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The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from McLaren that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car deployment

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

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Consequences

Verstappen won to take his 7th victory of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was runner-up and the Briton fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

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

Norris has been maintained 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 championship, the British driver must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if his rival takes victory next race day

Critical Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• The team's decision not to pit when a safety car was deployed on lap seven for a crash between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to challenge Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise podium finish for Sainz gifted by McLaren's strategy call

The Way The British Team Missed Out in Qatar

The fateful point for the team was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the Hulkenberg tried to overtake the Gasly around the exterior of the first corner on the seventh lap

The German's car was damaged beside the track This triggered the yellow flag

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

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a 25-lap maximum usage on the tyres, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was committed to a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Responses and Post-Race Statements

Speechless

The McLaren driver added in his after-race interview: Obviously we made mistakes tonight My driving was the strongest performance I was capable of, as quick as I could, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my best but didn't get it done

Verstappen said: That represented an incredible race for us We made the right call to box That proved intelligent And super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the head, remarkable

Ultimate Race Standings

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not produce the most thrilling competition, but yet again this evening event features an event which appears set to become every bit as thrilling as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's much-debated first title in 2021