Verstappen wins in Qatar to keep title hope alive

Max Verstappen won his seventh race of the season with a 7-second victory at the Lusail Circuit, track of the Qatar Grand Prix. 

The Dutchman finished ahead of Oscar Piastri, who he has now passed on the drivers’ standings. Carlos Sainz completed the podium in his second appearance of the season.

Activities in Qatar started on Saturday with the last Sprint of the season. McLaren had a good outing after a one-two finish, with Piastri leading. 

Verstappen finished fourth, and while that may have affected the points he gained last weekend overall, he still managed to earn enough to move into second place on Sunday. 

Starting from third on the grid, Verstappen executed a strong launch at the start, quickly positioning himself among the frontrunners. 

Meanwhile, Piastri began from pole and held the lead initially, but an early safety car, triggered after a crash involving Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly, reshaped the race dynamics. 

In contrast to many other teams, McLaren opted not to pit Piastri and Norris under that safety car, a gamble that cost them, which they regretted at the end of the race.

While all drivers made the two mandatory pit stops over the 57-lap race, Verstappen’s early stop allowed him to re-emerge ahead of those who stayed out, which ultimately handed him the lead. Piastri retained second after rejoining cleanly, but Norris fell back after his stop and was unable to fend off the chasing pack, only claiming fourth in the end, while Sainz secured third.

The race featured a few close duels in the midfield as well, with battles for positions involving drivers from Mercedes, Alpine, and Aston Martin.

With this win, Verstappen significantly trimmed the points gap in the title fight. The Dutch driver now heads to the season finale in Abu Dhabi in strong form, keeping his championship hopes alive. 

Next week’s Abu Dhabi GP already looks interesting as we get to see the three drivers competing for the season’s title.