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Verstappen capitalized on a strategy call from McLaren that contradicted 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 Verstappen in the closing laps and in hindsight threw away the victory for Piastri

Grand Prix Results and Championship Consequences

Verstappen won to take his seventh win of the campaign, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was runner-up and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver won himself an additional points by passing the Mercedes driver's Mercedes on the second-to-last lap

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

To win the title, Norris must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if his rival takes victory next Sunday

Key Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

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

How The British Team Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful point for the team was when Gasly and Hulkenberg collided as the Hulkenberg tried to overtake the Gasly around the outside of Turn One on the seventh lap

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

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

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who made a stop at that moment was committed to a fixed plan with a second stop on lap 32

Competitor Reactions and After the Event Comments

No words

Piastri commented in his after-race interview: Clearly we didn't get it right tonight I drove the best race I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Tried my utmost but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen said: That represented an incredible race for us We made the right call to pit That proved intelligent And super-happy to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the head, incredible

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina The circuit itself does not create the most thrilling racing, but once again this twilight race hosts an contest which appears set to become every bit as thrilling as Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's much-debated initial championship in 2021