Last Updated on November 30 2025, 10:06 am
Welcome to TJ13’s daily rolling F1 news and comment. Here you’ll find all the latest stories, rumours and paddock whispers on the Qatar GP weekend. We’ll be updating this page all day as the news breaks, so be sure to check back regularly for the latest updates straight from the F1 circus. And don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page.
Piastri Takes Qatar GP Pole After Norris Cracks Under Pressure – Updated 21:30 UK
Oscar Piastri snatched pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix after Lando Norris made a costly error on his final qualifying lap, setting up a dramatic showdown between the three remaining title contenders.
Norris had been on course to beat his McLaren teammate but ran wide at Turn 2, aborting his lap and handing Piastri the chance to seize pole — which the Australian delivered by 0.108s. Fresh from winning the sprint race earlier in the day, Piastri has now cut Norris’ title lead to 22 points with 50 still available. Max Verstappen will start third and remains in mathematical contention.
Norris, who will be world champion on Sunday if he outscores Piastri by four points and Verstappen by one, endured a messy session. He had three laps deleted for track limits in Q2 and only just scraped into Q3. Though he initially topped the shootout, the red flag interruption and his own mistake left the door open for Piastri and Verstappen to improve.
After the sprint, Norris dismissed Verstappen’s claim that he would have “easily” won the championship in a McLaren: “Max has a good clue about some things, but there’s also a lot he doesn’t have much of a clue about… it’s just Red Bull talking nonsense most of the time.”
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton suffered yet another painful qualifying, eliminated in Q1 for the third session in a row. The Ferrari driver will start 18th, eight places behind teammate Charles Leclerc, and remains on course to finish his first year in red without a single podium.
TOP-10 – QATAR GP QUALIFYING
1. Oscar Piastri – McLaren
2. Lando Norris – McLaren
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
4. George Russell – Mercedes
5. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
6. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls
7. Carlos Sainz – Williams
8. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
9. Pierre Gasly – Alpine
10. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
Norris Shrugs Off Verstappen’s ‘Nonsense’ Jibe, Stays Laser-Focused on Title – Updated 18:10 UK
Lando Norris says he isn’t bothered by Max Verstappen’s claim that he’d have “easily” won the championship already if he were driving the McLaren. With Verstappen now 25 points behind after finishing fourth in the Qatar sprint — and at risk of being mathematically eliminated on Sunday — the Dutchman has turned up the mind games.
Norris, however, isn’t playing.
He joked that Verstappen is “very welcome to say everything he wants,” acknowledging the four-time champion has earned some leeway — but adding that Red Bull often “talks nonsense” as part of its aggressive style. Norris said he’d rather ignore the noise, keep his head down and focus on the championship run-in.
Asked about Verstappen on track, Norris admitted he barely noticed him during the sprint: his attention was fully forward as he chased the leaders.
With overtaking tough in Qatar, Norris expects a difficult grand prix — but insists the only thing that matters now is executing cleanly, not engaging in verbal sparring.
Starting grid for the Qatar GP Sprint Race – Updated 14:00 UK
Only 16 cars will start from the actual grid for the Qatar GP sprint after four drivers moved to the pitlane.
Aston Martin withdrew Lance Stroll from his grid slot, promoting Liam Lawson to 16th. Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto were already set to start at the back and also chose to breach parc fermé.
All four cars received suspension changes. Ferrari additionally fitted a different-spec rear wing to Hamilton’s car, while Aston Martin swapped steering-rack components on Stroll’s AMR24 and made extra diffuser and energy-management adjustments.
Sprint grid (top 16):
1 Piastri
2 Russell
3 Norris
4 Alonso
5 Tsunoda
6 Verstappen
7 Antonelli
8 Sainz
9 Leclerc
10 Albon
11 Hadjar
12 Bearman
13 Bortoleto
14 Hülkenberg
15 Ocon
16 Lawson
Pitlane starts: Stroll, Hamilton, Gasly, Colapinto
Red Bull flag soft-tyre ‘problem’ after Verstappen’s rare qualifying slip – Updated 11:30
Helmut Marko says that Max Verstappen’s unusually poor result in the sprint qualifying in Qatar came down to a specific weakness: the RB21 simply could not handle the soft tyres, and Verstappen suffered the worst of it.
The Dutchman qualified sixth for the sprint, the first time he has been out-qualified by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda since the Japanese driver joined the team. Verstappen struggled with the soft compound, even skidding into the gravel and damaging his floor, while Tsunoda’s setup, which favoured more rear-end stability, fared slightly better.
Marko explained that Red Bull were competitive on the medium and hard tyres, but “the changes we made obviously didn’t solve our soft tyre problem”. The team are baffled by the issue, noting that there was no bouncing on other compounds and that the ride heights were unchanged.
The good news? Marko insists it’s fixable. “It’s only the sprint,” he said. ‘For tomorrow, we have to address our weakness with the soft tyre, and we hope we can solve it.’
Zak Brown compares Verstappen to a horror-movie villain, in the nicest possible way – Updated 10:45 UK
McLaren boss Zak Brown says that competing with Max Verstappen for the World Championship is like being stuck in a horror film, the kind where the villain keeps coming back no matter how many times you think he’s gone.
“He’s like that guy in a horror film who you think isn’t coming back, and then he does,” Brown told The Sports Agents podcast, quickly adding that he meant it as a compliment. Verstappen, he said, is an “incredible talent” who “never makes mistakes” and “seizes every opportunity”.
Brown admitted that even when they led the Dutchman by 104 points earlier this season, McLaren never felt safe. “People were saying, ‘Oh, it’s all over. But we never thought it was over, and here we are now,” he said.
With just two races left, Verstappen sits a mere 24 points behind championship leader Lando Norris, having fully erased his deficit to Oscar Piastri. McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas, which cost Norris 18 points and Piastri 12, now looms large, as those missing points could have knocked Verstappen out of contention.
However, Brown insists there’s no point dwelling on it. ‘That’s sport,’ he shrugged. ‘If we worry about Vegas today, we won’t be any faster tomorrow.’
Alpine’s latest master plan: Patience, common sense… and maybe a miracle – Updated 10:25 UK
Having surveyed the Enstone landscape, with its years of reshuffles, sudden exits, surprise re-entries and enough organisational plot twists to qualify as a Netflix drama, Alpine’s new managing director, Steve Nielsen, has concluded that the team really needs something radical: Not making more changes.
Having stepped into the role in September following Oliver Oakes’ abrupt departure after the Miami Grand Prix, Nielsen has reunited with Flavio Briatore, who is now the team’s executive advisor and unofficial ringmaster. Together, they are attempting to turn Alpine’s revolving-door management saga into something resembling stability.
‘It’s a cliché, but it’s a racing team,’ Nielsen explained, seemingly shocked to discover that, yes, people at a racing team actually like racing. He praised the passion and dedication of the organisation’s employees before outlining his mission: to ‘coordinate’ the chaos, reinforce the positive aspects and apply ‘common sense and consistency’, two qualities that Alpine has arguably treated as optional extras for several seasons.
Recognising the constant churn of leadership and philosophy at Enstone, Nielsen emphasised the need for patience, despite conceding that ‘patience and Formula 1 don’t go well together’. Nevertheless, he insists that sticking to one plan for longer than a news cycle is the only way forward.
In short, Alpine’s new blueprint for success is simple: stop tearing everything up every five minutes. Whether the team can resist its well-established habit of reinventing itself twice a season remains to be seen. For now, though, Nielsen is preaching calmness, continuity and common sense — arguably the boldest strategy Alpine has launched in years.
Verstappen backs Newey as Aston Martin boss, but Red Bull’s Marko is stunned – Updated 10:00 UK
Max Verstappen has endorsed Adrian Newey’s unexpected transition to the role of Aston Martin team principal, expressing his belief that the renowned designer will succeed despite the significant change in responsibilities.
Verstappen, whose championship-winning Red Bull cars were all designed by Newey, said the move fits a broader trend of technical leaders taking on team-boss roles.
“It’s probably something you’ll see in more teams, with someone more technical taking on the role of team boss,” he explained. “I’m happy to see that. I’m sure he will do well.”
The Dutchman admitted that he had never discussed such a move with Newey, adding that it had “never been an option at Red Bull”, but wished him well as he began a new chapter at Silverstone.
“I’m happy for him, and I hope the team will benefit from his knowledge.”
Not everyone at Red Bull shares Verstappen’s optimism, however. Advisor Helmut Marko openly questioned whether Newey is suited to the job, telling Kleine Zeitung:
“That really surprised me… That’s certainly not his strength.”
Marko added that Newey’s true value lies in design and development, not team management.
COMMENT BELOW & CHECK BACK ON THIS PAGE THROUGHOUT THE DAY FOR UPDATED NEWS
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
