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Verstappen benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car deployment

This proved to be a costly decision that gave up track position to Verstappen in the closing laps and retrospectively cost the race win for Piastri

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Consequences

The race winner triumphed to take his 7th win of the season, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was second and the British driver fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver earned an additional points by passing the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

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

To win the championship, the British driver must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if Verstappen wins the race next race day

Critical Moments of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• The team's decision not to stop when a yellow flag was called on the seventh lap for a collision between Alpine's Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected second podium for Sainz gifted by the team's tactical decision

The Way 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 the first corner on the seventh lap

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

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

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tyres, that meant anyone who pitted at that moment was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Responses and After the Event Comments

No words

The McLaren driver commented in his post-race conversation: Obviously we made mistakes tonight My driving was the strongest performance I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Tried my best but didn't get it done

Verstappen stated: That represented an amazing performance for us We made the right call to pit That proved intelligent And extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and remain competitive to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

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

What's Next?

The all-important championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina This venue does not create the most thrilling racing, but once again this evening event hosts an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's highly controversial first title in 2021