if you are fully on top of things from when you roll on the track, but the car was really good all day. We made some good adjustments in qualifying, which was nice, and the pace was there all day, so hopefully, we can keep that running."

'Nice to be back';

https://racingnews365.com/oscar-pias...ar-sprint-pole


Qatar GP: Piastri’s championship revival continues with Sprint quali pole
28 Nov 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Oscar Piastri’s comeback in the championship race in Qatar continued in the Sprint qualifying as he clinched pole position for the eight-point short race ahead of George Russell. Championship leader Lando Norris was third with Max Verstappen only P6, beaten by Yuki Tsunoda.

The all-important pole position began on a sour note for Verstappen as he complained about the handling of his RB21 as he went flying off the track. Swearing as he went wide, he ranted that the car was “bouncing like a ***** idiot.” Piastri went fastest with a 1:20.2, 0.044s ahead of Norris with Russell three-tenths down on the McLaren teammates. Verstappen went on to explain that “Turn 2 and Turn 4”, he couldn’t control the car. His race engineer GP told him not to give up track position.

Heading into the final two minutes, Piastri lead Norris and Russell with Verstappen down in 10th place. Verstappen improved to P4 but dropped as Yuki Tsunoda went third, and then Fernando Alonso. The front row had yet to be decided. Russell went quickest overall, but then came Piastri with a 1:20.0 took Sprint pole ahead of the Mercedes driver. Norris was third ahead of Alonso, Tsunoda and Verstappen. Antonelli, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Albon completed the top ten.

“Bouncing like a ***** idiot”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/qatar-...lifying-report


Lewis Hamilton’s unbroadcast radio after Qatar Grand Prix SQ1 exit makes for painful listening
28 November 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

The ‘silence’ was deafening from Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari engineer. Hamilton’s 1:22.043 was only faster than the two Alpine cars, who have only combined for 22 points all season. While Charles Leclerc was only 13th in the corresponding session, the gap between the two Ferrari drivers was still over four-tenths of a second.

After crossing the line with his final effort in SQ1, which left him a precarious 15th, Hamilton complained that ‘the car won’t go any quicker’. That message was played out on the F1 world feed, but what wasn’t broadcast was his exchange with Riccardo Adami afterwards. “Assume by your silence that I’m out?” Hamilton asked Adami. “P18,” the engineer replied.

The radio messages, which are indicative of the low morale on his side of the garage, make for painful listening for Hamilton fans. Hamilton said it was the ‘same as always’ when he reflected on his lack of pace in the media pen afterwards. When asked whether the higher-downforce rear wing he fitted for the session made any difference, he replied: “No, clearly not.” And a sardonic Hamilton could only think of one positive that he could take into Saturday: “The weather’s nice.”

“P18”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lew...ful-listening/

[Fortitude]

The damning image which further fuels rumours McLaren is AGAINST Australian F1 star Oscar Piastri.
'McLaren's garage was so sad when Piastri got pole....you'd think they were attending a memorial service'. F1 fan to reacting with one posting on X.
29 November 2025
ANDREW PRENTICE
MailOnline

Damning vision circulating online has only enhanced speculation that McLaren's pit crew are desperate for Lando Norris to be the next F1 world champion. The significant problem, among accusations of favouritism, is that Aussie Oscar Piastri happens to drive for the same team. Eyebrows were raised when Piastri, 24, secured pole for Sunday morning's AEDT Qatar Grand Prix sprint race.

Norris - the current championship leader - finished third behind Mercedes driver George Russell. And as F1 broadcaster Sky Sports panned to the McLaren engineers, their forlorn faces told the story. 'The lack of clapping from the McLaren garage (for Piastri) wasn't nice to see'. F1 fan to reacting with one posting on X. Speaking post-race, Piastri was elated at the result. 'It's been a good day, which is nice for a change,' he said. 'Things clicked from the start, so thanks to the team. It is only the sprint, but I'll take what I can get. The pace was there all day, and hopefully we can keep that going.'

Piastri also admitted McLaren had raised the possibility of giving 26-year-old Norris priority this weekend to avoid the possibility of Red Bull star Max Verstappen stealing the championship. However, the Aussie confirmed the suggestion was quickly shut down. 'We've had a very brief discussion on it....and the answer is no,' he said.

‘Damning image’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...r-Piastri.html


He’s BACK! Piastri Takes Sprint Pole by 0.032s | Qatar GP | Formula 1.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CPYv9r-KGHg


Karun Chandhok saw how Mark Webber reacted to Oscar Piastri taking Qatar Sprint pole
28 November 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Karun Chandhok says Mark Webber let out a ‘massive whoop’ after Oscar Piastri’s Sprint pole. Piastri hasn’t taken pole, in any format, since the Dutch GP just after the summer break. That was also his most recent pole position.

In fact, he’s only been in the top three in one of the last 11 competitive sessions, having lost form in a crucial phase of the season. In that context, one can understand why manager Mark Webber was thrilled after Friday’s session, even though it’s only a Sprint qualifying session. Webber was watching the session alongside Piastri’s father.

Your dad and Mark Webber were watching, not far from where we are,” Karun Chandhok told Piastri on Sky after the session. “It was a massive whoop! I can tell you they were very happy with qualifying.” Andrea Stella says Piastri hasn’t ‘elevated his game’ like Norris or Verstappen, but there was optimism that the last two tracks on the calendar would be better suited to his driving style.

“It was a massive whoop!”

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/kar...r-sprint-pole/


'Nice to be back' – Piastri reflects on Qatar Sprint pole as he looks for title fightback
28 Nov 2025
Formula One - Official Site

Oscar Piastri took a vital pole for Saturday's Sprint, with McLaren team mate and title rival Lando Norris starting P3. Oscar Piastri admitted it was "nice to be back" before adding "I’m just happy with the result" having taken pole for the Qatar Sprint, slightly shifting momentum away from McLaren team mate Lando Norris in their title fight.

"It’s been a good day, which is nice for a change," said Piastri after hopping out of the car. "It’s been a day where things have clicked from the start and I think the Sprint Qualifying session went really well. I had a pretty big moment on my lap but it was just enough in the end so thanks to the team – it’s a great car and it’s looked really good this weekend so far. I’m pretty happy with that.”

"I think if you hook it up, there’s a 1m 19s in there. We’ll see what we can do, but at the moment I’m just happy with the result. There are obviously a few things to try and tidy up but it’s nice to be able to say that when you’re starting on pole. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Obviously it’s only a Sprint pole and for a few points but I’ll take whatever I can get."

'Nice to be back';

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...FJej8qSim5PYd6


‘Clicked from the start’: Oscar Piastri makes Qatar qualifying statement to keep title bid alive
November 29th, 2025 3:30 pm
AFP with Fox Sports from Afp
Fox Sports (Australia)

Oscar Piastri confirmed his return to form to keep alive his title bid by claiming pole position on Saturday (AEDT) for Sunday’s sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix. The Australian, who is 24 points behind McLaren teammate Norris in the drivers’ championship, clocked a best time of one minute and 20.055 seconds to outpace George Russell of Mercedes by 0.032 seconds.

In a closely fought sprint qualifying session, series leader Norris was third fastest, two-tenths adrift, ahead of Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and the two Red Bulls led by Yuki Tsunoda in fifth. “A good day for a change!” said Piastri, who has not won a race since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August. “Things clicked from the start and qualifying went well and I had just enough in the end. I’m happy with that result but there are a few things to tidy up and it’s nice to say than when you’re starting on pole.”

‘Clicked from the start’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...cbde9386855c6f


Qatar GP: Oscar Piastri reviews his Sprint pole lap
28 November 2025
Sky Sports

‘Sprint pole lap review’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/video/1...print-pole-lap


Piastri reveals mistake that almost cost him Qatar GP Sprint pole
28 Nov 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Talking to Sky Sports, the Australian said his lap was far from perfect. He explained: "It almost went horribly wrong at Turn 4! Turning left in a right-hand corner is never a good thing. I lost two tenths. At that point I thought that lap was over, but I kept pushing and was able to find some more time."

“Turn 4!”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/piast...gp-sprint-pole

[Fortitude]

Piastri wins sprint race at Qatar GP to close gap on F1 leader Norris to 22 points.
Heading into Sunday's penultimate race of the season, Norris had 396 points, Piastri 374 and Verstappen 371.
29 November 2025
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MailOnline

Oscar Piastri won the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race from pole position Saturday to move 22 points behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris heading into Sunday's main Formula 1 race. "Yeah, car was good," Piastri said. "Let's keep it going."

Piastri has not won since the final day of August at the Dutch GP and the 24-year-old Australian has no podiums in the past six F1 races, excluding Saturday's sprint.

Race strategy in Qatar will be harder to impose given that teams have two mandatory pit stops, a measure imposed on safety grounds due to a high risk of tire degradation at the 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) Lusail International Circuit.

‘Piastri wins sprint race’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap...22-points.html


2025 Qatar GP – F1 Sprint Race Results
Piastri’s Sprint win tightens the McLaren title battle as Verstappen struggles to keep pace
29 November 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

F1 Qatar GP 2025 Sprint Race results
Check out the full Qatar GP 2025 Sprint Race results from Lusail below.
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren Leader
2 George Russell Mercedes +4.951
3 Lando Norris McLaren +6.279
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull +9.054
5 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull +19.327
6 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +21.391
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +24.556
8 Carlos Sainz Williams +27.333
9 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +28.206
10 Alexander Albon Williams +28.925

‘Sprint Race results’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/202...-race-results/


Oscar Piastri reveals late tyre scare en route to F1 Qatar GP Sprint victory
29 November 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

After the race, Oscar Piastri revealed that he was feeling issues with his rubber, which triggered some anxious moments in the cockpit before the chequered flag fell. “Yeah, like five or six laps to the end, I think it was front left was starting to vibrate a bit and I hadn’t locked up or anything,” he explained to media including Motorsport Week.

“So it’s never a great sign when you start getting vibrations out of nowhere. So I think it was a similar thing for other people as well. So yeah, we’ll see if there’s any concerns with that. But that was pretty much the only concern.” Oscar Piastri spoke of his relief that it was nice to feel out in front again.

“Yeah, it was nice,” he said. “It was nice to have some clean air again, it makes a pretty big difference. Yeah, just nice to get off to a smooth start to the weekend really. Yeah, the car’s been good so far and I feel like I’ve been able to gel with it pretty good. So yeah, obviously the kind of short part of the weekend’s over and now the real stuff begins.”

‘Late tyre scare’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...print-victory/


Piastri upbeat after commanding Sprint win
Oscar Piastri said his return to winning form in Qatar has so far come down to a smooth weekend and a circuit that played perfectly to his strengths.
30 Nov 2025
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

The McLaren driver led all 19 laps in the Sprint from pole to claim his third career Sprint victory at the venue, finishing comfortably ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris as the title fight tightened heading into qualifying. Piastri said the performance was the product of a trouble-free run and a layout that immediately suited him after several frustrating weekends. “It’s been a good weekend so far,” he explained. “I think everything went smoothly in the Sprint there. So, yeah, happy with how it’s been so far. I just need to keep it rolling.”

“It’s obviously a very different circuit to where we have been. Much higher speed. Much higher grip,” he added. “I think in the last couple of weekends has just been things going wrong rather than being a lack of pace.” Piastri noted that while gains would be limited ahead of the grand prix, the team’s baseline remained encouraging. “Ideally if we can find more pace, I think you know, everyone slowly finds a little bit more through Sprint weekends,” he said. “But I think our base performance seems very strong around here, so it’s more just tuning rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.”

‘Piastri upbeat’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-o...alifying-form/


Max fourth in sprint race Qatar: 'Car is bouncing everywhere'
29 November 2025
Florence Cobben
Verstappen.nl

Max Verstappen has come fourth in the sprint race of the Qatar Grand Prix. “It’s been difficult so far. The start was of course good and I think in the first three laps I just pushed a bit more compared to the guys ahead of the track, looking for an opportunity, knowing that passing was tough. But after that, yeah, you just get into the same trouble. The more the tyres wear, the more you feel those kind of issues, and that basically is what prevented us from really following them. I was basically doing my own race out there. We need to work on that, get rid of the bouncing, jumping, get rid of the oversteer in general. That’s still a big problem.”

Elaborating on the bouncing problem, Max shares: “My car is bouncing everywhere, something I had yesterday already. In the race you go through the turns a bit slower, so the bouncing is a bit less aggressive, but even in the slower turns under braking I am bouncing. You can’t attack a corner consistently. That’s just annoying.”

'Car is bouncing everywhere';

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/6032/


Hamilton slams Ferrari with stark team radio after Qatar GP sprint race
29 Nov 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Another forgettable race for Lewis Hamilton, who finished the Qatar Sprint in just seventeenth place. The seven-time world champion, speaking over the radio at the end of the race, summed it up with an eloquent: “I don’t know how we made the car worse,” once again highlighting his lack of feel with the SF25, an issue he’s battled almost all season.

The Englishman had started from the pit lane, opting for a setup change in an attempt to try something different in the race — a gamble that clearly didn’t pay off, as his final result shows.
Things didn’t go much better for his teammate either, with Leclerc finishing just thirteenth, stuck behind Oliver Bearman’s Haas for the entire race.

“I don’t know how we made the car worse”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/hamil...gp-sprint-race

[Fortitude]

Piastri snatches vital pole position off Norris with final lap in qualifying.
All three title contenders will start at the sharp end of the grid as Max Verstappen narrowly beat George Russell to third.
29th November 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

The final stage of qualifying was red-flagged after drivers completed their first runs for an unusual reason. Carlos Sainz Jnr’s Williams picked up a sticker from the garage floor as it left, which fell off the car after he joined the track. The stewards noted Williams for a potential unsafe release. By the time the session was halted, Norris had set the fastest time with a lap of 1’19.495. Piastri came close to beating him, lapping quicker through the middle sector, but was three hundredths of a second behind at the line.

The McLaren pair had the fight for pole position to themselves. Verstappen was almost half a second slower, while Russell pipped him by a tenth of a second. Leclerc had a dramatic moment on his first run when he lost control of his car on the exit kerb at turn 15. The Ferrari spun through 720 degrees at high speed. Norris followed Russell out of the pits after the session restarted, but the Mercedes driver did a build lap before starting his first run. The McLaren driver got as far as turn two before having to make a major correction and backed off. “I just got a bit of understeer and was going to go off so I had to abort,” he explained afterwards.

Behind him, Piastri chipped away at his best time from sector to sector and took a tenth of a second off Norris’s time at the line. Verstappen initially looked like a threat for pole position but faded to third. Russell didn’t improve in his first sector but ended his lap well. However it wasn’t quite enough to beat Verstappen, falling short of the Red Bull by a hundredth of a second. His team mate Antonelli backed him up in fifth ahead of Hadjar. Sainz rebounded from his peculiar problem to take seventh ahead of Alonso, but Leclerc’s final effort wasn’t good enough to better 10th on the grid.

‘Piastri snatches vital pole’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/11/29/...in-qualifying/


2025 F1 Qatar GP – Qualifying Results
29 November 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

F1 Qatar GP 2025 Qualifying results
Check out the full Qatar GP 2025 Qualifying results from Lusail below.
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:19.387
2 Lando Norris McLaren +0.108
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.264
4 George Russell Mercedes +0.275
5 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.459
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +0.727
7 Carlos Sainz Williams +0.900
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1.031
9 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.090
10 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +1.174

‘Qualifying results’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/202...fying-results/


Piastri continues title resurgence with massive pole lap in Qatar Grand Prix
29 Nov 2025
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

Oscar Piastri continued his brilliant resurgence with a pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix qualifying. The McLaren driver clocked the quickest time of the session – ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Piastri, who appears to have revived since his dip in form following the Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, set a staggering 1:19.382, fast enough for pole position.
Mercedes driver George Russell finished in fourth place, with Kimi Antonelli in fifth. Isack Hadjar, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Pierre Gasly, and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top 10.

‘Piastri continues title resurgence’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/breaking-n...tar-grand-prix


Oscar Piastri takes Qatar Grand Prix pole as Lando Norris makes error on final lap.
Oscar Piastri will start the Qatar Grand Prix from pole position after snatching the front spot from his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
29 November 2025
Rebecca Braybrook
F1 Oversteer

Early laps saw Piastri top the timing sheets from George Russell and Fernando Alonso, with Lando Norris finding himself down in P8.

Red Bull tried a new strategy with Verstappen in the middle part of qualifying. The team sent the Dutchman out on two warm-up laps before starting the flying time to see if this could get his tyres into a more optimal window. He initially went top of the timings before McLaren’s laps, with Piastri jumping Verstappen by nearly half a second. Norris was unable to catch Verstappen with his first flying lap, finding himself in third before his time was deleted for track limits.

Norris was able to put his first flying lap together, to set a time of 1:19.495 as the pace from McLaren seemed unbeatable. Piastri’s first attempt saw him three-hundredths of a second behind his teammate with Russell and Verstappen unable to match the pace. Oscar Piastri will start the Qatar Grand Prix from pole position after snatching the front spot from his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

‘Oscar Piastri will start the Qatar Grand Prix from pole’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/osc...-on-final-lap/


Qatar GP: Piastri ‘buses’ his way to pole position ahead of Norris and Verstappen
29 Nov 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Oscar Piastri secured his second pole position of the Qatar weekend with a P1 in qualifying for the grand prix, beating Lando Norris after the Briton abandoned his lap having made a mistake. In a weekend of high stakes with Norris in a position to win the World title, it was Piastri who came to the fore at the Lusail International Circuit.

Only five drivers went into Q3 with two new sets of soft tyres: Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Russell and Isack Hadjar. Verstappen was the first out, crossing the line with a… no, it was another double warm-up for the Red Bull driver. Norris set a 1:19.495 as the benchmark time with Piastri coming through 0.035s down on his teammate to put Norris on provisional pole. Leclerc had a spin and pitted without a time on the board. Russell went third ahead of Verstappen, Hadjar and Kimi Antonelli.

The red flags were waved with 5:27 on the clock as the marshals ventured out… Back underway, Russell was the first driver out of the pits ahead of Norris. Norris, however, had a moment at Turn 2 and abandoned his lap. He still had time for another. Piastri upped his pace, purple in the first sector, as too did Verstappen. As they traded purple sector times, Norris did not cross the line to start another flying lap and pulled into the pits. Piastri posted a 1:19.387 to snatch pole position away from Norris with Verstappen’s time only good enough for third behind the McLaren teammates. Russell was P4 ahead of Antonelli and Hadjar.

‘Piastri ‘buses’ his way to pole’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/qatar-...lifying-report


Piastri takes Qatar GP pole as Norris rues crucial qualifying error
Nov 29, 2025
Ben Anderson
The Race

Oscar Piastri beat Lando Norris to pole position for Formula 1’s 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, after Norris made a crucial mistake on his final flying lap in Q3. Norris held a narrow 0.035s edge on Piastri heading into the final runs of qualifying at the Losail F1 circuit, but had to abort his final Q3 lap after understeering wide at Turn 2.

There wasn’t enough time left for championship leader Norris to cool down his tyres and go again and he didn't have enough fuel anyway, so he returned to the pits as Piastri completed a clean final lap to take pole by a tenth of a second. This came off the back of a tricky time in Q2 for Norris, who required a second run after his first lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Max Verstappen couldn’t complete with the McLarens for pole, lacking pace particularly in the winding turns of the middle sector, but he found enough speed to beat George Russell’s Mercedes to third on the grid.

‘Norris rues crucial qualifying error’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/p...lifying-error/

[Fortitude]

Ferrari's dismal sprint a 2025 low.
"Even Pierre came up to me afterwards, he was like 'yo... it looks so bad'! I was like 'yeah, yeah... no sh- Sherlock.' "
Nov 29, 2025
Jon Noble
The Race

Hamilton told Spanish broadcaster DAZN that things looked so difficult that it came as a surprise to Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, who followed him for much of the sprint. "Even Pierre came up to me afterwards, he was like 'yo... it looks so bad'! I was like 'yeah, yeah... no sh- Sherlock.' "

From Leclerc’s perspective, a scrappy opening lap where he ran wide and lost positions set the tone for more dramas throughout the race. “Just incredibly difficult to drive the car,” he said. “I don't have any explanations for now. I thought there was damage on the car - we saw something, but it was after the first few laps, where[as] the problem was mostly in the first lap. So we'll analyse that, but it felt horrible.”

“I was like 'yeah, yeah... no sh- Sherlock.' ";

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...lerc-hamilton/


Martin Brundle shakes his head at Ferrari after hearing their excuse for their 2025 woes
29 November 2025
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Martin Brundle picks apart Ferrari’s excuse for their struggles this season. During his comments to the media in the pre-event press conference ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur revealed that engineers in Maranello switched focus to their 2026 challenger at the end of April, ending any chance of improving the SF-25 for the remainder of the season.

However, Martin Brundle doesn’t buy it. With every other team currently in the same boat ahead of F1’s new 2026 regulations, it can’t be pinpointed as a direct cause for their regression down the pecking order. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Sprint race in Qatar, he said (29/11 13:27), “If they’re satisfying themselves [that] their problems are because they switched off development, like pretty much every other team, then they’re missing a trick because they’ve got bigger things to sort out.”

Martin Brundle also highlighted how he now dreads Lewis Hamilton’s interviews on race weekends. During his assessment of Ferrari before the beginning of the Sprint, Brundle also drew attention to Hamilton’s downtrodden interview after the shootout on the evening prior. “I kind of dread his interviews now on days like that. We know all the great times Lewis has had in Formula 1, races and sessions, and it just won’t come together. If he had a fundamental issue that he knew would take some time to fix, then he could park that. But Leclerc is kind of getting some performance out of his car, which puts salt in his wounds.”

‘Martin Brundle picks apart Ferrari’s excuse’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...eir-2025-woes/


Hamilton and Leclerc stuck in a rut as Ferrari’s woes deepen
29/11/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have raised serious concerns about Ferrari’s form in Qatar, warning that the SF-25 has gone from difficult to barely drivable after an overnight slide that left both men floundering outside the points in Saturday’s Sprint at Lusail. “Well, I mean, we started from the pitlane because we wanted to explore and make some changes,” Hamilton said. “They had some things they found on the simulator last night, so we implemented those changes. And yeah, the car was really in the wrong direction and very, very difficult for whatever reason.”

His frustration centered on a complete lack of rear stability. “We just don’t have any stability,” he added. “So when I say that, it’s the rear end is not planted. So it’s sliding, snapping a lot. Then we have bouncing. So when you’re going into corners like Turn 10, the thing starts bouncing. We have a lot of mid-corner understeer. And then you apply the steering and then it snaps and you try and catch it. So it’s different between low, medium and high. And it’s a fight like you couldn’t believe.”

Leclerc: ‘The feeling has changed completely’ If Ferrari hoped Hamilton’s problems were setup-specific, Leclerc confirmed the situation is far more worrying. “It definitely did,” he said when asked if the car had worsened since qualifying. “I have no idea how that happened from qualifying to today. The feeling has changed completely to yesterday and I don’t really know from where it’s coming from.”

‘Stuck in a rut’;

https://f1i.com/news/554829-hamilton...es-deepen.html


Ferrari have become a midfield F1 team and Charles Leclerc’s Qatar Sprint radio proves it
29 November 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Speaking on Sky Sports before the Sprint, Jamie Chadwick said Ferrari have become a ‘midfield’ team at the end of the 2025 season. They are increasingly likely to finish fourth in the constructors’ championship. “Most teams stopped development, so OK, they can be excited about 2026, but this year, they are in the midfield,” said Chadwick. “Charles crept into Q3 and was P9 but it’s not anything to get very excited about.”

After unsuccessfully pursuing the Haas of Oliver Bearman, Leclerc found himself battling Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. The Monegasque, who reported a serious imbalance at the rear, ran off the track and Lawson went wide with him. The New Zealander stayed ahead when they rejoined, and was predictably instructed to return the position. But Leclerc sounded disinterested when he noted the infringement on the radio. “Position gained out of the track, but I don’t really mind,” he said.

Messages like this confirm that Ferrari have descended into an end-of-season purgatory, unable to fight their traditional rivals and now falling into the clutches of the midfield. Both Leclerc and Hamilton are becoming disengaged as a result. “The first lap I thought I would destroy the car in the wall,” Leclerc said after the race, highlighting the severity of the rear instability.

‘Ferrari have descended into an end-of-season purgatory’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...dio-proves-it/


Charles Leclerc sides with Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari verdict after Qatar sprint
“The feeling has changed completely to yesterday and I don’t really know from where it’s coming from.”
29 Nov 2025
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Charles Leclerc agrees with Lewis Hamilton’s assessment that Ferrari’s car took a worrying step backwards overnight at the Qatar Grand Prix. It was a miserable sprint race for both Ferrari drivers. Starting from ninth on the grid, a scrappy opening lap saw Leclerc drop back to 13th in the order. Leclerc ran wide as he struggled with the handling of his SF-25. Hamilton elected to start from the pit lane after his SQ1 exit.

Assessing Leclerc’s comments, former F1 strategist Bernie Collins believes his feedback will worry Ferrari, given there were minimal changes to his car since sprint qualifying. “I think the most interesting thing there listening to both drivers is that we know Lewis changed his car. He started from the pit lane so to hear him say ‘we made it worse today’ isn’t that much of a surprise because you know they changed something,” Collins explained.

“I don’t really know from where it’s coming from”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108756...r-qatar-sprint


Hamilton fires back at media for Ferrari mental blow amid Qatar GP debacle
29 Nov 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton has held the media accountable for the psychological impact Ferrari staff have been hit with throughout the tough F1 2025 season. "The negativity that's constantly within the media and everything like that, that affects them, they get home to their wives and their wives say 'they've been saying this about the people where you work'."
- Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton reveals Ferrari's Achilles' heel: "Yeah, the development's not been the issue," Hamilton told GPblog dismissing the lack of development as the cause for Ferrari's woes. "I mean, I wanted them to move to next year's car when we knew the car was not good. I wanted to make sure we started early. So I was in full support of that. It means it's a long year with what we've had. There's just other things that need to be worked on," he added without clarifying what he meant.

When asked what Ferrari was currently battling, Hamilton pointed to the natural consequence of such an early development freeze. "Stability, the challenge is stability," he continued. "We're obviously lacking downforce to the others [F1 Teams]. We haven't developed the car for some time, so the cars have been on the ragged edge, and I guess just a bit of luck."

‘Lewis Hamilton has held the media accountable for the psychological impact Ferrari staff’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/hamil...tar-gp-debacle

[Fortitude]

David Coulthard says Lewis Hamilton had a ‘told you so’ moment watching Charles Leclerc at Qatar Grand Prix.
Leclerc suffered a violent spin in Q2 but continued, no doubt thankful for the expansive run-off at the Lusail International Circuit.
29 November 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Charles Leclerc’s Qatar Grand Prix spin shows the Ferrari is so ‘difficult’ to drive. F1TV commentator Alex Jacques noticed that pundits Jolyon Palmer and David Coulthard were wincing every time the world feed cut to Leclerc’s onboard footage during qualifying.

“Every single time we go on board with him, everyone leans back in this commentary box,” he observed. Leclerc suffered a violent spin in Q2 but continued, no doubt thankful for the expansive run-off at the Lusail International Circuit.

Coulthard reckons Hamilton must have felt vindicated watching his teammate’s mishap. There is some disagreement as to who’s to blame for their dismal 2025 season – John Elkann has told the drivers to ‘talk less’ and focus more on their job. “Hamilton, though, if he was watching that will go, ‘I told you so, look how difficult it is!'” Coulthard said.

‘Told you so’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dav...ar-grand-prix/


Leclerc’s Huge Mistake in Qatar Q2! Wild Double 360 Degree Spin Shocks Qualifying
@F1UndercutShort

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mD0JEqtjWYk


Charles Leclerc SPINS HARD | 2025 Qatar Grand Prix
@DifferentTurn

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vl3XZN6H5GE


Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc outline Ferrari car woes amid 'unbelievably difficult' Qatar GP weekend
Lewis Hamilton's Qatar troubled continue with a second-successive 18th place on grid while Charles Leclerc again fares better but also struggles with Ferrari's car.
30 November 2025
Sky Sports

Lewis Hamilton described trying to get performance out of Ferrari's car as "a fight like you couldn't believe", while Charles Leclerc said they were enduring an "unbelievably difficult" weekend, on a chastening Saturday for the team at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Hamilton made his comments after Saturday's 19-lap Sprint, for which he had started from the pit lane due to set-up changes after originally only qualifying 18th. He finished only one place better off in 17th and said on the radio afterwards: "I don't know how we made the car worse".

Team-mate Charles Leclerc had started in the top 10 but also struggled, despite sticking with the set-up he qualified with, with the Monegasque having numerous off-track moments on his way to 13th.

‘Ferrari car woes’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...tar-gp-weekend


Ferrari change left Lewis Hamilton out to dry at 2025 Qatar GP
A late Ferrari setup call left Lewis Hamilton furious after a disastrous F1 Sprint Qualifying showing at the Qatar GP
29 November 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Karun Chandhok: No obvious driver error on Hamilton lap. Making matters worse? According to Karun Chandhok, who raced in F1 from 2010-11, there didn’t appear to be any obvious driver error on the car – it was simply slow as it oversteered and understeered its way around the circuit.

There’s little doubt the lack of knowledge with the new rear-wing and behaviour changes to the car sapped away at the Brit’s confidence and left him unaware and with little confidence to extract the pace from his car. Clearly frustrated, Hamilton opted to cut his post-race interview short after Ferrari and their change left him out to dry at the 2025 Qatar GP.

Asked whether the car had been difficult, Hamilton replied to F1 TV, “Same as always.” When pressed on if the high-downforce setup chosen made any difference, he sarcastically laughed off the question and said no. Finally, he said the nice weather is the only thing he’s looking forwards to as far as Saturday was concerned.

‘Lewis Hamilton furious’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/fer...2025-qatar-gp/


Lewis Hamilton ‘constantly challenged’ with critical Ferrari SF-25 flaw
29 Nov 2025
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

“We made changes, the car felt better in quali,” Hamilton informed PlanetF1.com and other media outlets. However, that could not prevent Hamilton from suffering back-to-back departures at the Q1 stage. “I think the early session was looking pretty decent, and then just didn’t get the last lap,” he said.

Hamilton believes he will need to get creative if he wants to progress from 18th on the grid. “Not really,” said Hamilton when asked if he has a chance to try anything tomorrow to improve, “you saw in the Sprint there’s no overtaking. I’ll try something different with strategy maybe, and we’ll see what I can do tomorrow.”

Lewis Hamilton was asked by PlanetF1.com what is still lacking for him and taking his confidence away at the wheel of the SF-25. “Stability. We’re constantly challenged with stability,” he said. “We’re obviously lacking downforce compared to the others obviously, because we haven’t developed the car for some time, so the car is on the ragged edge, and just I guess a bit of luck.”

‘Critical Ferrari SF-25 flaw’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...nged-stability

[Fortitude]

‘Anything can happen’ – Verstappen outlines Qatar GP expectations as he bids to keep title chances alive.
Optimistic that “anything can happen” in the upcoming Grand Prix.
29 Nov 2025
Formula One - Official Site

Asked whether his car performance had improved, he replied: “I think this Qualifying was a little bit better even though we were still quite far off, let’s say it like that. I felt a little bit happier but there are still some limitations that don’t allow us to push harder around the lap, but at least we are P3.”

“Starting on the second row creates better opportunities because we know it’s quite hard to pass around here. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow. Realistically, it’s a bit tough this weekend. It’s just not been what I wanted it to be so far, but we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

Prompted on his expectations for the race, he said: “I already saw it of course in the Sprint. I don’t expect that to be completely different tomorrow so we’ll see. We’ll try to do the best we can. I’ll try to have a good start and just go from there because anything can happen.”

‘Anything can happen’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Mx4c5QgRNiK1DD


Brown bracing for fireworks: ‘Don't miss the start of the Qatar GP’
30/11/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

McLaren boss Zak Brown is bracing for a blockbuster opening lap on Sunday in Qatar… …Brown expects the reigning champion to try something spectacular the moment the lights go out. “For sure, you know he's going to try and lead into Turn 1, so I wouldn't miss the start of tomorrow's grand prix,” Brown told F1 TV – a comment that landed somewhere between excitement and warning.

Brown says the mission is simple: keep the orange cars ahead and turn F1’s season finale next week at Yas Marina into a straight fight between his two drivers. “Our goal is to make sure papaya wins this championship, so if we can finish where we've started here and just have it be a two-horse race in Abu Dhabi, that's our goal. And if they want to reverse positions that's up to them, I don't care.”

“It’s business as usual, they know the rules. We love watching them race, they race each other hard, they race each other cleanly, so, they know if they can kind of check out that we'll be looking good in Abu Dhabi. But let’s see, they’ve got to do that first.”

Don't miss the start of the Qatar GP’;

https://f1i.com/news/554932-brown-br...-qatar-gp.html


Verstappen vows to ‘try everything’ to keep F1 title hopes alive
November 29, 2025
Laurence Edmondson
TSN

"We'll try everything we can," Verstappen said after Saturday's qualifying session. "At the start [of the race], turn one, all the laps." He added: "It will be tough. I mean, in the sprint as well, I tried, but then, yeah, we just fall into that window where we just struggle a lot on the tires and we don't seem to really be able to keep up."

Verstappen also doubts he has the race pace to match the McLarens based on the lap times Piastri was able to achieve at the end of Saturday's sprint race. "Also, the few final laps of Oscar in that sprint, I need to cut a corner to do that. It will be maybe a little bit better, but yeah, it will be tough, I think, to do that. But let's see. It's a long race. Anything can happen."

‘Try everything’;

https://www.tsn.ca/motorsports/artic...e-n1-47141541/


Max Verstappen tells Red Bull where to improve at 2025 Qatar GP: ‘That’s still a big problem’
The world champion has struggled with bouncing on his RB21 in the Middle East
29 November 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Max Verstappen pinpoints to Red Bull where he is struggling with his car as he tells his engineers have to improve the bouncing at the 2025 Qatar GP if he hopes to keep his Formula 1 title goals alive.

Team boss Laurent Mekies, the team is going to work to find an engineering solution to the bouncing at the Losail International Circuit to give their start driver the platform he needs to take control of his championship destiny again. “A bit of damage limitation,” Mekies told Sky Sports F1, praising Verstappen. “It’s fair to say we are not quite happy with the car, hopefully we have more to come.”

“We have to try to see if we can extract a tenth or more out of the car. The top four guys were quite close but on our side, there’s something more we can do. The optimum performance window is undoubtedly very narrow. That’s not a secret. We don’t rest until we are in that window. That’s how we go racing. We don’t take second for an answer. We will keep trying.”

“We don’t rest until we are in that window”;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/max...ssue-qatar-gp/


Verstappen reveals strategy to keep title hope alive after Qatar qualifying
29 Nov 2025
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen has promised to go on an all-out attack on the opening lap of the Qatar Grand Prix after finishing P3 in qualifying. The Red Bull Racing driver, who spoke to GPblog following Qatar GP qualifying, promised to go on a full attack when discussing his approach for the race.

“I will try everything at the start. If I don't pass Lando [Norris], he scores more points than me,” he said. The Dutch driver, however, admitted it would be a tough challenge, referencing the Sprint race where he was stuck behind the McLaren driver.

“It will be tough. In the sprint as well, I tried, but then we just fall into that window where we struggle a lot on the tyres and don’t really manage to keep up,” he added. Further highlighting the pace the McLaren car has, Verstappen concluded: “Also, those final laps of Oscar in that sprint, I’d need to cut a corner to match him. So it might be a little better, but I think it will be tough to do that. But let's see. It's a long race. Anything can happen.”

‘Max Verstappen has promised to go on an all-out attack on the opening lap’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/verst...tar-qualifying