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Verstappen capitalized on a strategy call from the British team that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an initial safety car period

This proved to be a expensive choice that gave up track position to Verstappen in the final stages and in hindsight cost the race win for Piastri

Grand Prix Outcome and Championship Consequences

Verstappen won to take his 7th victory of the season, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was second and the British driver fourth behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz

The McLaren driver won himself an extra two points by overtaking the Mercedes driver's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been left with a 12-point advantage over his rival, who overtook his teammate by four points heading to the final race on 5-7 December

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

Key Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• McLaren's choice not to stop when a yellow flag was called on the seventh lap for a collision between Alpine's Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by the Australian to bring forward his final stop in a desperate attempt to challenge the leader came to nothing
• A surprise podium finish for the Williams driver handed by the team's strategy call

The Way McLaren Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful point for McLaren was when the two drivers came together as the German tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of the first corner on lap seven

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

The crucial part of the timing was that it left exactly 50 laps remaining in the race

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a 25-lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a fixed plan with a second stop on lap 32

Competitor Responses and Post-Race Comments

Speechless

The McLaren driver added in his after-race interview: Clearly we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the best race I could, as fast as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my utmost but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen said: This was an amazing performance for us We made the correct decision to pit It was smart Furthermore extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the end, incredible

Final Race Standings

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important championship finale at the Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most thrilling competition, but yet again this twilight race features an event which appears set to become every bit as thrilling as Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's highly controversial initial championship in 2021