McLaren’s Oscar Piastri gutted after F1 Qatar GP strategy blunder costs him victory. Oscar Piastri admits McLaren made a clear strategy error under the safety car in Qatar.

F1 | Piastri: “It’s clear we got the strategy wrong, it’s hard to swallow”

McLaren’s decision to keep both cars out when the safety car was deployed ultimately cost Oscar Piastri a likely victory in the Qatar Grand Prix, almost ending his championship hopes. The Australian now sits third in the standings, 16 points behind, and for once even his famously calm poker face failed to hide the disappointment.

If there is a driver on the grid whose expression is almost always unreadable, it is undoubtedly Oscar Piastri. Yet today the disappointment over what unfolded in Qatar was so significant that even he could not conceal it when he arrived for the post-race interviews.

The Australian had been piecing together what looked like a near-perfect weekend, one that seemed set to thrust him firmly back into the title fight. After securing double pole position and winning the Sprint, Oscar Piastri had also taken control of the main race in Lusail. But by lap seven, his championship dreams had likely gone up in smoke.

A collision between Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber triggered a safety car, prompting most teams to bring forward the first of the mandatory two pit stops. McLaren, however—likely to avoid disadvantaging either of its drivers, as a double stop would have cost second-placed Lando Norris several positions—kept both MCL39s out. This opened the door for Max Verstappen to seize a huge opportunity, claiming his seventh win of the season and putting immense pressure on the championship heading to Abu Dhabi.

By the time both McLarens completed their two stops, Verstappen was already in a comfortable escape, more than 17 seconds ahead. Oscar Piastri pushed hard and tried everything, but it was not enough. He closed the gap, but in the end had to settle for second place, dropping to third in the standings, 16 points behind his teammate, who astonishingly finished only fourth behind a superb Carlos Sainz for Williams.

“Clearly I did the best race I could, I gave everything I had, but we got something wrong and I couldn’t have done more. I did my best, but today it just wasn’t meant to be,” Oscar Piastri told Martin Brundle in parc fermé.

Asked whether he believed McLaren should have split the strategies by pitting at least one car under the safety car, he replied: “With hindsight it’s pretty obvious what we should have done, but we still need to discuss it with the team.”

Seeing the glass half full is not easy, but Oscar Piastri at least tried, acknowledging that the weekend also offered a positive sign as he rediscovered the speed that seemed absent for too long. “Not everything is negative. Actually, it was a great weekend because my pace was really strong, but it’s a bit hard to swallow right now. Considering how I drove, not winning is really frustrating.” – the Australian driver concluded at the end of the 2025 Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix weekend.