 "Qatar GP: McLaren's gamble backfires as Verstappen win sends F1 title fight to final race")
Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday to send a tense Formula 1 title fight into the season’s final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend. Championship leader Lando Norris would have clinched his first F1 title with a win but finished in fourth place, with his McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri placing second.
All three title contenders have won seven races this season. Verstappen is aiming for a fifth straight F1 title, with Piastri and Norris chasing their first.
“That’s a very lovely race,” Verstappen said on team radio after his 70th career win. “Great job everyone.”
Norris can still become the first British driver to win the championship since Lewis Hamilton clinched the last of his seven titles in 2020. But having entered the Qatar GP weekend with a 24-point lead over both his rivals, Norris is now 12 points ahead of Verstappen and 16 clear of Piastri, who dropped to third overall.
“Speechless. I don’t know any words," a dejected-sounding Piastri said. “It is a little bit tough to swallow at the moment.”
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McLaren’s gamble backfires
Piastri started on pole position ahead of Norris, with Verstappen starting from third.
Although Verstappen overtook Norris heading into Turn 1, Piastri made a clean start and took a comfortable lead early on.
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View AllA strategy error cost McLaren after an early safety car prompted a flurry of tire changes, but both McLarens stayed out on track when Verstappen and the others came in.
“Clearly we didn’t get it right tonight,” Piastri said. “I think in hindsight, it is pretty obvious what we would have done. I am sure we will discuss it as a team.”
The decision played into Verstappen’s hands and the elated Dutchman climbed out of his car and jumped into the arms of his mechanics and engineers after winning.
“This was an incredible race for us, we made the right call as a team to box under that safety car and yeah that was smart,” Verstappen said. “Super happy to win here, we stayed in the fight until the end. Incredible.”
The safety car came out after Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber was sent spinning off the track on Lap 7 after being clipped by Alpine driver Pierre Gasly.
The decision to stay out on track was questioned over team radio by Norris, in a race where drivers had to take two mandatory pit stops over the 57 laps — a measure imposed on safety grounds due to a high risk of tire degradation at the Lusail International Circuit.
Changing tires behind the safety car constituted the equivalent of a free change, with no time lost. The McLaren team gambled on holding track position, leaving them at risk later on.
Norris seemed calm before the race, standing with his arms folded and looking into the distance. Piastri chatted to McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown moments before getting into his car.
Former England soccer star David Beckham watched the race from the McLaren motorhome, flanked by his former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville.
Because drivers were restricted to a maximum of 25 laps on the Pirelli tires at this race, those who already pitted had to change again on Lap 32.
After the McLarens made their first tire changes, Norris was in fifth place behind Piastri in fourth. That left Verstappen out in front and with several laps to build his lead before having to change tires again.
McLaren pitted Piastri on Lap 43 and Norris soon after, but when Norris came back out on Lap 45 he was fifth with Antonelli and Sainz barring his way.
Verstappen eyes another Abu Dhabi decider
Desert battles seem to suit Verstappen, who clinched a third straight win in Qatar and has won four of the last five races in Abu Dhabi. Norris may take hope from the fact he won there last year.
But the McLarens head to Abu Dhabi with a hard-charging Verstappen looking to repeat history by clinching a championship in the last race at Abu Dhabi, having done so when he overtook Hamilton on the final lap after a controversial finish in 2021.
“It’s possible now but we will see,” said Verstappen, who had written off his chances earlier this season. “I don’t really worry about it too much.”
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