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The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from McLaren that flew in the face of 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 closing laps and retrospectively threw away the victory for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Results and Championship Consequences

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

Norris earned an additional points by overtaking Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the second-to-last lap

Norris has been left with a twelve point lead over Verstappen, who overtook his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on December 5-7

To win the title, Norris must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if his rival wins the race next race day

Key Events of the Dramatic Race

• The team's choice not to pit when a safety car was called on the seventh lap for a collision between Alpine's Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by the Australian to advance his final stop in a last-ditch effort to challenge Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for Sainz gifted by McLaren's strategy call

How McLaren Lost Out in Qatar

The critical point for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Frenchman around the outside of the first corner on the seventh lap

The German's car was left damaged beside the track This triggered the safety car

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 25-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 lap 32

Driver Reactions and After the Event Statements

No words

Piastri added in his after-race interview: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the best race I could, as fast as I could, 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 right call to box That proved intelligent Furthermore extremely pleased to win here and remain competitive to the head, remarkable

Ultimate Grand Prix Standings

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

What's Next?

The crucial championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina The circuit itself does not produce the most exciting racing, but once again this evening event hosts an contest which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or Verstappen's highly controversial initial championship in twenty-twenty-one