Max Verstappen claimed his ninth victory of the season with a dominant performance in the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, despite being demoted from pole position the previous day. The Red Bull driver finished six seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in a race marked by penalties and controversy.
The race saw multiple stewards’ decisions, including a late 10-second ‘stop-go’ penalty for Lando Norris of McLaren, who had been a strong contender. However, despite Norris’s penalty, McLaren still had Oscar Piastri finish third, but they fell short of clinching their first constructors’ title since 1998. McLaren will now have to wait for the final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend to try again.
George Russell, who had started from the pole after Verstappen’s infraction, finished fourth for Mercedes, despite receiving a late penalty. Pierre Gasly of Alpine and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz rounded off the top six, while two-time champion Fernando Alonso finished seventh for Aston Martin. Zhou Guanyu earned his and Sauber’s first points of the season with an eighth-place finish.
Verstappen’s victory, though impressive, wasn’t enough to secure the teams’ title for Red Bull, who are now 21 points behind McLaren with just one race remaining.
Leclerc, finishing second, noted that the championship race will be very tight in Abu Dhabi, but with a 21-point lead, McLaren remains in the driver’s seat for the constructors’ title.
The race was interrupted early on due to a crash involving Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Franco Colapinto, causing a red flag after just one lap. Once the race resumed, Verstappen took the lead from Russell, and McLaren’s strategy kept both Norris and Piastri ahead of the Ferraris.
Further drama unfolded with a series of penalties, pit stops, and a debris incident from Magnussen’s Haas, which led to multiple cars pitting under a Safety Car period. Russell’s misfortune with his tire change saw him drop from third to 12th, while Leclerc capitalised to move up to third, with Piastri following in fourth.
