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The championship contender capitalized on a tactical decision from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car deployment

It was a costly decision that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the final stages and retrospectively threw away the victory for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Results and Championship Consequences

Verstappen triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was second and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

Norris won himself an extra two points by passing the Mercedes driver's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

Norris has been left with a 12-point lead over his rival, who moved ahead of Piastri by four points heading to the final race on December 5-7

To win the championship, Norris must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if his rival takes victory next Sunday

Key Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• McLaren's decision not to stop when a yellow flag was deployed on the seventh lap for a crash between Alpine's Gasly and Sauber's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by Piastri to bring forward his final stop in a desperate attempt to challenge the leader proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected podium finish for the Williams driver gifted by McLaren's strategy call

How McLaren Missed Out in The Race

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

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the circuit This triggered the safety car

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

With the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tyres, that signified anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Responses and After the Event Statements

No words

Piastri added in his post-race interview: Obviously we made mistakes tonight I drove the best race I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my best but didn't get it done

The race winner said: This was an incredible race for us Our team executed the right call to box That proved smart Furthermore extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and remain competitive to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

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

What's Next?

The crucial championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most exciting racing, but once again this evening event features an event which promises to be every bit as thrilling as Sebastian Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial first title in 2021