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Verstappen capitalized on a tactical decision from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car period

It was a expensive choice that sacrificed track position to the Red Bull driver in the final stages and retrospectively cost the victory for Piastri

Race Outcome and Championship Consequences

Verstappen won to take his seventh win of the season, matching Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was second and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

Norris won himself an extra two points by overtaking the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

Norris has been maintained a 12-point lead over Verstappen, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to the final race on 5-7 December

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

Critical Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• The team's decision not to stop when a yellow flag was deployed on lap seven for a collision between Alpine's Gasly and Sauber's Hulkenberg
• A strategy initiated by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for the Williams driver handed by McLaren's strategy call

How McLaren 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 outside of Turn One on the seventh lap

The German's car was left damaged beside the circuit This triggered the yellow flag

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the race

With Pirelli imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tires, that signified anyone who pitted at that time was committed to a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Responses and After the Event Statements

Speechless

Piastri added in his post-race conversation: Obviously we made mistakes tonight I drove the strongest performance I could, as quick as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Tried my best but couldn't secure victory

The race winner said: This was an incredible race for us We made the correct decision to pit It was intelligent Furthermore extremely pleased to win here and remain competitive to the end, incredible

Final Race Positions

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

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not produce the most thrilling competition, but once again this evening event hosts an contest which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's first title in 2010, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial initial championship in twenty-twenty-one