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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 expensive choice that gave up track position to Verstappen in the final stages and retrospectively threw away the victory for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Outcome and Championship Consequences

The race winner triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was runner-up and the Briton fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

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

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

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

Key Events of the Dramatic Race

• The team's choice not to pit 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 led by the Australian to bring forward his final stop in a last-ditch effort to challenge the leader proved unsuccessful
• A surprise podium finish for Sainz gifted by the team's tactical decision

The Way McLaren Missed Out in Qatar

The fateful moment for the team was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the German tried to overtake the Frenchman around the exterior of the first corner on lap seven

Hulkenberg's car was left damaged beside the circuit This triggered the safety car

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

With Pirelli imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tyres, that meant anyone who pitted at that moment was locked into a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Reactions and Post-Race Statements

No words

Piastri commented in his post-race conversation: Clearly we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Tried my best but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen stated: This was an incredible race for us We made the correct decision to pit That proved smart Furthermore extremely pleased to win here and stay in the fight to the head, incredible

Final Grand Prix Positions

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

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at the Yas Marina This venue does not produce the most thrilling racing, but once again this evening event features an event which appears set to become every bit as thrilling as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or the Dutch driver's much-debated first title in twenty-twenty-one