A downcast Oscar Piastri said he was "feeling pretty crap" after a McLaren strategy mishap saw them squander a race win at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The Australian started the race on pole, but an early safety car saw him and teammate Lando Norris stay out, while the rest of the grid came in and made one of the two mandatory stops.

The missed safety car pit stop meant both McLarens were forced to overcome a 26-second deficit, and neither were able to do so, meaning Max Verstappen took victory, while Piastri finished second and Norris could only come fourth.

Those results mean Verstappen leapfrogged Piastri for P2 in the standings, keeping his title fight alive and cutting the deficit to Norris at the top of the standings to just 12 points, setting up a stunning season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri has seen his 104-point deficit to Max Verstappen disappear before the season finale in Abu Dhabi Photo: Race Pictures

"I haven't spoken to anyone, but I feel pretty c**p as you can imagine. I don't know what to say," Piastri said to Sky Sports.

"We didn't get it right with the strategy. The pace was very strong. I didn't put a foot wrong. Just a shame. I left it [whether to pit] in the team's hands to decide what the best strategy was. They had more information than I do. But, yeah..."

As a result of the blunder from McLaren, it also saw teammate Lando Norris miss out on his first chance to seal a maiden World Championship.

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Piastri was then quizzed about papaya rules, something that has dogged McLaren through the last two seasons. However, the Australian did not blame that.

"I'm not sure today's decision was to do with that. We potentially just got it wrong. I will speak to the team.

"I will just try like I did this weekend. I was more than good enough to dominate this weekend, and if I can do the same thing in Abu Dhabi, I will be a happy man."

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