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The championship contender capitalized on a tactical decision from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car deployment

It was a costly decision that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the closing laps and retrospectively cost the victory for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Outcome and Championship Consequences

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

Norris 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 advantage over Verstappen, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to the final race on 5-7 December

To secure the championship, Norris must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if his rival wins the race next race day

Key Events of the Thrilling Race

• The team's decision not to pit when a yellow flag was called on the seventh lap for a crash between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by Piastri to bring forward his final stop in a last-ditch effort to catch the leader proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for Sainz handed by McLaren's strategy call

The Way The British Team Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful point for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the German tried to pass the Frenchman around the exterior of Turn One on the seventh lap

The German'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 race

With Pirelli imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tyres, that signified anyone who pitted at that moment was committed to a rigid strategy with a second stop on lap 32

Competitor Responses and Post-Race Comments

No words

Piastri added in his post-race interview: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight I drove the strongest performance I could, as fast as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my utmost but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen said: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the correct decision to box That proved intelligent Furthermore super-happy to win here and remain competitive to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Grand Prix Standings

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

What's Next?

The crucial title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not create the most thrilling competition, but yet again this twilight race hosts an event which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial initial championship in twenty-twenty-one