Brundle: For McLaren, the recent races have become a horror movie.

      Former Formula 1 driver and now commentator and expert for British Sky Sports Martin Brundle analyzed the results of the Qatar Grand Prix and named his favorite in the title fight.

      In June this year we celebrated the release of the F1 film in Times Square in New York, but I'm not sure any script can compete with what's actually happening right now.

      For McLaren the last two races have been a real horror movie. The double disqualification in Las Vegas because the skid blocks of their cars were worn to such an extent that it breached the technical regulations was a heavy blow. But there can be no "grey areas" in such matters. It was a clear breach.

      A week later in Qatar the situation unfolded even more dramatically. A smooth and fast track means drivers are pushing for roughly 70% of the lap, especially on the section from turns 12 to 15, where cars reach huge speeds and experience large aerodynamic loads, which heavily stresses the tyres. This circuit has already seen tyre failures.

      Pirelli are responsible for the safety of all participants. Also, given that the company is guaranteed to "win" every race and the championship, the last thing they need is for their product to fail publicly and spectacularly.

      For that reason the minimum permitted tyre pressures, which play a key role in structural integrity, were set very high: 29 psi at the front and 24.5 psi at the rear. But more importantly, tyres could not be used for more than 25 laps, otherwise the team would receive a 30-second penalty.

      In a 57-lap race this meant the first pit stop for any driver could only be on lap 7, in order to then run two 25-lap stints to the end of the race.

      McLaren paid a high price for their decision

      Before the race everyone said the key laps for pit stops would be lap 7 and lap 32. When Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly collided on the exit of turn one, Hülkenberg went off track, and the safety car was deployed, as you might guess, it was on lap 7.

      That allowed everyone else to dive into the pits, but McLaren's strategists decided not to call in their leader Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who was in third. They made that decision to preserve flexibility in tyre choice and not be constrained by two 25-lap stints. That proved to be a serious mistake, because almost no one else did the same, and Piastri had such a gap that he could easily have pitted and rejoined in the lead without delaying Norris.

      The safety car soon bunched up the leaders, and by the end of the next lap Max Verstappen and the others were already on McLaren's heels, effectively having a free pit stop, which gave them a substantial 26-second advantage.

      McLaren had banked on three factors that were out of their control, and paid dearly for it. First, they hoped other teams would stay out and Verstappen would be caught in dense traffic at the restart.

      Second, that the flexibility in tyre choice would pay dividends later in the race, especially if there was another safety car. Third, they hoped to have fresher, faster tyres on the final stint that would allow them to pass Verstappen, who would be slowing on worn tyres. None of that worked.

      Andrea Stella confirmed it was a conscious decision, not a mistake or indecision. And it doesn't seem to have been connected to trying to be fair to both drivers in their title fight. A double-stop would have solved the issue, even if Norris lost a little time and a couple of positions in that moment, but that's the price of him not being faster than Piastri that evening.

      I feel particularly sorry for Piastri, because he was superb throughout the weekend and, without doubt, the fastest on track with two poles, an easy sprint win and a confident lead in the main race. He managed to cut the deficit from 26 seconds to 18, but still finished 8 seconds short.

      Max made the most of McLaren's gift

      Max again put on a masterclass, taking advantage of McLaren's mistake, and continued his title fight ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

      Norris had a less-than-ideal weekend at a circuit he doesn't always get on with. He couldn't improve his lap in either qualifying session due to the wrong line on the track and a mistake, which worsened his starting position on the right side of the front row. In the main race Verstappen basically overtook him at the start with no trouble.

      Norris made several mistakes, and his inability to find pace compared to Piastri underlined his confusion, as evidenced by the radio messages. After the second pit stop he found himself behind Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli, and had to fight his way back.

      Piastri had earlier passed Antonelli, showing the confidence and determination he had at the start of the season. But Norris couldn't find a way past until Antonelli ran wide on the penultimate lap, gifting him the critically important fourth place at the finish. It's ironic that Red Bull publicly said that was done intentionally to help Norris score more points, but later had to deny that statement.

      Honestly, I don't understand why Red Bull thought Mercedes, who are fighting them for second in the Constructors' Championship, would give points to McLaren or anyone else.

      Carlos Sainz took third on the podium, which made him the team's hero. It's already Sainz's second podium in the last seven races, and he deserved it, as the team called him into the pits on lap 7 and released him onto the track at exactly the right moment.

      That was real salt in the wound for his teammate at Williams, Alex Albon, who hasn't scored a single point over those same seven races.

      Ferrari endured a real nightmare this weekend, and team principal Frederic Vasseur explained it was due to very high tyre pressures. The car lacked rear grip and overall balance, and now they sit fourth in the Constructors' Championship, behind McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull.

      It seemed Charles Leclerc was fighting the car every lap just to hold eighth, and Lewis Hamilton also struggled and finished 12th, making many mistakes.

      Antonelli is only two points behind Hamilton in the drivers' standings, and despite nine races spent in the shadows, if the Italian teenager finishes ahead of him it will be symbolic of the kind of season Lewis has had.

      Norris remains the favourite for the championship

      On the grid Max told me he was calm and no longer nervous. After the race he said he is not worried about the fate of the title. It's just a mind game aimed at the McLaren guys. In an interview during the week he said his collision with George Russell in Barcelona, for which he received a penalty and lost an important 11 points, happened because he was so anxious.

      We all know how passionately Max speaks about the car's work or the behaviour of other drivers. He's a machine for getting wins, and he really wants this title. It will be one of his best titles, if not the best.

      Norris is still 12 points ahead, and he has the better car. If the team keeps working calmly and methodically, he should take the title.

      I'll be a little sad on Sunday evening because two drivers who deserve the title this season won't get it. May the one who is calmer and more composed win. Don't miss the final race.