Verstappen clinches Qatar GP as title battle goes to the wire

Doha, Qatar: Max Verstappen continued his brilliant comeback and kept his bid for a fifth consecutive Drivers World Championship alive with a stunnin...

Doha, Qatar: Max Verstappen continued his brilliant comeback and kept his bid for a fifth consecutive Drivers’ World Championship alive with a stunning victory at the Qatar Grand Prix – his third straight triumph at the Lusail International Circuit under lights yesterday.

The Red Bull star capitalised on McLaren’s alternative strategy to shake up the three-way title battle, leaving the championship wide open ahead of next Sunday’s season finale at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.

Fresh from a Las Vegas setback, where both cars were disqualified for technical infringements, McLaren’s world title contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris paid heavily for a key strategy call.

The team decided against pitting when a Safety Car was deployed on lap seven following a crash between Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, while the rest of the field took advantage of a ‘free stop’ during the first of two mandatory pit stops in the 57-lap race.

That decision proved costly as Verstappen drove with trademark precision to complete his hat-trick of wins in Qatar, with Piastri settling for second and championship leader Norris finishing fourth behind Williams driver Carlos Sainz.