Oscar Piastri may have been denied victory in Qatar, but McLaren boss Andrea Stella insists the Australian remains firmly in contention for the Formula 1 championship.

The 24-year-old impressed at the Lusail circuit, winning Saturday’s sprint from pole and leading Sunday’s race from the start. However, a strategic error by McLaren forced him to settle for second behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Piastri described the outcome as “speechless,” and McLaren quickly issued an apology for the mistake, which left him third in the championship, 16 points behind teammate Lando Norris, who finished fourth. Verstappen sits second, 12 points off the lead.

“Clearly Oscar was in control of the race and deserved to win it, and we lost the podium as well with Lando,” Stella told reporters.
“Oscar, from a points perspective, is definitely in a position to win the title. History shows that sometimes the third-placed contender ends up taking the championship.”

Lessons from the Past

Stella, who previously worked at Ferrari, cited examples from his experience in F1. In 2007, Kimi Räikkönen clinched the title after entering the final race third overall, behind Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton, edging them out by a single point.

In 2010, Sebastian Vettel captured his first of four championships, arriving in Abu Dhabi third in the standings behind teammate Mark Webber—now Piastri’s manager—and Fernando Alonso.

Despite these precedents, McLaren emphasized that both drivers will continue to be treated equally. Stella confirmed Piastri will be free to race while still in contention.

“We will let our drivers race each other, but our priority is to challenge Verstappen with either of our two drivers,” Stella said.
“We want to be fair, maintain integrity, and ensure no surprises for our drivers. Between now and Abu Dhabi, we’ll finalize our approach with Lando and Oscar, but anyone with a chance to pursue the title will be respected.”