Norris' Title Wait Continues as Verstappen Wins in Qatar GP
McLaren's Norris, Max Verstappen and McLaren's Piastri will battle for a final-race championship showdown in Abu Dhabi after Verstappen emerged victorious in a gripping Qatar Grand Prix
The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from McLaren that contradicted 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 final stages and in hindsight threw away the victory for Piastri
Grand Prix Outcome and Championship Implications
The race winner triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was runner-up and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver
The McLaren driver won himself an extra two points by overtaking Kimi Antonelli's Silver Arrow on the second-to-last lap
Norris has been maintained a twelve point lead over Verstappen, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to the final race on 5-7 December
To secure the title, the British driver must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if Verstappen takes victory next race day
Key Moments of the Dramatic Race
- McLaren's decision not to stop when a safety car was called on the seventh lap for a crash between the French team's Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
- A decision led by Piastri to bring forward his final stop in a last-ditch effort to challenge the leader came to nothing
- A surprise second podium for the Williams driver gifted by the team's tactical decision
The Way McLaren Lost Out in The Race
The critical moment for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg collided as the German tried to overtake the Frenchman around the exterior of the first corner on lap seven
The German's car was damaged beside the circuit This triggered the safety car
The crucial 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 tyres, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was committed to a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on lap 32
Driver Responses and After the Event Statements
No words
Piastri added in his after-race conversation: Obviously we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as fast as I could, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my utmost but couldn't secure victory
Verstappen stated: That represented an amazing performance for us We made the correct decision to box It was smart Furthermore super-happy to triumph in Qatar and remain competitive to the head, incredible
Final Race Standings
- 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2. Piastri (McLaren)
- 3. Sainz (Williams Racing)
- 4. Norris (McLaren Racing)
- 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes-AMG)
- 6. Russell (Mercedes-AMG)
- 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- 8. Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari)
- 9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing)
What's Next?
The crucial championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not produce the most thrilling racing, but yet again this evening event hosts an contest which appears set to become every bit as thrilling as Vettel's first title in 2010, or Verstappen's highly controversial initial championship in twenty-twenty-one
