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Verstappen capitalized on a strategy call from the British team that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an initial safety car period

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

Grand Prix Results and Championship Consequences

The race winner won to take his seventh victory of the campaign, matching Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was runner-up and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

Norris won himself an extra two points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

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

To secure the title, Norris must finish at least third at Yas Marina if his rival takes victory next race day

Critical Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• McLaren's choice not to pit when a yellow flag was called on the seventh lap for a crash between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by the Australian to bring forward his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for the Williams driver gifted by the team's strategy call

The Way The British Team Missed 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 exterior of Turn One on the seventh lap

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

The critical part of the timing was that it left exactly 50 laps remaining in the race

With Pirelli imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was committed to a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Competitor Responses and Post-Race Statements

Speechless

Piastri commented in his after-race conversation: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight I drove 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 box That proved smart And super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Grand Prix Standings

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

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not produce the most exciting racing, but once again this twilight race features an contest which promises to be every bit as thrilling as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial initial championship in 2021