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The championship contender capitalized on a strategy call from the British team that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car period

This proved to be a expensive choice that gave up track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and in hindsight threw away the race win for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Outcome and Championship Consequences

Verstappen triumphed to take his 7th victory of the season, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was second and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

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

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

To win the title, the British driver must finish at least third at Yas Marina if his rival takes victory next Sunday

Key Events of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• McLaren's decision 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 strategy initiated by Piastri to advance his final stop in a desperate attempt to catch the leader came to nothing
• A surprise podium finish for Sainz handed by McLaren's strategy call

The Way McLaren Lost Out in Qatar

The critical moment for the team was when the two drivers collided as the Hulkenberg tried to overtake the Frenchman around the outside of the first corner 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 the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tyres, that signified anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a fixed plan with a second stop on lap 32

Driver Responses and After the Event Comments

Speechless

Piastri commented in his post-race interview: Obviously 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 no more pace out there Tried my best but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen stated: This was an incredible race for us We made the right call to box That proved intelligent And extremely pleased to win here and stay in the fight to the head, remarkable

Final Grand Prix Positions

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

Looking Ahead

The crucial title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most exciting racing, but yet again this twilight race features an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial initial championship in 2021