Max Verstappen has avenged his overnight demotion from pole position by clinching his ninth win of the season and 63rd of his career with a dominant triumph for Red Bull in a crash-hit and controversial Qatar Grand Prix.
In a race shaped by a litany of stewards’ decisions and penalties, including a late 10-second “stop-go” for Lando Norris of McLaren, the newly crowned four-time world champion was flawless on Sunday as he came home six seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
That result meant McLaren, even with Oscar Piastri finishing third, were unable to clinch their first constructors’ title since 1998 and have to try again in the final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes while Norris, after a ferocious finale following his penalty, could finish only in 10th position for McLaren.
Verstappen’s success in Qatar was not enough to keep alive Red Bull’s challenge for the team title, which left McLaren top with 640, 21 points clear of Ferrari with one race to go.
“I am very happy with that,” said Verstappen, who has recovered his form in the last three races. “It’s been a long time since we had victory in the dry, and it’s great for the team to be so competitive again.”
Leclerc said he was happy with second and forecast a “very tight” finish in the constructors’ championship next weekend. “But 21 points is still a big margin,” he added.
Mad Max
Fired up by that stewards’ decision to award an unusual one-place grid penalty for impeding George Russell in qualifying, Verstappen made an excellent start to power by the pole sitter and lead into turn one with Norris squeezing through to take second before the opening lap was red-flagged, forcing a temporary race stoppage.
After a restart, the race again descended into chaos at mid-distance when crash debris on the racetrack caused punctures for Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari.
But Verstappen, who sealed his fourth consecutive world driver title last time out in Las Vegas, emerged from the madness to take his second victory in three races.
