'Shouldn't have done what we did' – Norris laments McLaren's Qatar strategy as title goes down to Abu Dhabi

Lando Norris claimed "we shouldn't have done what we did" as McLaren's alternative strategy allowed Max Verstappen to take victory in the Qatar grand Prix, with the title battle set to go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

The McLaren driver entered this weekend with a 24-point margin over both Verstappen and team mate Oscar Piastri, with P3 in the Qatar Sprint ensuring that if Norris could win the 57-lap Grand Prix on Sunday, he would claim a maiden Formula 1 World title.

Having started P2, Norris immediately lost a position on the run to the first corner as Verstappen moved ahead, with the pivotal moment coming on Lap 7 following a collision between Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly.

With the Kick Sauber stranded in the gravel at Turn 1, the Safety Car was called with McLaren taking the decision to leave both Piastri and Norris out as the rest of the field pitted.

With a 25-lap stint limit for every set of Pirelli tyres, it locked all drivers into a two-stop strategy which ultimately meant Piastri slipped to second, while Norris could only salvage fourth.

"The car was good, Oscar finished second and was very quick," said Norris when asked to reflect on the race.

"Nothing to complain about, just strategy as the second car is always a bit worse and had me over today. It wasn't even the fact we were the second car, we shouldn't have done what we did. Simple as that."

Norris was able to move up to fourth on the penultimate lap after a small mistake from Kimi Antonelli ahead, while Norris had his own moment during his second stint after running wide at Turn 14.

The Briton said he had "no idea" if he had any damage having asked his team to investigate and then struggling to get up to pace on the hard tyre in the final stint.

The Qatar GP result means Norris still holds the lead in the Drivers' Championship but by only 12 points from Verstappen, with Piastri 16 points adrift.

Asked how he felt ahead of the title-decider, Norris replied: "I feel good. Not the best day but it is what it is. Looking ahead."