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The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car period

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

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Consequences

The race winner triumphed to take his seventh victory of the campaign, matching Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was runner-up and the Briton fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver earned an extra two points by overtaking Kimi Antonelli's Silver Arrow on the second-to-last lap

The championship leader has been left with a twelve point advantage over his rival, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To win the title, Norris must finish at least third at Yas Marina if his rival takes victory next Sunday

Critical Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• McLaren's decision not to stop when a yellow flag was deployed on the seventh lap for a collision between the French team's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A decision led by Piastri to bring forward his final stop in a last-ditch effort to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected podium finish for Sainz gifted by McLaren's strategy call

The Way The British Team Missed Out in The Race

The fateful moment for the team was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Frenchman around the exterior of Turn One on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the circuit This triggered the yellow flag

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the grand prix

With the tire manufacturer imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tires, that signified anyone who made a stop at that time was committed to a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Competitor Reactions and After the Event Comments

No words

Piastri commented in his post-race conversation: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as quick as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my best but couldn't secure victory

The race winner said: This was an amazing performance for us We made the correct decision to pit That proved intelligent Furthermore super-happy to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the head, remarkable

Final Race Positions

• 1. Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
• 2. Piastri (McLaren)
• 3. Sainz (Williams Racing)
• 4. Norris (McLaren Racing)
• 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
• 6. Russell (Mercedes)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
• 8. Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari)
• 9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
• 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)

Looking Ahead

The all-important championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not produce the most thrilling racing, but yet again this twilight race features an contest which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in 2010, or Verstappen's highly controversial first title in 2021