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Verstappen benefited from a strategy call from McLaren that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an initial safety car period

It was a expensive choice that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the final stages and in hindsight cost the race win for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Results and Title Consequences

Verstappen triumphed to take his seventh win of the season, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was second and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams car of Carlos Sainz

The McLaren driver earned an extra two points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been maintained a twelve point lead over his rival, 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 his rival wins the race next Sunday

Key Moments of the Dramatic Race

• The team's decision not to stop when a yellow flag was deployed on the seventh lap for a crash between Alpine's Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy initiated by the Australian to advance his final stop in a last-ditch effort to challenge the leader came to nothing
• A unexpected second podium for Sainz gifted by the team's tactical decision

How McLaren Missed Out in The Race

The fateful point for the team was when the two drivers came together as the German tried to overtake the Frenchman around the outside of the first corner on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was left damaged beside the circuit That brought out the safety car

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

With Pirelli enforcing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that moment was committed to a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Responses and Post-Race Comments

Speechless

The McLaren driver added in his after-race interview: Clearly 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 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 box It was smart Furthermore extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and remain competitive to the head, remarkable

Final Grand Prix Positions

• 1. Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
• 2. Piastri (McLaren Racing)
• 3. Sainz (Williams Racing)
• 4. Norris (McLaren)
• 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
• 6. George Russell (Mercedes-AMG)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
• 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 create the most thrilling competition, but once again this twilight race hosts an event which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's much-debated first title in 2021