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Verstappen benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an initial safety car period

It was a costly decision that sacrificed track position to the Red Bull driver in the final stages and retrospectively cost the victory for Piastri

Race Outcome and Title Consequences

Verstappen triumphed to take his seventh win of the season, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was runner-up and the British driver fourth behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz

The McLaren driver earned an additional points by passing the Mercedes driver's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been left with a twelve point lead over his rival, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to the final race on December 5-7

To secure the title, the British driver must finish at least third at Yas Marina if his rival takes victory next race day

Critical Events of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• The team's decision not to stop when a safety car was called on the seventh lap for a collision between Alpine's Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by the Australian to bring forward his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to catch Verstappen came to nothing
• A surprise second podium for Sainz handed by the team's tactical decision

The Way The British Team Lost Out in The Race

The critical point for McLaren was when the two drivers collided as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Frenchman around the exterior of Turn One on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was left damaged beside the circuit That brought out the safety car

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

With Pirelli imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who made a stop at that moment was committed to a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Reactions and After the Event Statements

No words

Piastri added in his post-race conversation: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I could, as fast as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Tried my utmost but didn't get it done

Verstappen stated: That represented an incredible race for us We made the correct decision to pit It was intelligent And extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the head, incredible

Final Race Standings

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

What's Next?

The crucial championship finale at the Yas Marina This venue does not create the most thrilling racing, but once again this evening event hosts an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's much-debated first title in 2021