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

It was a costly decision that sacrificed track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and retrospectively threw away the race win for Piastri

Race Results and Championship Implications

Verstappen triumphed to take his seventh victory of the season, matching Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was second and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

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

The championship leader has been left with a 12-point lead over Verstappen, who overtook his teammate by four points heading to the final race on 5-7 December

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

Key Moments of the Thrilling Race

• The team's choice not to pit when a yellow flag was called on the seventh lap for a collision between Alpine's Gasly and Sauber's Hulkenberg
• A decision led by Piastri to advance his final stop in a last-ditch effort to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise podium finish for the Williams driver gifted by the team's tactical decision

The Way The British Team Lost Out in The Race

The fateful point for the team was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the Hulkenberg tried to overtake the Gasly around the outside of Turn One on lap seven

The German's car was damaged beside the circuit That brought out the safety car

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

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tires, that signified anyone who pitted at that moment was committed to a fixed plan with a second stop on lap 32

Driver Reactions and Post-Race Comments

No words

The McLaren driver commented in his after-race conversation: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight I drove the best race I could, as quick as I could, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my best but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen said: That represented an amazing performance for us We made the correct decision to box It was intelligent Furthermore super-happy to triumph in Qatar and remain competitive to the head, incredible

Final Grand Prix Positions

• 1. Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2. Piastri (McLaren)
• 3. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
• 4. Norris (McLaren Racing)
• 5. Antonelli (Mercedes-AMG)
• 6. George Russell (Mercedes)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin F1)
• 8. Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 9. Lawson (RB F1 Team)
• 10. Tsunoda (Red Bull)

What's Next?

The all-important championship finale at the Yas Marina This venue does not create the most thrilling racing, but yet again this twilight race hosts an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's highly controversial initial championship in 2021