System 1: Max Verstappen wins Qatar GP however race for constructors’ championship goes on after Lando Norris penalty

Max Verstappen avenged his in a single day demotion from pole place by clinching his ninth win of the season and 63rd of his profession with a dominant triumph for Pink Bull in Sunday’s crash-hit and controversial Qatar Grand Prix. In a race formed by a litany of stewards’ selections and penalties, together with a harsh late 10-second ‘stop-go’ for Lando Norris of McLaren, the newly-crowned four-time world champion was flawless as he got here residence six seconds forward of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

That consequence meant McLaren, even with Oscar Piastri ending third, had been unable to clinch a primary constructors title since 1998 and
must attempt once more within the closing race in Abu Dhabi subsequent weekend.

✨ merely pretty ✨#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/izjx6loZeW

— System 1 (@F1) December 1, 2024

George Russell completed fourth for Mercedes, regardless of being handed a late time penalty, forward of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz within the second Ferrari, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Zhou Guanyu of Sauber, who scored his and the workforce’s first factors of the season.

Kevin Magnussen was ninth for Haas and Norris, after a ferocious finale following his penalty, was tenth for McLaren.

Celebrating a ninth win of the season 🏆👊#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/aPBmtYHNwU

— System 1 (@F1) December 1, 2024

Verstappen’s success was not sufficient to maintain alive Pink Bull’s problem for the groups’ title which left McLaren prime with 640, 21 factors away from Ferrari with one race to go.

“I’m very proud of that,” stated Verstappen, who has recovered his kind within the final three races. “It’s been a very long time since we had victory within the dry and it’s nice for the workforce to be so aggressive once more.”

Leclerc stated he was proud of second and forecast a “very tight” end within the championship subsequent weekend. “However 21 factors remains to be an enormous margin,” he added.

The Dutchman’s in a single day lack of pole, for driving too slowly and inflicting Russell to take evasive motion, had gifted the Mercedes’ driver his profession fifth pole and second in succession.

Fired up by that stewards’ choice, Verstappen made a superb begin to energy by Russell and lead into Flip One with Norris squeezing by to take second earlier than the opening lap was red-flagged for a Security Automobile.

A crash involving Nico Hulkenberg, who misplaced the rear of his Haas and spun into Ocon’s Alpine, the pair taking the harmless Franco Colapinto with them in his Williams, brought on the pause. It was the luckless Williams workforce’s sixteenth crash of the season.

Racing resumed on lap 5 with the highest three unchanged forward of Leclerc and Piastri, who swiftly jumped again to fourth, a transfer that stored each McLarens forward of the 2 Ferraris. For McLaren, it was going to plan, an outline not claimed by Hamilton. After a false begin, he was eighth with a five-second penalty.

His Mercedes team-mate Russell additionally suffered misfortunes, pitting after 24 laps in a sluggish seven seconds – as a consequence of a recalcitrant proper rear wheel – and dropping from third to rejoin twelfth on hards.

Russell’s issues lifted Piastri to 3rd, 8.7 behind Norris, the 2 McLarens sitting forward of Leclerc and Sainz, in fourth and fifth, with Verstappen on prime earlier than an errant mirror, from Magnussen’s Haas automotive, fell on the primary straight, bringing double waved yellows.

Valtteri Bottas ran over the mirror on the lap 34, sending particles throughout the circuit. Hamilton and Sainz collected punctures and pitted earlier than a belated Security Automobile was deployed as Piastri after which the remainder got here in.

Leclerc profited by transferring as much as third, forward of Piastri, who stopped earlier than the SC interval, whereas Hamilton fell to sixteenth and Russell, offended after taking one other set of hards, was seventh. “Why have we put hards on?” he screamed.