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Updated 4m ago
Max Verstappen has won the Qatar Grand Prix, to take the drivers championship battle to the final round in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen took advantage of an early safety car to pit as both McLaren drivers — the two men ahead of him in the championship standings — stayed out. And that proved crucial to the defending champion claiming victory in Lusail.
Pole-sitter Oscar Piastri had to settle for second while championship leader Lando Norris finished fourth, as Carlos Sainz rounded off the podium for Williams.
Result: 1 VER, 2 PIA, 3 SAI, 4 NOR, 5 ANT
As for Carlos Sainz, you’re right! Despite no one really wanting to engage in the cooldown room, he was lapping up the questions on the podium…
💬 “I’m so happy, so proud of the whole team, of what we’ve done today because we came into this weekend thinking it was going to be the most difficult weekend of the year and suddenly we came out with a podium.
“We got everything right. We had a tough first half of the season when things didn’t come together but we improved in so many areas during the year and today, there were a few opportunities out there and we grabbed all of them executing a perfect race.”
Oscar Piastri has had some disappointing moments this season — but today was the day he looked pretty upset with what had just played out.
Here’s what he said on the podium:
💬 “Clearly we didn’t get it right tonight. I drove the best race I could and as fast as as I could. There was nothing left out there.
“I tried my best but it wasn’t to be tonight, unfortunately. I think in hindsight it’s pretty obvious what we would have done, but I’m sure we’ll discuss it as a team.
“It’s not all bad. It’s been a really good weekend and the pace has been very strong.
“Obviously it’s a little bit tough to swallow at the moment.”
Let’s get stuck into the podium reaction. Starting with the race winner Max Verstappen, who was very happy with Red Bull’s work in Lusail …
💬 “This was an incredible race for us. We made the right call as a team to box under that safety car. That was smart.
“I’m super happy to win here. We stay in the fight until the end. Incredible.
“It was a very strong race on a weekend that was a bit tough but we won the race and that was important.”
He also labelled McLaren’s decision to keep both cars out during the early safety car “an interesting move.”
The cooldown room always has someone who is happy to be there.
Carlos Sainz was all up for asking questions, wondering if Oscar Piastri had any damage.
Fair to say the Australian wasn’t in the mood for small talk, while Max Verstappen didn’t care either way.
It’s pretty low key on the podium a few minutes later too.
💬 “Tough to sallow at the moment.”
That is Oscar Piastri’s assessment of the result after McLaren’s strategy gaffe. Seems fair enough.
He produced basically a faultless weekend, still lost, and is now behind the guy he once led by 104 points.
I feel oddly smug. I knew as soon as Max Verstappen had a sprint qualifying shocker he’d do well in the grand prix.
Red Bull has an impressive knack for a, getting initial sprint weekend setups very wrong and b, fixing that when the parc ferme rules lift after the sprint race and then turning things around.
It was the very same story here last year. And yet, Max hates sprint weekends.
I still can’t believe McLaren did that.
Big, big blow going to Abu Dhabi.
Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase telling Max Verstappen that it looked like Kimi Antonelli pulled over and let Lando Norris through will do wonders for this delightfully conspiracy theory-free season …
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri’s words sound like he is (rightly) fuming that McLaren fumbled the safety car pitstop strategy.
💬 “Speechless … I don’t have any words.”
BOOM! Max Verstappen takes the checkered flag to win in Qatar.
Oscar Piastri gets within eight seconds but is still some way back. He comes home second.
And what great work from Carlos Sainz. It’s another podium for Williams!
LAP 57/57 — Oh Kimi! The Mercedes makes a mistake, runs wide and allows Lando Norris to get by to take P4.
How big a moment is that for Norris’ title hopes? Two more points in the bag if it stays like this.
LAP 56/57 — A puncture for Isack Hadjar! But I don’t think that’s going to alter much, as he trundles back to the pits.
If both McLaren drivers hadn’t been disqualified in Las Vegas, even with this amazing win Max Verstappen would currently be out of title contention …
Kimi Antonelli’s doing what he needs to do right now, saving the battery and defending on the main straight from Lando Norris.
“I’m not close enough,” Norris said. “It’s too difficult to follow.”
LAP 54/57 — Three laps to go, and Lando Norris just cannot find the pace on the straight to get by Kimi Antonelli, so far.
Blimey, what a result we could have on our hands here.
LAP 52/57 — Lando Norris has caught Kimi Antonelli. Passing is going to be another question around this track, though.
LAP 48/57 — Carlos Sainz is on the radio and sounding bullish about his podium chances here. He’s desperate for it, running P3. He doesn’t sound convinced Lando Norris can get by Kimi Antonelli in P4, but the McLaren is taking chunks of time out of him.
LAP 47/57 — Another black-and-white flag has been waved for track limits, this time for George Russell.
LAP 45/57 — Track position is king out here. And Lando Norris pits to drop himself down to P5.
Work to do for the Brit. He won’t want to finish there.
Right now, Lando Norris will come out from his stop in fifth place and will have to overtake Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz to ease the pressure on him heading to Abu Dhabi.