Max Verstappen did what he wanted to do at the beginning, and over the course of a number of restarts, to take the win on the Components 1 Qatar Grand Prix.
However the principle story performed out in his rear-view mirror, because the outcomes at Lusail Worldwide Circuit imply that the 2024 Components 1 Constructors’ title will come right down to the ultimate race of the season. Ferrari and McLaren will duel it out over the ultimate laps of the yr to determine a champion.
McLaren entered the Qatar Grand Prix with an opportunity at clinching the title this weekend, and did what they wanted to do within the F1 Dash Race on Saturday as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris locked out the entrance row, selecting up 15 factors and placing McLaren into hanging distance of clinching the title on Sunday.
Then within the Qatar Grand Prix itself McLaren was in place of selecting up the outcomes they wanted to clinch the title, with Norris working second behind Max Verstappen and Piastri additionally working within the prime 5. However then Norris was given a ten-second stop-and-go penalty within the closing levels for failing to carry below a yellow flag, and after serving that penalty he rejoined the observe working down in P15, effectively outdoors the factors.
Norris was not the one driver to obtain a questionable penalty this weekend. Verstappen was given a one-place grid drop — in addition to a penalty level on his Tremendous License — on Saturday for impeding George Russell. Lewis Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty as effectively in the course of the Grand Prix for dashing within the pit lane, which he additionally served within the closing levels as effectively. Hamilton even wished to easily retire the automotive, however as a substitute he cast on in the back of the sphere.
The varied penalties had been described as a “full mess” by Jolyon Palmer in the course of the broadcast on F1TV.
The penalties had been handed down below the stewardship of F1’s new race director, Rui Marques, who took over on the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Whereas drivers had been impressed along with his management at his first race, it’s honest to imagine that no less than some drivers, and groups, may have their share of questions following the Qatar Grand Prix.
Their important level of competition would possibly include how race stewards dealt with a chunk of particles that was left on the observe, a rear-view mirror that had come off one of many automobiles. Relatively than calling for a security automotive to clear the particles racing continued, and finally Valtteri Bottas was compelled to drive over that particles as he let a quicker automotive by him. That created much more particles, and a lap later each Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr. suffered punctures. That triggered a security automotive, setting in movement a lot of occasions resulting in the penalties to Norris and Hamilton.
Norris fought laborious after serving his penalty, getting again into the factors and selecting up a bonus level for the quickest lap of the race. But it surely was not sufficient for McLaren to clinch the Constructors’ Championship, which shall be determined on the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix subsequent weekend.
Verstappen took the win, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc securing second, and Piastri taking the ultimate spot on the rostrum.
Additional again on the grid, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly took fifth in a large end result for the Enstone-based staff of their battle for sixth within the Constructors’ Championship. Sauber took their first factors of the season, as Zhou Guanyu captured eighth.
By way of the Championship, McLaren heads to Abu Dhabi with 640 factors on the season, adopted by Ferrari with 619 and Pink Bull with 581. With Pink Bull now greater than 45 factors behind McLaren, they’ve been eradicated from Constructors’ Championship competition, and the title comes right down to McLaren and Ferrari.
Listed below are the total outcomes from the F1 Qatar Grand Prix: