This season’s Formula 1 world champion will not be known until the weekend of December 5-7, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) took victory in the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, keeping the dispute open with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (McLaren).
Piastri took second place, while Carlos Sainz (Williams) took third place. Norris, who could be a champion, finished fourth.
Norris continues to lead the World Drivers’ Championship with 408 points. He needs to finish second so he doesn’t depend on anyone to get the world title. Verstappen has 396 points in second place. Third-placed Piastri has 392. With this win on Sunday, Max equals the number of wins (7) with the McLaren duo. This is the first dividing criterion.
This Sunday’s race was marked by a controversial decision by McLaren, which chose not to stop its drivers in the pits on lap seven, when the safety car was brought out following a collision between Hulkenberg (Sauber) and Gasly (Alpine). The result was a loss of position and the possibility of Piastri beating Verstappen on lap 45. It is worth noting that there was a requirement to change tires every 25 laps.
Brazilian Gabriel Bortoletto ranked thirteenth. He started 19th, after losing five positions on the grid due to a penalty from the Las Vegas GP.