🔗 Share this article

The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an initial safety car period

This proved to be a costly decision that sacrificed track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and retrospectively cost the victory for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Consequences

Verstappen won to take his 7th win of the campaign, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was second and the British driver fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver earned an additional points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

Norris has been maintained a twelve point advantage over his rival, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on December 5-7

To win the title, the British driver must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen takes victory next Sunday

Critical Events of the Thrilling Race

• McLaren's decision not to pit when a safety car was called on lap seven for a collision between the French team's Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by the Australian to bring forward his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to challenge Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected second podium for Sainz handed by McLaren's tactical decision

How McLaren Lost Out in Qatar

The critical point for the team was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the German tried to overtake the Gasly around the outside of Turn One on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was left damaged beside the track That brought out the yellow flag

The critical part of the timing was that it left exactly 50 laps remaining in the grand prix

With Pirelli imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was locked into a fixed plan with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Reactions and Post-Race Comments

Speechless

Piastri added in his after-race conversation: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my best but couldn't secure victory

The race winner stated: That represented an incredible race for us We made the right call to box That proved intelligent Furthermore super-happy to win here and remain competitive to the end, remarkable

Final Race Standings

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

Looking Ahead

The crucial championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina The circuit itself does not create the most thrilling racing, but yet again this evening event features an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's first title in 2010, or the Dutch driver's much-debated first title in twenty-twenty-one