Oscar Piastri was left dismayed after missing out on victory at the Qatar Grand Prix following an alternate strategy call by McLaren, which saw him finish in second place. 

Piastri crossed the line behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who moved above the Australian and within 12 points of Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship standings. 

The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend will mark the first time since the 2010 campaign that more than two drivers have a chance of becoming the world champion.

However, Piastri, who is now 16 points adrift of his team-mate, will need a miracle if he is to become the first Australian driver to win the title since Alan Jones back in 1980. 

But his chances were not helped after McLaren chose not to pit him on lap seven following a collision between Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg, when Piastri was out in front. 

Many drivers chose to make the first of two mandatory pit stops, with McLaren the only team not doing so, leaving Piastri with too big of a hill to climb in the closing stages. 

"Pretty gut-wrenching, to be honest," he said of the result. "It felt like I drove probably the best weekend I've had this year, if not in F1, so to not have the result is painful. 

"Clearly, we didn't get it right. I drove the best race that I could as fast as I could, and there was nothing left out there, so I tried my best. It wasn’t to be tonight, unfortunately.

"I think, in hindsight, it's pretty obvious what we would've done. I'm sure we'll discuss it as a team."

Not the result he had hoped for, but another solid weekend with a Sprint win and a P2 #McLaren | #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/de3uy4WIE3

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 30, 2025

Despite being downbeat about his chances, Piastri is not out of the fight just yet. 

Should Piastri win in Abu Dhabi and Norris finishes sixth or worse, then he would seal the title, though the other permutations do not stack up in his favour.

If Piastri finishes second, Norris would need to finish in 10th place or worse, and Verstappen fourth or worse.

Any other scenario for the 24-year-old to emerge victorious would require him to finish 17 points ahead of his team-mate, and five points ahead of the reigning world champion. 

The missed opportunity came just one week on from Piastri and Norris both being disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix over a technical infringement, but the Australian said the loss of the Qatar victory hurt more.

"I think on a personal level, I feel like I've lost a win today," Piastri added. "In Vegas, I lost a P4. Obviously, for the team, it's a pretty painful weekend. But, for me personally, this probably hurts more."

Piastri also revealed he questioned the team over whether it should pit under the safety car, but ultimately had to put his trust in the decision of the McLaren pit wall.

"I asked what we were doing, because we were getting close to the pit entry and I hadn't had a call yet," he said.

"I think when you don't get a call instantly when the safety car comes out, there are probably some discussions going on about what to do.

"In that situation, you have to trust the team, because they have a lot more information than the driver in the car and where gaps are."