# Verstappen‘s Remarkable turnaround and McLaren’s strategic Misstep in Qatar
Max Verstappen was disappointed after the Dutch Grand Prix. He could not overtake Oscar Piastri in front of his fans and finished in second place.
His winless streak stretched to eight events and the frustrated four-time champion said he would not win another race this season.
However, three months have passed sence then and the native of Hasselt is thinking about a turnaround that has no parallel in the history of F1. Verstappen has subsequently won five times, standing on the podium each time, and is back in contention for the title ahead of the finish in Abu dhabi.
On Sunday, he triumphed at the circuit in Lusail not only thanks to his art, but also thanks to the woman who stood not far from him on the podium.
## The plot was caused by an accident
The grand prize itself promised the biggest drama after the start. It is very tough to overtake in Qatar, so a successful qualification is the basis of victory.Piastri took advantage of the pole position and led with clarity. However, in the seventh lap, the race was considerably affected by the accident of Nico Hülkenberg with pierre Gasly, which caused the departure of the safety car.
VIDEO: Nic Hülkenberg’s accident with Pierre Gasly during the qatar GP
With the FIA rule of two mandatory pit stops and a maximum of 25 laps on one set of tyres, Red Bull chief strategist Hannah Schmitz instantly added up and Verstappen was called to the pits.
In McLaren, they evaluated this situation differently. They left Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris on the track, but it turned out that this strategy ruined their race.
“We made a bad decision. I feel terrible for Oscar and Lando. Oscar was absolutely flawless all weekend, but we let them both down.
We win and lose as a team, but this is definitely not a good moment for us,” McLaren boss Zak Brown told F1 TV after the race.
According to the data, McLaren was four tenths of a lap faster than Red Bull, but his failure at the pit wall gave Verstappen his 70th triumph.
The biggest disappointment was visible on Piastri’s face. When he received the trophy for second place, perhaps he would prefer to throw it somewhere to the spectators and walk away.
“I think I drove the best weekend of the season, maybe of my entire career in F1. Without a win, it’s very painful,” said the Australian.
Photo gallery from the Qatar Grand Prix 2025 (formula 1)
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