Chaotic F1 Qatar GP ends with Max Verstappen win, sets up season finale showdown

Max Verstappen, fresh off of securing his fourth world championship, won the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri joined the Dutchman on the podium, drawing the constructors’ championship battle between McLaren and Ferrari closer heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

McLaren, which entered the race up 30 points on second-place Ferrari, stared down the possibility of winning its first constructors’ championship since 1998, needing to outscore Ferrari by 15 points on Sunday for it to be wrapped up in Qatar.

But with Lando Norris ending the day 10th after receiving a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, the gap now sits at 21 points between McLaren and Ferrari with one race to go on Dec. 8. Ferrari must out-score McLaren by 22 points at the Yas Marina Circuit to win its 17th constructors’ championship, most all-time in F1.

“Simply lovely, guys,” Verstappen said over the radio as he crossed the line. “What an unbelievable race again, that was really fun!”

The Qatar GP had a chaotic start, with a safety car coming out early after multiple collisions occurred. Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg were involved in a Turn 1 incident, while Alex Albon and Lance Stroll had a separate moment. Stroll took a 10-second penalty, which he served, but the Aston Martin driver later retired from the race.

At the restart, Piastri got the jump on Leclerc, an important moment for the constructors’ championship. By Lap 19, Norris and Piastri were second and fourth, while Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sat fifth and sixth. That would mean McLaren would only outscore Ferrari by 12 points, assuming none of the four drivers secured the fastest lap.

Mercedes’ George Russell was the first front-runner to pit, and it was a very slow seven-second pit stop. McLaren opted to keep Piastri out, and clean air helped his pace improve.

But the race completely changed around Lap 34. Both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz suffered punctures, triggering another safety car. Piastri had pitted just before the safety car, which meant he lost out to Leclerc, who pitted (along with the rest of the leaders) during the safety car period. Debris needed to be cleaned up during this stretch as well, such as the broken mirror on the start/finish straight.

Verstappen was still in the lead when the safety car ended, with Norris second, Leclerc third, Piastri fourth, and Sainz down in seventh. Norris and Verstappen battled at the restart, but the race didn’t stay at full speed. Hülkenberg ended up in the gravel, and Pérez reported losing drive before the restart. A third safety car was called. The same order remained at the restart, but Piastri reported seeing sparks coming from one of his tires, feeling a vibration.

What changed the constructors’ championship was Norris’ penalty. The stewards handed him a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for “failing to slow under yellow flags.”

This initially knocked him out of the points, ruining the Briton’s race and throwing a wrench in the constructors’ battle. Norris recovered for a points finish and secured the fastest lap, though not as big of a haul as it once looked for his team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton sped in pit lane and was handed a drive-through penalty. All of the chaos allowed teams in the midfield to score crucial points. Pierre Gasly helped Alpine’s fight for P6 in the team standings with a fifth-place finish, while Kevin Magnussen ended his day ninth. Zhou Guanyu brought home the first points finish of the year for Sauber, finishing eighth.

Here is how the top 10 finished.

1. Max Verstappen
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Oscar Piastri
4. George Russell
5. Pierre Gasly
6. Carlos Sainz
7. Fernando Alonso
8. Zhou Guanyu
9. Kevin Magnussen
10. Lando Norris

Top photo: Giuseppe CACACE / AFP