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The championship contender capitalized on a tactical decision from McLaren that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car period

It was a expensive choice that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the final stages and in hindsight threw away the victory for Piastri

Grand Prix Results and Title Implications

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

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

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

To win the title, Norris must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if his rival wins the race next Sunday

Key Moments of the Dramatic Race

• The team's choice not to stop when a safety car was deployed on lap seven for a collision between the French team's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by Piastri to advance his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to challenge Verstappen came to nothing
• A unexpected podium finish for Sainz gifted by the team's tactical decision

How McLaren Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful point for McLaren was when the two drivers came together as the German tried to pass the Frenchman around the outside of Turn One on the seventh lap

The German's car was 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 the tire manufacturer imposing a 25-lap maximum usage on the tires, that signified anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Driver Reactions and Post-Race Statements

Speechless

The McLaren driver added in his post-race conversation: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the strongest performance I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my best but couldn't secure victory

The race winner said: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the right call to pit It was intelligent Furthermore extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the head, remarkable

Ultimate Race Standings

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2. Piastri (McLaren)
• 3. Carlos Sainz (Williams Racing)
• 4. Norris (McLaren)
• 5. Antonelli (Mercedes)
• 6. Russell (Mercedes-AMG)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin F1)
• 8. Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 9. Lawson (Racing Bulls)
• 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing)

What's Next?

The all-important championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most thrilling competition, but once again this evening event features an contest which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or Verstappen's much-debated first title in twenty-twenty-one