🔗 Share this article

The championship contender 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 costly decision that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the final stages and in hindsight cost the race win for Piastri

Race Results and Championship Consequences

The race winner triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was runner-up and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams car of Carlos Sainz

The McLaren driver won himself an additional points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the second-to-last lap

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

To secure the championship, the British driver must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen takes victory next race day

Critical Events of the Thrilling Race

• The team's decision not to stop when a yellow flag was called on lap seven for a collision between Alpine's Gasly and Sauber's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by Piastri to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch the leader proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected podium finish for Sainz gifted by the team's tactical decision

The Way The British Team Lost Out in Qatar

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

The German's car was damaged beside the track That brought out the safety car

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

With Pirelli enforcing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tyres, that signified anyone who pitted at that time was committed to a fixed plan with a second stop on lap 32

Competitor Reactions and After the Event Comments

Speechless

Piastri added in his after-race interview: Clearly we made mistakes tonight I drove the strongest performance I could, as fast as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Tried my utmost but couldn't secure victory

The race winner stated: This was an amazing performance for us We made the correct decision to box That proved smart Furthermore super-happy to win here and remain competitive to the head, incredible

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

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

What's Next?

The crucial title decider at the Yas Marina The circuit itself does not create the most exciting competition, but once again this evening event hosts an contest which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial initial championship in 2021