Max Verstappen capitalises on McLaren’s strategic blunder to win Qatar Grand Prix, closing championship gap to Lando Norris ahead of Abu Dhabi finale
MAX Verstappen boosted his late bid for a fifth consecutive drivers’ world championship by capitalising on a McLaren strategic blunder to win the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver made an immediate pit-stop during an early safety car intervention while McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris stayed out.
Verstappen drove with cool precision to complete a hat-trick of Qatar victories in convincing style.
His win lifted him into second place in the championship with 396 points, just 12 behind series leader Norris who finished fourth.
Pole-sitter Piastri slipped to third but trimmed his deficit to Norris to 18 points with one race remaining in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s all possible,” said Verstappen about his championship chances.
The Dutch driver finished 7.995 seconds ahead of Piastri with Carlos Sainz third for Williams.
Norris finished fourth ahead of the Mercedes pair Kiimi Antonelli and George Russell.
It was Verstappen’s seventh win of the season and the 70th of his career.
“That was an incredible race for us,” said Verstappen, who had written off his title hopes at the end of August.
“We made the right call as a team to box under the safety car and it was scrappy, but we got there in the end.”
Red Bull’s race strategist Hannah Schmitz joined Verstappen on the podium to mark her part in his success.
Piastri expressed frustration at the team’s strategic error that cost him a potential victory.
“I’m speechless. I have no words. Clearly, we didn’t get it right tonight,” said the Australian driver.
“I drove the best race I could and there was nothing left out there. In hindsight, it’s pretty obvious what we should have done.”
The race turned on lap seven when Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg tagged Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, prompting a safety car.
Verstappen pitted immediately from second for fresh mediums while the McLaren pair stayed out.
This meant McLaren missed a ‘free stop’ in a race where two stops were mandatory due to tyre limits.
“We should have followed him in, no? If we knew the car in front was staying out?” asked Norris on team radio.
The McLaren drivers faced two mandatory stops while their rivals required only one more.
Piastri pitted on lap 24 and re-joined fifth before Norris made his first stop, handing the lead to Verstappen.
Verstappen built an 18-second lead before his final pit stop on lap 32.
The McLaren pair pitted on laps 43 and 45 but re-joined too far behind to challenge for victory.
Piastri returned second 15 seconds adrift while Norris came back fifth behind Sainz and Antonelli.
McLaren had the fastest cars and started with a front row lockout but threw away victory with their strategy error.
The drivers’ championship will now be decided in Abu Dhabi next weekend where Verstappen has won four times in the last five years. – AFP
