F1: Verstappen Wins Qatar GP as Norris’ Lead Shrinks to 12 Points

Max Verstappen opened his account at the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship with a victory in Qatar, but the race’s penultimate lap sparked the biggest controversy of the day. A sudden swap of positions between Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris has dramatically shifted the championship outlook, giving the British driver a 12-point advantage heading into the season finale. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver, however, insists the move was the result of an unexpected slide.

As reported, Verstappen capitalized on a strategic misstep by McLaren to win the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, closing the gap to championship leader Lando Norris to just 12 points before the final race of the 2025 season. The drama on the 56th of 57 laps, however, continues to fuel debate, centering around Kimi Antonelli and whether his loss of position to Norris was intentional or a genuine mistake.

In a stunning turn of events on lap 56 of the 57-lap race, Lando Norris easily overtook Antonelli, who had been 1.5 seconds ahead just moments before. This move extended Norris’s lead to 12 points as he heads into next week’s championship decider. Cameras immediately focused on the incident, with speculation swirling about whether the Mercedes rookie deliberately aided Norris’s title bid or simply lost control.

Red Bull was quick to voice its suspicions after the race. Race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told Verstappen over team radio, “Not really sure what happened with Antonelli, Max. Looks like he just moved over and let you through.”

Later, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was unequivocal, stating that Antonelli had allowed Norris to pass. He doubled down on his assertion, even claiming Antonelli “let him through twice.” Marko added, “Antonelli is now helping our biggest opponent. And he drove into Verstappen in Austria,” referencing the incident that ended Verstappen’s race at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Antonelli vehemently denied the accusations, insisting Mercedes would never interfere in the World Championship battle. “Why would we do that? Why would it even cross our minds to intervene in the championship fight between the drivers? When you see ghosts, you have to ask yourself questions,” he said. He then explained the true reason for the position change.

I was pushing quite hard on the hard tires, and I managed to get within DRS range of Carlos. But then I had a big moment in Turn 9, almost lost the car, and went off track, losing a position to Lando, which was incredibly frustrating.

Despite the explanation, F1 fans remain skeptical of Antonelli’s account, flooding his social media with hostile comments. The driver responded by turning his profile picture black.

Comments ranged from simple insults like “rotten” and “I’m against you, Kimi,” to accusations of being a “mercenary” and “sold out.” One fan simply wrote, “shame.”

On Monday afternoon, Red Bull issued a formal apology to Antonelli for the team’s accusations, which had spiraled into online abuse.

Formula–1, Katari Nagydíj

• 1. Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull) 1:24:38.241 hours
• 2. Oscar Piastri (Australian, McLaren) 7.995 seconds behind
• 3. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spanish, Williams) 22.665 sec behind
• 4. Lando Norris (British, McLaren) 23.315 sec behind
• 5. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Italian, Mercedes) 28.317 sec behind
• 6. George Russell (British, Mercedes) 48.599 sec behind
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Spanish, Aston Martin) 54.045 sec behind
• 8. Charles Leclerc (Monegasque, Ferrari) 56.785 sec behind
• 9. Liam Lawson (New Zealander, RB) 1:00.073 min behind
• 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Japanese, Red Bull) 1:01.770 min behind

Pole Position: Piastri

Championship Standings After 23 Races (1 Remaining)

Drivers

• 1. Norris 408 points
• 2. Verstappen 396
• 3. Piastri 392
• 4. Russell 309
• 5. Leclerc 230
• 6. Lewis Hamilton (British, Ferrari) 152
• 7. Antonelli 150
• 8. Alexander Albon (Thai, Williams) 73
• 9. Sainz 64
• 10. Isack Hadjar (French, RB) 51
• 11. Nico Hülkenberg (German, Sauber) 49
• 12. Alonso 48
• 13. Oliver Bearman (British, Haas) 41
• 14. Lawson 38
• 15. Tsunoda 33
• 16. Esteban Ocon (French, Haas) 32
• 17. Lance Stroll (Canadian, Aston Martin) 32
• 18. Pierre Gasly (French, Alpine) 22
• 19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Brazilian, Sauber) 19

Teams

• 1. McLaren 800 points – already World Champions
• 2. Mercedes 459
• 3. Red Bull 426
• 4. Ferrari 382
• 5. Williams 137
• 6. RB 92
• 7. Aston Martin 80
• 8. Haas 73
• 9. Sauber 68
• 10. Alpine 22

Formula–1, 2025 Race Calendar

• March 14–16, Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne: 1. Lando Norris (British, McLaren)
• March 21–23, Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai: 1. Oscar Piastri (Australian, McLaren)
• April 4–6, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka: 1. Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull)
• April 11–13, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir: 1. Oscar Piastri (Australian, McLaren)
• April 18–20, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Jeddah: 1. Oscar Piastri (Australian, McLaren)
• May 2–4, Miami Grand Prix, Miami: 1. Oscar Piastri (Australian, McLaren)
• May 16–18, Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Imola: 1. Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull)
• May 23–25, Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco: 1. Lando Norris (British, McLaren)
• May 30 – June 1, Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona: 1. Oscar Piastri (Australian, McLaren)
• June 13–15, Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal: 1. George Russell (British, Mercedes)
• June 27–29, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg: 1. Lando Norris (British, McLaren)
• July 4–6, British Grand Prix, Silverstone: 1. Lando Norris (British, McLaren)
• July 25–27, Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps: 1. Oscar Piastri (Australian, McLaren)
• August 1–3, Hungarian Grand Prix, Mogyoród: 1. Lando Norris (British, McLaren)
• August 29–31, Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort: 1. Oscar Piastri (Australian, McLaren)
• September 5–7, Italian Grand Prix, Monza: 1. Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull)
• September 19–21, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku: 1. Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull)
• October 3–5, Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore: 1. George Russell (British, Mercedes)
• October 17–19, United States Grand Prix, Austin: 1. Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull)
• October 24–26, Mexico City Grand Prix, Mexico City: 1. Lando Norris (British, McLaren)
• November 7–9, Brazilian Grand Prix, São Paulo: 1. Lando Norris (British, McLaren)
• November 20–22, Las Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas: 1. Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull)
• November 28–30, Qatar Grand Prix, Lusail: 1. Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull)
• December 5–7, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina

(Featured Image: Kimi Antonelli and George Russell before the Qatar Grand Prix, November 29, 2025. Photo: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 / Getty Images)