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ABU DHABI SHOWDOWN: MCLAREN BLUNDER PUTS THREE DRIVERS IN TITLE FIGHT

McLaren's costly decision not to pit during an early Safety Car ruined their race, handing Max Verstappen victory. The three-way championship fight now heads to Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi Showdown: McLaren Blunder Puts Three Drivers in Title Fight
McLaren Strategic Blunder Hands Verstappen Title Lifeline

Formula 1 fans are unhappy after McLaren's bad weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix. The three-way championship will now be decided in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season.

McLaren started strong at the Losail International Circuit, locking out the front row. But they finished in second and fourth place after making the wrong call during an early safety car period.

Oscar Piastri kept his lead, and Lando Norris fell to third behind Max Verstappen at the start. When Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly crashed, the safety car came out. While everyone else pitted, McLaren stayed out, which turned out to be a mistake.

Norris had a chance to knock Verstappen out of the championship fight in Qatar. Now, the battle goes to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Norris leads Verstappen by 12 points, and Piastri trails Verstappen by four.

Fans have been sharing their opinions, and many are critical of McLaren's strategy.

One fan wrote on Reddit, I just rewatched the race... Did McLaren really think they could beat a Verstappen who's still trying to win the championship? McLaren has made some crazy decisions this season, but this was too much.

Another fan said, I'm just feeling negative about it all.

Someone else commented, After hearing about the tire issue earlier in the weekend, I thought everyone would pit during any VSC or SC after lap 7. I was shocked when two McLarens stayed out. Missing an easy stop was a bad idea right away. They just needed to be a little careful, but they weren't. Another added, This is one of the biggest screw-ups I've seen in a while!

Other comments included, "I think they knew they messed up but tried to keep Lando's spirits up," and "Typical McLaren strategy call." Based on hope, not reality.

One fan wrote, If I quit my good job and tell my wife, 'I have more freedom in my career,' she'd divorce me the next day. The number of pit stops required was limited in this race. You don't need a supercomputer to figure out the possibilities and better odds. Mess around, and you'll get a bad result.

A very unhappy fan added, It's a huge mistake. Everyone was questioning it during the race—commentators, drivers, everyone. It seemed like everyone was shocked by McLaren's choices. They could have easily gotten first and second or first and third between Oscar and Lando. Either way, Max would have been out of the title fight.

Instead, they've created a tense three-way championship decider in Abu Dhabi. McLaren is lucky that Lando passed Antonelli on the last lap. Those two extra points could save Lando in the end.

Other than that, there's nothing good for them. They had no excuse to mess it up since Max was clearly slower, but they did it anyway.

THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON

After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.

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Hamilton’s exit clock is ticking

Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.

Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.

That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.

He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.

Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.

Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.

Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.

What's Hamilton saying about quitting?

When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.

At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.

Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.

He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.

In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.

MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.

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Verstappen Wins Fifth Straight Peer Award

Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.

The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.

The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.

Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.

The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.

George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.

Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.

Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.

Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.

Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.

Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.

Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.

The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.

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