🔗 Share this article

Verstappen benefited from a strategy call from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car period

This proved to be a costly decision that gave up track position to Verstappen in the final stages and in hindsight cost the race win for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Outcome and Championship Consequences

The race winner won to take his seventh win of the season, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was second and the Briton fourth behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz

Norris earned an extra two points by overtaking the Mercedes driver's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

Norris has been maintained a 12-point advantage over Verstappen, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to the final race on 5-7 December

To win the championship, the British driver must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if his rival wins the race next Sunday

Key Events of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• The team's choice not to pit when a safety car was deployed on the seventh lap for a crash between the French team's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to catch the leader proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected podium finish for Sainz gifted by the team's tactical decision

The Way The British Team Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful moment for the team was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Frenchman around the outside of Turn One on the seventh lap

The German's car was left damaged beside the circuit That brought out the yellow flag

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps left in the grand prix

With the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that signified anyone who made a stop at that time was committed to a rigid strategy with a second stop on lap 32

Competitor Responses and Post-Race Statements

Speechless

Piastri commented in his post-race interview: Obviously we made mistakes tonight My driving was the strongest performance I was capable of, as quick as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my utmost but didn't get it done

The race winner stated: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the correct decision to pit That proved smart And super-happy to win here and remain competitive to the head, incredible

Final Grand Prix Positions

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2. Piastri (McLaren Racing)
• 3. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
• 4. Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes-AMG)
• 6. George Russell (Mercedes)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin F1)
• 8. Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari)
• 9. Lawson (RB F1 Team)
• 10. Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing)

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not produce the most exciting competition, but yet again this twilight race hosts an event which promises to be every bit as thrilling as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's highly controversial initial championship in 2021