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Verstappen capitalized on a strategy call from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car period

It was a costly decision that gave up track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and retrospectively threw away the race win for Piastri

Race Results and Title Implications

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

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

Norris has been maintained a 12-point advantage over Verstappen, who overtook his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To win the championship, Norris must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if Verstappen wins the race next Sunday

Key Events of the Thrilling Race

• McLaren's decision not to stop when a safety car was called on the seventh lap for a crash between the French team's Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A decision led by the Australian to advance his final stop in a last-ditch effort to challenge Verstappen came to nothing
• A surprise second podium for Sainz handed by the team's tactical decision

The Way McLaren Missed Out in Qatar

The fateful moment for McLaren was when the two drivers collided as the German tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of Turn One on the seventh lap

The German's car was left damaged beside the circuit That brought out the yellow flag

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

With Pirelli enforcing a 25-lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who made a stop at that moment was committed to a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Driver Reactions and Post-Race Comments

No words

Piastri commented in his after-race conversation: Obviously we made mistakes tonight I drove the strongest performance I was capable of, as quick as I could, but there was nothing left out there Tried my utmost but didn't get it done

Verstappen stated: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the right call to pit It was smart And super-happy to win here and remain competitive to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Grand Prix Standings

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not produce the most exciting racing, but yet again this evening event features an contest which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's much-debated initial championship in 2021