The Formula 1 Title Will Be Decided In The Final Race, Thanks To McLaren’s Buffoonery

If McLaren manages to stumble its way to a Drivers' Championship victory in the final race of the Formula 1 season, it will not be for lack of trying to lose. Las Vegas saw McLaren intruding on Ferrari territory with a devastating double disqualification; on Sunday in Qatar, with a chance to clinch the championship for one of its drivers, the team retreated back to its old, tried-and-true method of shooting itself in the foot: baffling strategy calls.

Lando Norris entered the weekend with a 24-point lead on teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who were tied in the standings. The McLaren cars consistently had the best pace across each session, and Piastri in particular finally regained his midseason form after a brutal stretch of recent performance. He topped sprint qualifying, won the sprint race, and put himself on pole position for the feature race. Norris was not nearly as consistent, but he outplaced Verstappen in the sprint, and started P2 for the feature race.