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The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car deployment

This proved to be a expensive choice that sacrificed 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 triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, matching Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was runner-up and the British driver fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver won himself an additional points by overtaking Kimi Antonelli's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been maintained a 12-point advantage over his rival, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To win the championship, the British driver must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if his rival wins the race next race day

Key Moments of the Dramatic Race

• The team's choice not to pit when a safety car was deployed on lap seven for a crash between the French team's Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A strategy initiated by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for the Williams driver handed by the team's strategy call

How McLaren Missed Out in Qatar

The critical point for the team was when the two drivers came together as the German tried to pass the Gasly around the outside of Turn One on the seventh lap

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

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

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a 25-lap safety limit on the tyres, that meant anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Competitor Reactions and After the Event Statements

No words

Piastri commented in his after-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 no more pace out there Attempted my best but didn't get it done

The race winner stated: This was an incredible race for us We made the correct decision to pit It was intelligent And extremely pleased to win here and stay in the fight to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Race Standings

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

What's Next?

The crucial title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina The circuit itself does not create the most thrilling racing, but yet 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 much-debated initial championship in twenty-twenty-one