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Verstappen benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an initial safety car deployment

This proved to be a expensive choice that gave up track position to Verstappen in the final stages and retrospectively threw away the victory for the Australian driver

Race Outcome and Title Consequences

The race winner triumphed to take his 7th win of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was runner-up and the British driver fourth behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz

Norris won himself an additional points by overtaking the Mercedes driver's Mercedes on the second-to-last lap

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

To win the title, Norris must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if his rival wins the race next Sunday

Key Moments of the Dramatic Race

• McLaren's choice not to pit when a yellow flag was called on the seventh lap for a crash between Alpine's Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A strategy initiated by Piastri to advance his final stop in a desperate attempt to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected second podium for Sainz handed by the team's tactical decision

The Way The British Team Missed Out in The Race

The fateful moment for the team was when the two drivers came together as the Hulkenberg tried to overtake the Frenchman around the outside of the first corner on lap seven

Hulkenberg's car was left damaged beside the track This triggered the safety car

The crucial part of the timing was that it left exactly 50 laps left in the grand prix

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was committed to a fixed plan with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Responses and After the Event Comments

No words

Piastri commented in his post-race conversation: Clearly we didn't get it right tonight I drove the best race I was capable of, as quick as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my utmost but didn't get it done

The race winner said: That represented an incredible race for us We made the right call to pit That proved smart And extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the head, incredible

Final Race Positions

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit 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 2010, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial initial championship in twenty-twenty-one