🔗 Share this article Norris' Championship Wait Goes On as Max Verstappen Wins in Qatar GP The Red Bull driver claimed his seventh victory of the campaign Lando Norris, Red Bull's Verstappen and McLaren's Piastri will battle for a decisive championship showdown in Abu Dhabi after the Dutch driver won a thrilling Qatar Grand Prix The championship contender capitalized on a tactical decision from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an initial safety car deployment This proved to be a expensive choice that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the closing laps and retrospectively cost the race win for the Australian driver Race Outcome and Championship Consequences The race winner triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, matching Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was runner-up and the Briton fourth behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz Norris earned an extra two points by passing the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap The championship leader has been left with a 12-point lead over his rival, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December To secure the championship, the British driver must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen wins the race next Sunday Key Moments of the Thrilling Grand Prix The team's decision not to pit when a yellow flag was deployed on lap seven for a crash between the French team's Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg A strategy led by the Australian to advance his final stop in a last-ditch effort to catch the leader came to nothing A unexpected second podium for the Williams driver gifted by the team's strategy call How The British Team Lost Out in The Race The fateful point for the team was when the two drivers came together as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Frenchman around the outside of Turn One on lap seven Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the track That brought out the yellow flag The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the grand prix With the tire manufacturer imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tyres, that signified anyone who pitted at that moment was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on the thirty-second lap Competitor Reactions and Post-Race Comments Speechless The McLaren driver added in his post-race conversation: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I could, as quick as I could, but there was nothing left out there Tried my best but didn't get it done Verstappen stated: That represented an amazing performance for us We made the correct decision to pit It was smart And super-happy to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the end, incredible Ultimate Race Standings 1. Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 3. Carlos Sainz (Williams) 4. Norris (McLaren) 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 6. Russell (Mercedes) 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 8. Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari) 9. Lawson (RB F1 Team) 10. Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing) Looking Ahead The crucial title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not produce the most thrilling competition, but yet again this evening event hosts an contest which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's much-debated initial championship in 2021