Autobayng News Team
Max Verstappen admitted he was surprised McLaren did not pit during the Safety Car period early in the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver won the race after McLaren left both its drivers on the track when the Safety Car appeared on lap seven of the race. Every other team brought its drivers in.
“I was like, ‘that’s an interesting move’,” Verstappen said.
Verstappen was running second behind Oscar Piastri when the Safety Car was deployed on lap seven. As drivers were limited to 25-lap stints on their tyres, this was the first opportunity for drivers to complete their first pit stop and save time by doing it behind the Safety car.
McLaren were unable to make up the lost time later in the race. Having run first and third early on they finished second and fourth.
The result means Verstappen has slashed his deficit to Lando Norris going into the final race of the season. He is now just 12 points behind the championship leader and has overtaken Piastri for second place.
“This was an incredible race for us,” he said. “We made the right call there as a team to box under that Safety Car, that was smart.
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“Of course I’m super-happy to win here. We stay in the fight ’til the end.”
Verstappen’s strategy meant he had to run two 25-lap stints over the remainder of the race. However he took the chequered flag almost eight seconds ahead of Piastri.
“I knew that we had a bit of a gap, but still you need to keep the tyres alive, 25 laps as well,” he said. “The wear is very high around here, but luckily it all worked out.”
“Of course it was a little bit offset because of it all,” he added. “But for us I think it was a very strong race on a weekend where I think it was a little bit tough. We still won the race and that was the most important.”
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2025 Qatar Grand Prix
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- McLaren’s decision not to pit under Safety Car was an “interesting move” – Verstappen
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