Max Verstappen avenged his overnight fall from pole position by scoring his ninth win of the season and 63rd of his career with a dominant victory for Red Bull in Sunday’s crash-hit and controversial Qatar Grand Prix. In a race shaped by a number of stewards’ decisions and penalties, including a harsh 10-second ‘stop-go’ for McLaren’s Lando Norris, the newly-crowned four-time world champion was flawless as he came home six seconds ahead It was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. That result meant that McLaren, despite Oscar Piastri finishing third, was unable to clinch a first constructors’ title since 1998 and would have to try again in the final race in Abu Dhabi the following weekend.
George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes despite receiving a late penalty, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Zhou Guanyu of Sauber, who took his and the team’s first scored a goal. Season points.
Kevin Magnussen was ninth for Haas and Norris, after a brutal finish after a penalty, was 10th for McLaren.
Verstappen’s success was not enough to keep Red Bull’s challenge for the teams’ title alive, leaving McLaren on top with 640 points with one race remaining and 21 points ahead of Ferrari.
I’m very happy with it,” said Verstappen, who has regained his form in the last three races. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a win drought and it’s great to have the team be so competitive again.”
Leclerc said he was happy with second place and predicted a “very tight” finish in the championship next weekend. “But 21 points is still a big difference,” he said.
The Dutchman’s loss of pole overnight, due to driving too slowly and Russell taking evasive action, gifted the Mercedes driver the fifth pole of his career and second consecutive pole.
Buoyed by that stewards’ decision, Verstappen made an excellent start from Russell’s power and moved up to second with Norris leading into turn one, before the opening lap was red flagged for the safety car.
One accident involved Nico Hulkenberg, who lost the rear of his Haas and spun into Ocon’s Alpine, the pair taking the innocent Franco Colapinto with him in his Williams, which led to a stoppage. It was the unfortunate Williams team’s 16th crash of the season.
Racing resumed on lap five with no changes in the top three before Leclerc and Piastri quickly moved back up to fourth, a move that put both McLarens ahead of the two Ferraris.
For McLaren, it was going to plan, details not claimed by Hamilton. After a false start, he was in eighth place with a five-second penalty.
His Mercedes teammate Russell also suffered bad luck, pitting after 24 laps, seven seconds slower – due to a recalcitrant right rear wheel – and falling from third to 12th.
Russell’s problems relegated Piastri to third, 8.7 behind Norris, with the two McLarens sitting ahead of Leclerc and Sainz in fourth and fifth, Verstappen on top before an errant mirror from Magnussen’s Haas car down the main straight. Fell on the line, causing double wavy yellowness.
Valtteri Bottas went over the mirror on lap 34, sending debris across the circuit. Hamilton and Sainz collected punctures and pitted before the safety car was deployed late on as Piastri and then the rest came in.
Leclerc gained third place ahead of Piastri, who had stopped before the SC interval, while Hamilton dropped to 16th and an angry Russell finished seventh after taking another set of hard laps. “Why did we work so hard?” he shouted.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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