"If McLaren manages to stumble its way to a Drivers' Championship victory in the final race of the Formula 1 season, it will not be for lack of trying to lose. Las Vegas saw McLaren intruding on Ferrari territory with a devastating double disqualification; on Sunday in Qatar, with a chance to clinch the championship for one of its drivers, the team retreated back to its old, tried-and-true method of shooting itself in the foot: baffling strategy calls."
"Lando Norris entered the weekend with a 24-point lead on teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who were tied in the standings. The McLaren cars consistently had the best pace across each session, and Piastri in particular finally regained his midseason form after a brutal stretch of recent performance. He topped sprint qualifying, won the sprint race, and put himself on pole position for the feature race."
"The bad news for Verstappen: He was starting P3 in a car that was performing worse on pace compared to the two McLarens ahead of him, in a version of Formula 1 where track position is king. The good news for Verstappen: There is no team worse at being the overdog than McLaren. Verstappen managed to pass Norris right at the race start, which was all the hard work he had to do on track."
McLaren entered the Qatar weekend with strong pace and a 24-point lead for Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri regained midseason form, topping sprint qualifying, winning the sprint, and taking pole for the feature race, while Norris started P2. Verstappen began P3 in a slower car but passed Norris at the start. A Lap 7 safety car followed contact between Hulkenberg and Gasly. On Lap 8 most teams pitted; McLaren did not pit either driver before the safety car exited on Lap 11. As a result, Verstappen emerged from the pits behind Norris.
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