- 13 hours ago
30/11/2025
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00:02I'll be right back.
00:49The Qatar Airways Grand Prix, the title is on the line, it's lights out, away we go.
00:54Lando Norris might have got the better reaction, but Max Verstappen is coming right at him.
00:58Could it be wheel spin again for Norris? Into turn one, Verstappen leads, Verstappen is now in second.
01:04Then comes Lando Norris, and then comes George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
01:09Verstappen with a brilliant start in his McLaren, he's done what he did last night, he's streaking away.
01:14Yeah, perfect start from Verstappen, and Lando, it was the second phase, like in the sprint race.
01:20Second phase, a little bit of wheel spin, lost momentum, and Max Verstappen could steam around the outside,
01:26the better line, into the first corner, and that's pivotal in this World Championship.
01:34Here's the race start then, for the second Grand Prix running, Max Verstappen gaining a place on Lando Norris at
01:40the start,
01:41this is how he did it.
01:43And there you go, that is all about that aborted lap for Lando Norris last night, taking away his chance
01:50to get pole position,
01:52puts him on the slightly less grippy side of the track, or into that phase.
01:56It's not something that Nico Hülkenberg is thinking about at the moment, he's trying to make some moves,
02:01he's already made a move on Charles Leclerc, here he comes on Pierre Gasly with DRS, there's no way round
02:06the outside,
02:07Gasly puts his Alpine right in the perfect place, and that scrap is going to continue onwards,
02:13Hülkenberg chomping at the bit here to get past Gasly.
02:16On the soft tyres, of course, Hülkenberg, he's got the grip.
02:21Because this could be critical.
02:24We're on lap 7 of 57, and Nico Hülkenberg has gone off, and he is stranded just by turn 2.
02:32So there's obviously been some contact as well.
02:34With Gasly, who was already suffering 10 points of downforce loss, and has got a puncture there.
02:40We are definitely in a situation whereby, if drivers want to come in and take a pit stop behind the
02:47safety car, they can do so.
02:51Is anyone coming in apart from Verstappen?
02:54I'm fully expecting, yes, a Mercedes is coming in, I'm fully expecting Lewis Hamilton to come in as well.
02:59So he's just got to wait as the Red Bull, while the Mercedes comes in.
03:05But yeah, if you go from now, as Bernie says, it's two equal sticks of 25 laps, but what will
03:12they fit?
03:16So this has worked out horribly for McLaren at this phase of the Grand Prix, because they didn't pit.
03:23They've now got to pit at the 25 lap point on these tyres anyway.
03:29But those behind have got a pit stop out of the way, a cheap pit stop at 16 seconds, of
03:37course, under a safety car, instead of 26.
03:39And they're now all on the gearboxes of the McLaren.
03:46So we should have just followed him in there, if you knew the car head was staying in.
03:51They have lost all their flexibility for the remainder of the race.
03:56So basically, what McLaren is saying, what Will Joseph is saying to Lando Norris, is that 7 plus 25 is
04:0332, lap 32.
04:05They're all going to have to come in, whereas we could just pick our moments for our second stop.
04:16Reminder, get close.
04:44It was very early for Oscar to go, and it's caught Lando off guard.
04:51And they get to work, holding on to the car to make sure everything is tight and ready to go,
04:55and blasting off.
04:58And with David Beckham getting a great shot from the McLaren garage, goes Oscar Piastri.
05:02But that was a three-second stop, that was slow.
05:06Yeah, so now as expected.
05:09So this is Keith.
05:10I tell you what, it's going to be very hard for Lando Norris.
05:15It'll be very hard for Lando Norris.
05:16He's going to, coming out of the pit lane, right alongside Alonso there somewhere.
05:21Medium tyres then, for Oscar Piastri.
05:26And we're looking here for Oscar Piastri there.
05:29He is in the papaya.
05:30He swoops past, but the key one here is Fernando Alonso.
05:34And Alonso is gaining on Lando Norris here.
05:36Norris comes out onto the track, and it's a good job.
05:38It was a two-second pit stop, because he came out just a couple of car lengths ahead of his
05:43old teammate,
05:44when he started at McLaren, as his test and reserve driver, Fernando Alonso.
05:50He's got two or three corners.
05:51He's tied there.
05:52Come out of the blankers at 70.
05:53There needs to be over 100 at operating temperature.
05:56Phew.
05:57That was close, wasn't it?
05:59And you know, you're right.
06:01If that had been a three-second stop, I think he'd have been behind the Aston Martin.
06:04I don't know how long for, mind you.
06:08Basically, they've all got to stop again once now.
06:10They've got to make 19 seconds up on Max Verstappen if they want to win the race.
06:16Yeah, the key here, Bernie Collins, in this second stint for the two McLaren drivers,
06:20is building enough of a pace gap so that they're not coming out behind Antonelli or Sainz or Verstappen
06:27and the back one-two in this race.
06:30He will want to clear Antonelli as fast as he can, but he's got to be a bit cautious.
06:34He wants to stay on the road, but look how he's gaining.
06:36And there was absolutely no need for caution whatsoever.
06:40By the time he slammed on the brakes, Antonelli had to back out of that one,
06:44and Piastri up into third.
06:49Verstappen puts on the hard compound tyre.
06:52Two and a half seconds it was stationary.
06:54Into the pits comes the Williams of Carlos Sainz,
06:57the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli.
07:01Piastri then leads.
07:02Norris then is ahead of Max Verstappen,
07:06who has now pitted twice in this race.
07:09So he doesn't have to pit again.
07:11The McLarens do.
07:13They've got clean air.
07:14They need to go and build a gap.
07:15And it's all getting chaotic in that pit lane.
07:18Alonso comes in, doesn't get held up.
07:21George Russell comes in.
07:22He's going to get held up.
07:24They're going to release George Russell almost into the path of the racing balls.
07:29Hard tyres going on.
07:31And he's come out.
07:32And there's...
07:33Oh, that was close.
07:34But the racing ball was ahead.
07:36So I think it'll be okay there.
07:38That's fine.
07:39And the racing ball was going in the pits anyway.
07:40He was going into his garage.
07:41So that's fine.
07:47Oli Behrman might have lost.
07:49Because he was 10th.
07:50And he was in the points.
07:51And that's what he...
07:52His front suspension's off the ground.
08:22Well, he's run over something there.
08:23What you were doing before.
08:24I'm trying.
08:25I just...
08:27I need my help then.
08:28So I can't do it.
08:31Oh, dear.
08:32It's not a calm night, is it, Albert?
08:38What McLaren have got, of course, Martin, is the flexibility right at the end to put the soft tyres on,
08:44albeit used soft tyres, that would gain them a bit more pace in the final stint.
08:49I think Max's pace is such at the moment that I'm not sure they've got anything left in their toolbox.
08:57Check the car.
08:58Pretty damaged.
08:59I went off.
09:02Ah, more damage.
09:03And when you go off here, Bernie Collins, and you hit the gravel, it can be pretty unforgiving.
09:09That's quite a...
09:10Quite a swap-off, wasn't it?
09:11He didn't straddle the kerb too much there, did he?
09:14He's not going to be bouncing across the gravel.
09:16That should not hurt his car too much.
09:19It's your message, exit a pen.
09:22I think the only way of winning a three is if we try and box now and chase him out.
09:27And I think that is a really sensible summary.
09:31And roll of the dice from Oscar Piastri there, because at the moment, he's not gaining.
09:38He's losing in the position that he's currently in.
09:41Yeah, and that's definitely the case for Lando Norris as well, because he's going to end up behind Sainz and
09:47maybe Antonelli too.
09:48And that's Piastri then, struggling as well.
09:54So, isn't that exactly the same corner that Lando had a wobble, isn't it?
10:01I would go, I would go a lot faster.
10:03Let's do it, there's that box, box.
10:06And McLaren are coming out.
10:08That debate that's been going on between Tom Stallard and Oscar Piastri has now ended with Oscar Piastri, the race
10:14leader, coming in for his second stop.
10:17And there's a set of fresh tyres waiting for him, and there are a set of shiny, brand new, hard
10:24compound tyres.
10:25Norris takes over in the lead of this race.
10:28Verstappen behind him, and he'll probably have to sit behind him for a lap here, as Piastri comes out with
10:33another 1.8 second stop.
10:35And boy, did McLaren need to service their drivers with another 1.8 second stop here, to try and help
10:42them back into this race.
10:43Okay, Max.
10:45This race is Oscar who's bitted early, and he is looking to chase you down now.
10:52The chase is on.
11:00Lando Norris can stay out there for another 7 laps, should he so wish.
11:06They're 18 laps old, those medium tyres.
11:08Verstappen can go to the end on his hard compound tyres.
11:12Piastri will go to the end on his, and the tyres coming out of the blankets, and the chase is
11:18on in the pit lane to get ready for Lando Norris.
11:21He then pits Max Verstappen for the second time in this race, takes over the lead of this race.
11:28And it was a 1.8 second stop then for Piastri.
11:31What can they do for Lando Norris?
11:34Stops on his marks.
11:35On go the tyres.
11:37That looks a little bit slower than 1.8 seconds.
11:39It was 2.7 seconds.
11:41So Piastri now down the pit lane.
11:43He's ahead of his teammate, but where is Sainz and Antonelli?
11:47Here they come, Martin.
11:48There's the blue of the Williams.
11:49And the Williams is ahead of Lando Norris, and the Mercedes is also ahead of Lando Norris, as we thought
11:56might be the case.
12:04George Russell's been shown a black and white flag.
12:06It is three strikes on the track limits.
12:08One more, and he takes a penalty.
12:10Piastri's just set the fastest lap of the race.
12:13That gap that was 17.5 seconds is now 15.5 seconds.
12:18So he's flying on those hard tyres, and there's no one between himself and Max Verstappen.
12:25And this could be quite the chase here.
12:27And a title winning, potentially, chase for Oscar Piastri.
12:31Here's Fernando Alonso goes for a major spin, and somehow didn't collect any of the cars following on behind him.
12:40Let's have another little look at what's going out on track.
12:43This is George Russell and Isaac Hadjar.
12:46Russell going off into the gravel as he tries to get past the racing bulls.
12:52And what is happening to Lando Norris out on track?
12:55We can see here, it turns seven.
13:01That just did not.
13:02What a grip, did it?
13:04They were talking about throttle curves in that corner, weren't they, earlier on?
13:08About how he's applying the throttle, and he's obviously trying to get on it a little bit harder.
13:15Staff and last lap, 23.8.
13:17We would need to be more than a second faster than him.
13:20Well, nice.
13:23Pushing pretty hard, Oscar.
13:24Let's see what he does.
13:25Just use your pace now.
13:26Best pace to the end.
13:28Bernie, back to you.
13:29Yeah, pushing pretty hard, but Verstappen's got to feel very comfortable out there.
13:33Verstappen almost has a safety car window on the last day.
13:39Norris has really got his work cut out to get past the Mercedes.
13:43Oh, no.
13:45I've understood you, right?
13:47Hardcore is.
13:48Check.
13:49Something fell off, I think.
13:50Oh, no.
13:51No.
13:52Carlos Sainz, that is going to slow him down just a bit.
13:56Has he got enough of a margin, then, to keep Antonelli and Norris at bay?
14:03Piastri just can't find the pace to get close to Max Verstappen as well.
14:07He's pushing as fast as he can, but he's reducing the deficit by a couple of tenths a lap, and
14:12that is it.
14:16Oh, there is a racing balls with a puncture.
14:19That is Isaac Hadjar, who was running in the top six in this race, has got a puncture, and he's
14:30limping his way home.
14:33Oh, hello, Corrine Chandogh.
14:34Hello, Corrine Chandogh.
14:48How are you doing?
14:49And that's two very precious points there for Lando Norris that he's just picked up.
14:54And Norris then runs wide.
14:58Not sure what happened to Antonelli, Max.
15:00Looks like he just pulled over and let Norris through.
15:04We didn't see it all.
15:05Maybe a bit churlish.
15:06Save that for the debrief.
15:08Max Verstappen.
15:09It's a hat-trick of victories here in the Qatar Grand Prix.
15:14The Verstappen championship charge shows no sign of relenting.
15:19Oscar Piastri had to meet his teammate, and he has done so.
15:23Comes home to take second place.
15:25Who's going to get the final podium position here?
15:28This, the fourth anniversary this weekend of the passing of Sir Frank Williams.
15:33He will have loved this performance from Carlos Sainz.
15:36Sainz comes home to take another podium.
15:39Third for him, Lando Norris will be disappointed with fourth.
15:44But those extra two points picked up.
15:46Two laps from the end when he got past Kimi Antonelli.
15:49How crucial could they be come the final reckoning?
15:53Unbelievable.
15:55Unbelievable.
15:56And that is P3.
15:57P3.
15:58Amazing.
16:00Sorry for my word.
16:01Amazing.
16:03What?
16:04You made us proud in Baku.
16:05And wow, have you done justice to it today.
16:08Well done, Carlos.
16:09That is an absolutely incredible drive.
16:12And that's a proper emotional James Vowles down there as well,
16:15as Carlos Sainz becomes the first Williams driver
16:17to score more than one podium in a season
16:19since Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas in 2015.
16:22That's my faith.
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