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Verstappen capitalized on a tactical decision from the British team that contradicted decisions made by all other squads 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 cost the victory for Piastri

Race Outcome and Title Implications

Verstappen triumphed to take his 7th win of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was runner-up and the British driver fourth behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz

The McLaren driver won himself an extra two points by overtaking the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

Norris has been maintained a 12-point lead over his rival, who moved ahead of Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on December 5-7

To win the championship, Norris must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen wins the race next Sunday

Key Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• The team's choice not to stop when a yellow flag was deployed on the seventh lap for a collision between the French team's Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by Piastri to bring forward his final stop in a desperate attempt to challenge the leader proved unsuccessful
• A surprise podium finish for the Williams driver handed by the team's strategy call

The Way McLaren Missed Out in The Race

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

Hulkenberg's car was left damaged beside the track This triggered the safety car

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the race

With the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was locked into a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Reactions and After the Event Comments

No words

The McLaren driver commented in his after-race interview: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my best but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen stated: That represented an incredible race for us We made the correct decision to pit That proved smart And super-happy to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the head, incredible

Final Race Positions

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important championship finale at the Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most exciting competition, but once again this twilight race features an contest which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's highly controversial first title in twenty-twenty-one