- F1
Follow live F1 updates from round 23 at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of a key sprint qualifying session on Friday
Kieran JacksonFormula 1 CorrespondentFriday 28 November 2025 12:15 GMTComments
Close'I'm pretty used to it': Lando Norris ahead of Qatar GP with 2025 F1 title at stake
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F1 next heads to Qatar for the penultimate race of the 2025 F1 season - and the final sprint weekend of the year - with the drivers’ championship title race fully reignited following the dramatic end to the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Lando Norris, currently leading the drivers’ standings, thought he’d extended the gap on teammate Oscar Piastri thanks to a second-place finish in Vegas, only for both McLaren cars to be disqualified for excessive skid plank wear on both cars, with the minimum thickness falling below the 9mm threshold allowed.
That means Max Verstappen, who triumphed in Vegas, has closed the deficit on Norris to just 24 points and will be targeting a fifth world title over the final two races of the year. Piastri and Verstappen are level on points behind Norris, and with 33 points up for grabs in Lusail this weekend, the season could yet face another dramatic twist.
Norris is still the favourite to win the title and could seal the title, sprint race dependent, with a victory in the grand prix on Sunday. Two second-place finishes in Qatar and Abu Dhabi would also be enough for the Briton, but anything less opens the door for Verstappen and teammate Piastri.
Follow live coverage of the Qatar Grand Prix with The Independent
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F1 QATAR GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The penultimate round of the 2025 season takes place this weekend in Qatar
- Practice is on Friday is at 1:30pm (GMT); sprint qualifying is at 5:30pm
- Lando Norris leads the world championship by 24 points to Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri
- PREVIEW: How Max Verstappen clawed back 104-point deficit in F1 title race over just seven races
- ‘The answer is no’: Oscar Piastri reveals McLaren talks over Lando Norris favouritism
Max Verstappen reveals he still talks with Christian Horner after ‘every race’
“Yes, every race weekend,” came Verstappen’s response when asked if he still talks to Horner following the latter’s departure from Red Bull.
Verstappen added: “He will send a message about anything; how the race went and keeping up to date with life. So, we are still in very good contact, absolutely.
“It is very important to acknowledge what Christian did for this team and the moments we lived through together; the first title in 2021, the rollercoaster of that year and emotions of the final race in Abu Dhabi. They are moments you will never forget.”
(REUTERS)Kieran Jackson28 November 2025 12:15Andrea Stella explains McLaren's double DSQ:
"The specific cause that led to the situation was the unexpected occurrence of extensive porpoising, inducing large vertical oscillations of the car.
“The level of porpoising was exacerbated by the conditions in which the car operated during the race, and it was not anticipated based on what we had seen in practice and based on the predictions of the car operating window in the race.
“Based on the data we had acquired in practice, we do not believe we took excessive risks in terms of ride height and we also added a safety margin for qualifying and the race, compared to practice, in terms of clearance to the ground.
“However, the safety margin was negated by the unexpected onset of the large vertical oscillations, which caused the car to touch the ground.
“The porpoising condition that the car developed in the race was also a difficult one to mitigate, as even a reduction in speed – an action that, in theory, should increase clearance to the ground – was only effective in some parts of the track but in others was actually counterproductive."
Andrea Stella (PA Wire)Kieran Jackson28 November 2025 12:04TOP-3 - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The gap is 24 points.
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 390 points
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 366 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 366 points
Kieran Jackson28 November 2025 11:58PREVIEW: How Max Verstappen clawed back 104-point deficit in F1 title race over just seven races
It had all looked so rosy for McLaren.
When F1 returned after the customary summer break, the papaya-clad team continued where they’d left off, claiming a one-two finish at Max Verstappen’s home race, the Dutch Grand Prix.
At that stage, it was considered a decisive day in the world championship. Oscar Piastri took a 34-point lead over Lando Norris after the Briton’s unfortunate mechanical breakdown, and, in what increasingly seemed like a two-way battle, was 104 points clear of Verstappen.
Just seven races and three months on, in an inconceivable turn of events, Verstappen is back level-pegging with the Australian and just 24 off Norris with two rounds remaining.
With all eyes on Qatar this weekend, we give a race-by-race breakdown of Verstappen’s comeback and why the momentum is fully with the Dutchman as the 2025 season concludes.
Full breakdown below:
How Max Verstappen clawed back 104-point deficit in F1 title race
The Dutchman previously dismissed his chances of winning the title but is now firmly back in the fightKieran Jackson28 November 2025 11:53Max Verstappen: F1 Championship would easily be over if I had Lando Norris’ car
Asked what would have happened this season if he was driving Norris’ McLaren, Verstappen replied without hesitation and wearing a broad smile: “We wouldn’t be talking about a championship.
“It would already have been won, easily. I mean they won the constructors’ championship so early that yeah… you can fill it in yourself.”
Verstappen said he would already have won the title in Norris’ car (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)Kieran Jackson28 November 2025 11:45Start times this weekend in Qatar:
All times GMT
Friday 28 November
- Free practice 1: 1:30pm
- Sprint Qualifying: 5.30pm
Saturday 29 November
- Sprint Race: 2pm
- Qualifying: 6pm
Sunday 30 November
- Race: 4pm
F1 driver standings with two races left:
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 390 points
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 366 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 366 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 294 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 226 points
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 152 points
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 137 points
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 73 points
9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 51 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 49 points
11. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 48 points
12. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 41 points
13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 40 points
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 36 points
15. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 32 points
16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 32 points
17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 28 points
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 22 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 19 points
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points
Kieran Jackson27 November 2025 16:00Aston Martin appoint new team principal after Christian Horner speculation
Adrian Newey will become Aston Martin team principal next season.
Newey, widely considered the greatest technical mastermind of his generation, committed his long-term future to Aston Martin in September 2024 after his departure from Red Bull sparked a bidding war for his services.
Pressure has built on current team principal and CEO Andy Cowell amid a disappointing season and reported disagreements with managing technical partner Newey.
After speculation linking former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with the Silverstone-based team resurfaced, Aston Martin announced on Wednesday evening that 66-year-old Newey will step up to take charge of trackside operations from 2026.
Adrian Newey will become Aston Martin team principal from 2026 (David Davies/PA) (PA Archive)Kieran Jackson27 November 2025 15:40Mick Schumacher confirms American career switch after latest F1 snub
Mick Schumacher has confirmed his switch to IndyCar for the 2026 season, having failed to carve a route back into Formula One.
The German driver, son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, had two seasons at Haas in 2021-2022 before losing his seat following a number of costly crashes.
Schumacher, 26, has competed for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) this year – including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race – but has made no secret of his desire to find a way back into F1.
However, having been overlooked for a seat at new team Cadillac for 2026, Schumacher has turned his attention stateside and will race for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team (RLL) next year in IndyCar, after impressing in testing last month.
Mick Schumacher (Getty Images)Kieran Jackson27 November 2025 15:20F1 world champion backs Max Verstappen to win title after McLaren disqualifications
Jacques Villeneuve has backed Max Verstappen to win this year’s F1 world championship after the dramatic events following the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday night.
Championship leader Lando Norris had one hand on the trophy after extending his lead to 30 points over Oscar Piastri with a second-place finish in Vegas, with race winner Verstappen 42 points off the Briton.
Yet the shock double disqualification of both McLaren cars for excessive skid plank wear has thrust Verstappen back into the fight. With two rounds to go and 58 points on the table, Verstappen is now level on points with Piastri – a driver he trailed by 104 points at the start of September – and 24 behind Norris.
Full quotes below:
F1 world champion backs Max Verstappen to win title after McLaren disqualifications
Verstappen, chasing a fifth consecutive championship, now only trails Lando Norris by 24 pointsKieran Jackson27 November 2025 15:00Newer1 / 3OlderMore about
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