🔗 Share this article

Verstappen capitalized on a tactical decision from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car period

It was a costly decision that gave up track position to Verstappen in the closing laps and in hindsight cost the victory for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Consequences

The race winner triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was runner-up and the British driver fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

Norris won himself an extra two points by passing the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the second-to-last lap

Norris has been left with a 12-point advantage over Verstappen, who moved ahead of Piastri by four points heading to the final race on December 5-7

To win the title, the British driver must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if his rival takes victory next race day

Critical Events of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• The team's choice not to stop when a safety car was deployed on the seventh lap for a collision between the French team's Pierre Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by Piastri to advance his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to challenge Verstappen came to nothing
• A surprise podium finish for Sainz handed by McLaren's tactical decision

How McLaren Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful point for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg collided as the German 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 remaining in the race

With the tire manufacturer imposing a 25-lap maximum usage on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Reactions and Post-Race Statements

Speechless

Piastri added in his post-race conversation: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the strongest performance I could, as fast as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Tried my best but couldn't secure victory

The race winner said: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the right call to pit It was smart Furthermore super-happy to triumph in Qatar and remain competitive to the head, incredible

Ultimate Race Positions

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

What's Next?

The crucial title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not produce the most thrilling competition, but once again this twilight race features an event which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in 2010, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial first title in 2021