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Verstappen capitalized on a tactical decision from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an initial safety car deployment

It was a expensive choice that gave up track position to Verstappen in the final stages and retrospectively cost the victory for Piastri

Grand Prix Outcome and Championship Consequences

The race winner won to take his seventh victory of the campaign, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was runner-up and the Briton fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver earned an extra two points by overtaking Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the second-to-last lap

Norris has been left with a 12-point lead over Verstappen, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To win the title, the British driver must finish at least third at Yas Marina if his rival wins the race next Sunday

Key Moments of the Thrilling Race

• The team's choice not to pit when a yellow flag was called on lap seven for a crash between the French team's Gasly and Sauber's Hulkenberg
• A strategy initiated by Piastri to advance his final stop in a last-ditch effort to catch the leader proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for the Williams driver handed by McLaren's strategy call

The Way The British Team Lost Out in Qatar

The critical moment for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg collided as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Frenchman around the outside of Turn One on lap seven

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

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

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a 25-lap maximum usage on the tyres, that meant anyone who made a stop at that time was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Responses and Post-Race Statements

Speechless

The McLaren driver commented in his after-race conversation: Obviously we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as quick as I could, but there was nothing left out there Tried my utmost but couldn't secure victory

The race winner said: This was an incredible race for us Our team executed the correct decision to box It was intelligent Furthermore super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the end, remarkable

Final Race Positions

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

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina This venue does not create the most exciting racing, but once again this evening event features an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or Verstappen's highly controversial first title in twenty-twenty-one