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Verstappen benefited from a strategy call from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car period

This proved to be a costly decision that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the closing laps and in hindsight cost the race win for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Outcome and Championship Consequences

The race winner won to take his 7th win of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was runner-up and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver earned an extra two points by overtaking Kimi Antonelli's Silver Arrow on the second-to-last lap

Norris has been left with a twelve point lead over his rival, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to the final race on December 5-7

To secure the championship, Norris must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen wins the race next race day

Key Events of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• The team's choice not to pit when a yellow flag was called on lap seven for a crash between the French team's Pierre Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision led by Piastri to advance his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to catch Verstappen came to nothing
• A surprise second podium for Sainz handed by McLaren's strategy call

The Way The British Team Missed Out in Qatar

The fateful point for the team was when the two drivers collided as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of the first corner on the seventh lap

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

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

With the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tyres, that signified anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Reactions and After the Event Comments

No words

The McLaren driver commented in his post-race interview: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I could, as fast as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Tried my best but didn't get it done

The race winner said: That represented an incredible race for us We made the correct decision to pit That proved smart And super-happy to win here and remain competitive to the head, incredible

Ultimate Race Standings

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not produce the most thrilling competition, but yet again this evening event hosts an contest which promises to be every bit as thrilling as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's highly controversial initial championship in 2021