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The championship contender benefited from 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

This proved to be a costly decision that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the final stages and retrospectively cost the race win for Piastri

Grand Prix Results and Title Implications

Verstappen triumphed to take his seventh victory of the campaign, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was second and the British driver fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

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

Norris has been maintained a twelve point advantage over Verstappen, who moved ahead of Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To win the title, Norris must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if his rival wins the race next race day

Critical Moments 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 Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A decision led by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for the Williams driver handed by the team's tactical decision

The Way McLaren Missed Out in Qatar

The critical moment for McLaren was when the two drivers came together as the German tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of the first corner on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the circuit This triggered the yellow flag

The crucial part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the grand prix

With the tire manufacturer imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Reactions and Post-Race Comments

Speechless

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

Verstappen said: This was an incredible race for us We made the correct decision to pit It was smart And extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Race Positions

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most thrilling competition, but once again this evening event hosts an event which promises to be every bit as thrilling as Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial first title in 2021