MAX Verstappen became a three-time F1 World Drivers Champion with a second-place finish in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race last Saturday, finishing behind Oscar Piastri in a closely contested 19-lap race that featured three safety car periods.
Verstappen’s individual title follows Red Bull’s clinching of the Constructors’ title two weeks ago in Japan. Piastri’s sprint race win was his maiden F1 race win; his teammate Lando Norris finished third, fourth was George Russell, fifth Lewis Hamilton, sixth Carlos Sainz, seventh was Charles Leclerc, with Alexander Albon claiming the final sprint point in eighth.
In the main race on Sunday Verstappen took a controlled victory in a race defined by mandated stint lengths dictated by tyre issues and a lap one collision between Mercedes’ pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as McLaren scored a double podium, with Oscar Piastri finishing ahead of Lando Norris. Ahead of the race, the FIA, in response to issues with Pirelli’s tyres earlier in the weekend, ruled that teams could complete no more than 18 laps on any set of tyres during the 57-lap race.
When the lights went out at the start, Verstappen got away well from pole ahead of Russell, with both on medium compound tyres. But it was Hamilton on the soft compound Pirelli tyres who got away best and the Mercedes driver tried to overtake both around the outside into turn 1. However, the seven-time champion turned in too abruptly and there was contact between the Mercedes cars. Hamilton, minus his rear right wheel, slid off track and out of the race. Russell was forced to pit for damage checks and dropped to the back of the field.
When the safety car left the track, Verstappen controlled the restart well and soon began to pull away from Piastri and third-placed Alonso. At the end of lap 11 the first round of pitstops was triggered by Fernando Alonso, with Piastri and Leclerc following the Spaniard into the pit lane at the end of the next lap. Verstappen remained on track until lap 17 before making the switch to a second set of medium tyres. He rejoined just behind the Williams of Alex Albon who had yet to pit, but the newly crowned three-time champion soon reclaimed the lead.
Ahead of his second stop, Verstappen led Piastri by 34 seconds and when he took on a set of hard tyres at the end of lap 34, he rejoined just under nine seconds clear of Piastri with Norris now in third. The Red Bull driver however had enough pace in hand to stay ahead over the final laps and after securing the fastest lap point on the penultimate lap, he powered to his 14th win of the season ahead of Piastri and Norris in second and third. Russell held on to fourth ahead of Leclerc, while Alonso crossed the line in sixth.
Esteban Ocon finished seventh ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, while Sergio Pérez, who started from the pit lane, took 10th place and the final point despite the fact that these four were hit with three five-second time penalties for track limit infringements.
The next round is in Austin Texas in the US in two weeks’ time.
