🔗 Share this article

Verstappen benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an initial safety car period

This proved to be a expensive choice that gave up track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and retrospectively threw away the race win for Piastri

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Implications

The race winner won to take his seventh win of the season, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was runner-up and the British driver fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

Norris earned an extra two points by overtaking Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the second-to-last lap

The championship leader has been maintained a 12-point advantage over Verstappen, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To secure the title, Norris must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if his rival takes victory next Sunday

Key Moments of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• The team's choice not to pit when a safety car was deployed on the seventh lap for a crash between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision led by Piastri to bring forward his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to challenge Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected podium finish for Sainz gifted by McLaren's strategy call

The Way The British Team Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful moment for McLaren was when the two drivers came together as the German tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of Turn One on lap seven

The German's car was damaged beside the track That brought out the safety car

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

With the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tires, that signified anyone who pitted at that moment was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on lap 32

Driver Responses and After the Event Statements

No words

Piastri commented in his after-race conversation: Clearly we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the strongest performance I was capable of, as quick as I could, but there was nothing left out there Tried my utmost but didn't get it done

Verstappen said: This was an amazing performance for us We made the correct decision to box That proved intelligent And super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the end, incredible

Final Grand Prix Positions

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

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not produce the most thrilling racing, but yet again this evening event features an contest which appears set to become every bit as thrilling as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's much-debated first title in twenty-twenty-one