With an almost perfect race weekend, Oscar Piastri closed out the F1 Qatar GP with a P2 after a dreadful strategy call from McLaren. Maximising his results, the Australian pushed hard all the way to the chequered flag. Despite keeping the lead into Turn 1, Piastri suffered after a decision by the team to stay out instead of pitting during an early Safety Car on lap 7.
However, not all hope is lost for the #81 driver. While this weekend did not end the way anyone anticipated after Piastri’s dominant rule over the other sessions, the McLaren driver managed to cut down the gap to Norris even more. Now separated by 16 points going into the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi finale, the Australian still has a chance to return to the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
First thoughts after the chequered flag
After giving it his all during the F1 Qatar GP, P2 was the best result that Oscar Piastri could claim. Nonetheless, the Australian was incredibly disappointed to miss out on the win. With his slowdown lap showcasing his radio message, Piastri was spotted saying he was “speechless” after that performance.
Describing his frustrations during the post-race press conference, the McLaren driver admitted the loss was “painful”. Moreover, Piastri was even more disheartened by the unfortunate turn of events after the success of his previous sessions in Lusail.
“Pretty high – and that’s saying quite a lot given the last few races I’ve had. But, yeah, I mean, clearly, we didn’t get it right today. Which is a shame because the whole weekend went very, very well. We had a lot of pace. I felt like I drove well. So, yeah, it’s pretty painful.”
Asked to compare this weekend’s loss with the Las Vegas disqualification, Piastri pointed out the personal impact from Qatar:
“I mean, I think on a personal level, I feel like I’ve lost a win today. You know, in Vegas, I lost a P4. Obviously, for the team, it was a pretty painful weekend. But, yeah, I think for me personally, this probably hurts more.”
The Safety Car decision
During lap 7 of the race, Nico Hulkenberg clashed with Pierre Gasly, effectively triggering a Safety Car. This was the start of a pit stop rampage for most of the grid, except for McLaren. However, this decision ended up causing them a lot more trouble as the race progressed due to the mandatory 25-lap limit on tyres.
From Oscar Piastri’s point of view, staying out was not something he expected. The Australian questioned McLaren at first during the moment, yet he had to trust the team knew best:
“I asked, ‘What are we doing?’ Because we were getting pretty close to the pit entry, and I hadn’t had a call yet. So, you know, I think when you don’t get a call instantly when the Safety Car comes out, clearly there’s probably some discussions going on about what to do. And in that situation, you have to trust the team. Because they have a lot more information than the driver in the car on where gaps are and stuff like that. So, yeah, I mean, in that scenario I have to trust what the team decide.”
Nevertheless, Piastri’s results from the previous sessions of the F1 Qatar GP will help lift his spirits. The McLaren driver proudly stated that he believed this weekend ended up being one of his best in 2025:
“I think in the next few days, probably, yes, that will be quite an encouraging thing. I think this weekend is probably one of my best of the season. There are one or two others that I can think of being on the same level as this weekend. So, from that side of things, I’m very, very happy and very pleased to just be back in terms of pace. But unfortunately, it’s another weekend where something’s just not gone our way.”
Losing out on the much-needed victory
With tensions running high as the 2025 season is approaching its finale, the P2 finish added to the frustrations. As a title contender, Oscar Piastri realised they were in trouble as soon as everyone else pitted except for him and Norris:
“Yeah. When I got told that everyone has pitted except for me, Lando [Norris], and Ocon. And then Ocon pitted the next lap, I knew we were in some trouble. So, yeah, I think clearly some things to review. But, yeah, I don’t have any answers at the moment.”
Not all hope is lost for the Australian. While he emphasised that the F1 Qatar GP strategy failed them, Piastri does not see it as the end of his chances. Keeping a clear head, the 24-year-old showcased a great level of maturity in spite of the painful turn of events.
“I don’t think… It’s certainly not a catastrophe. I think we made a wrong decision today. That’s clear, but it’s not like the world ended. So, obviously, it hurts at the moment. But with time, things will get better.
“There’s been lots of difficult moments—this year, previous seasons together—and I feel like you always become stronger through some of these moments. But it all depends on how you deal with it. So I’m sure we’ll get through it. But, yeah, obviously, at the moment, it does hurt.”
