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Verstappen benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car period

It was a expensive choice that gave up track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and in hindsight threw away the victory for Piastri

Grand Prix Results and Championship Consequences

The race winner won to take his seventh win of the campaign, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was second and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams car of Carlos Sainz

The McLaren driver won himself an additional points by overtaking the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the second-to-last lap

The championship leader has been maintained a twelve point advantage over Verstappen, who moved ahead of Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To win the title, Norris must finish at least third at Yas Marina if Verstappen takes victory next race day

Critical Events of the Thrilling Race

• McLaren's choice not to pit when a safety car was called on the seventh lap for a crash between the French team's Pierre Gasly and Sauber's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by the Australian to bring forward his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch the leader proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected podium finish for Sainz handed by McLaren's strategy call

How McLaren Lost Out in The Race

The critical point for McLaren was when the two drivers collided as the German tried to overtake the Frenchman around the exterior of Turn One on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the track That brought out the yellow flag

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

With Pirelli imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that signified anyone who made a stop at that time was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on lap 32

Driver Responses and After the Event Statements

Speechless

Piastri added in his post-race interview: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as fast as I could, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my utmost but couldn't secure victory

The race winner said: This was an incredible race for us We made the right call to pit It was smart And extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and remain competitive to the end, remarkable

Final Race Positions

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

What's Next?

The crucial title decider at the Yas Marina This venue does not create the most exciting competition, but once again this evening event features an contest which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or Verstappen's much-debated first title in twenty-twenty-one