Three safety cars, a veritable smorgasbord of penalties, and a series of surprise results all defined this year's trip to the Losail circuit: a featureless expanse in the Qatari desert that has inexplicably become a favourite among the drivers. The racing might have been a little stilted at the front in the opening half of the race, but it only needed Alex Albon's displaced wing mirror to set off a chain of events that delighted and dismayed in equal measure.
The subsequent fallout from Sunday's race made everyone question if there had truly been a sprint race at all this weekend, as the McLarens had controlled everything so well in Saturday's 19-lap affair that it never really got going. Indeed, the Woking squad had let its grasp slip overnight; its perceived constructors' championship match point did not last by the time night had fallen ahead of the grand prix.
