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The championship contender benefited from a strategy call from McLaren that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car period

This proved to be a costly decision that gave up track position to Verstappen in the final stages and in hindsight cost the victory for Piastri

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Consequences

Verstappen won to take his seventh win of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was second and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver won himself an extra two points by overtaking the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been left with a twelve point advantage over Verstappen, who moved ahead of Piastri by four points heading to the final race on December 5-7

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

Key Moments of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• The team's decision not to pit when a safety car 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 last pit stop in a desperate attempt to challenge the leader proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected second podium for the Williams driver handed by McLaren's strategy call

How The British Team Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful point for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg collided as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Gasly around the outside of Turn One on lap seven

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the circuit This triggered the yellow flag

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

With the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that moment was committed to a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Responses and Post-Race Statements

No words

The McLaren driver commented in his post-race conversation: Obviously we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as quick as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Tried my best but couldn't secure victory

The race winner stated: That represented an amazing performance for us Our team executed the correct decision to pit That proved intelligent Furthermore extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the end, incredible

Final Grand Prix Standings

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important championship finale at the Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most thrilling competition, but once again this evening event features an event which promises to be every bit as thrilling as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial first title in 2021