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The championship contender capitalized on a strategy call from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an initial safety car period

This proved to be a costly decision that gave up track position to the Red Bull driver in the final stages and in hindsight threw away the victory for Piastri

Grand Prix Results and Title Consequences

The race winner won to take his seventh victory of the season, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was runner-up and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams car of Carlos Sainz

The McLaren driver earned an additional points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been left with a 12-point advantage over Verstappen, who overtook his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To secure the championship, Norris must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if his rival takes victory next Sunday

Key Moments of the Thrilling Race

• McLaren's choice not to pit when a yellow flag was called on lap seven for a collision between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Sauber's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to catch the leader came to nothing
• A surprise second podium for Sainz handed by McLaren's strategy call

The Way McLaren Missed Out in The Race

The fateful moment for the team was when the two drivers came together as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of Turn One on the seventh lap

The German's car was left damaged beside the circuit This triggered the safety car

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

With the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tyres, that signified anyone who pitted at that moment was committed to a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Competitor Reactions and Post-Race Comments

Speechless

Piastri added in his post-race interview: Obviously we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I could, as fast as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my utmost but couldn't secure victory

The race winner said: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the correct decision to box It was intelligent Furthermore extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and remain competitive to the end, incredible

Ultimate Grand Prix Standings

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

What's Next?

The all-important championship finale at the Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not create the most thrilling competition, but yet again this evening event features an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial first title in 2021