The Qatar Grand Prix was shaped by the remarkable resurgence of Oscar Piastri – yet it ended with a victory for Max Verstappen. As a result, the Drivers’ Championship is wide open ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi: Lando Norris leads by just 12 points over Verstappen and 16 over Piastri. Piastri dominated the entire weekend: he topped qualifying for the Sprint, won the Sprint race itself with authority, and secured pole position for the Grand Prix. In the race, the Australian was comfortably in the lead until Pierre Gasly took out Nico Hülkenberg on lap 7, bringing out the Safety Car. While almost the entire field dived into the pits, the two McLaren drivers stayed out – a strategic misjudgment that cost the team all chances of victory. Piastri fought his way through the pack with determination and ultimately finished a strong second behind Verstappen. Carlos Sainz delivered a sensational performance to claim third place for Williams. Lando Norris salvaged fourth after overtaking Antonelli on the final lap thanks to a late mistake. The weekend’s big losers were Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1 in both qualifying sessions. Next Sunday, the 2026 World Championship will be decided in Abu Dhabi – and the title fight could not be more thrilling.