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Verstappen benefited from a strategy call from the British team that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car deployment

This proved to be a expensive choice that gave up track position to Verstappen in the closing laps and in hindsight cost the race win for Piastri

Race Outcome and Title Consequences

Verstappen triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was runner-up and the Briton fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

Norris earned an additional points by passing the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

Norris has been left with a twelve point advantage over his rival, who moved ahead of Piastri by four points heading to the final race on 5-7 December

To secure the title, the British driver must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen takes victory next Sunday

Critical Events of the Dramatic Grand Prix

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

The Way The British Team Missed Out in Qatar

The critical point for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of the first corner on lap seven

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

The crucial part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps left in the race

With Pirelli imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who made a stop at that moment was committed to a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Competitor Responses and Post-Race Comments

No words

Piastri added in his after-race interview: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight I drove the best race I could, as quick as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my utmost but couldn't secure victory

The race winner said: That represented an amazing performance for us We made the right call to pit It was intelligent Furthermore extremely pleased to win here and stay in the fight to the end, remarkable

Final Grand Prix Positions

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important title decider at the Yas Marina This venue does not create the most thrilling racing, but yet again this twilight race hosts an event which appears set to become every bit as thrilling as Sebastian Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's much-debated initial championship in twenty-twenty-one