Verstappen secures victory at Qatar GP amid McLaren setbacks

Max Verstappen reclaimed dominance with a commanding victory at the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, securing his ninth win of the season and 63rd career triumph despite pre-race controversy.

The Red Bull star delivered a flawless performance, crossing the finish line six seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Neds bookmaker paying $5 before the weekend started.

However, McLaren’s aspirations for securing the constructors’ championship before the final race were dashed, as penalties marred their performance, leaving them 21 points in front of Ferrari as they now head into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

F1 2024 Constructors’ Championship standings

• 1 – McLaren Mercedes – Points: 640
• 2 – Ferrari – Points: 619
• 3 – Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT – Points: 581
• 4 – Mercedes – Points: 446
• 5 – Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes – Points: 92
• 7 – Alpine Renault – Points: 59
• 6 – Haas Ferrari – Points: 54
• 8 – RB Honda RBPT – Points: 46
• 9 – Williams Mercedes – Points: 17
• 10 – Kick Sauber Ferrari – Points: 4

The race was shaped by drama both on and off the track.

Verstappen, fired up after losing pole position due to a stewards’ ruling for impeding George Russell, made an assertive start, overtaking Russell into turn one.

Lando Norris followed, securing second before the race was interrupted by the safety car following a collision involving Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Franco Colapinto.

McLaren had hoped for a strong result with both cars in contention, but the team’s race took a turn when Norris received a 10-second stop-go penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags caused by debris on the circuit.

Norris admitted fault, saying, “I didn’t slow under the yellows, and it’s a fair penalty. I let the team down today when they gave me a great car.”

His penalty dropped him from second to 15th, though he managed to fight back to finish 10th.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella criticised the penalty’s implementation, arguing it lacked proportionality.

“The removal of the yellow flag and then judging the incident solely on outdated rules without considering context was a missed opportunity for the FIA to improve,” Stella said.

Despite Norris’ setback, Oscar Piastri secured a commendable third-place finish after an intense battle with Leclerc.

Further back, Mercedes endured a mixed outing.

Russell finished fourth despite a late penalty, while teammate Lewis Hamilton struggled with tire issues, finishing 12th after punctures disrupted his race.

The chaos also affected Ferrari, with Leclerc capitalising to take second place, while Sainz salvaged sixth.

Verstappen, reflecting on the win, received a cheeky nod from his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who remarked, “Karma is a wonderful thing. Great job.”

As the teams prepare for Abu Dhabi, McLaren will look to keep their championship dream alive with a 21-point lead.

F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix results

• P1 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT) – Time: 1:31:05.323 – Points: 25
• P2 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – Gap: +6.031s – Points: 18
• P3 – Oscar Piastri (McLaren Mercedes) – Gap: +6.819s – Points: 15
• P4 – George Russell (Mercedes) – Gap: +14.104s – Points: 12
• P5 – Pierre Gasly (Alpine Renault) – Gap: +16.782s – Points: 10
• P6 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – Gap: +17.476s – Points: 8
• P7 – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes) – Gap: +19.867s – Points: 6
• P8 – Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber Ferrari) – Gap: +25.360s – Points: 4
• P9 – Kevin Magnussen (Haas Ferrari) – Gap: +32.177s – Points: 2
• P10 – Lando Norris (McLaren Mercedes) – Gap: +35.762s – Points: 2 (Includes 1 point for fastest lap)
• P11 – Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber Ferrari) – Gap: +50.243s – Points: 0
• P12 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – Gap: +56.122s – Points: 0
• P13 – Yuki Tsunoda (RB Honda RBPT) – Gap: +61.100s – Points: 0
• P14 – Liam Lawson (RB Honda RBPT) – Gap: +62.656s – Points: 0
• P15 – Alexander Albon (Williams Mercedes) – Gap: +1 lap – Points: 0
• NC – Nico Hülkenberg (Haas Ferrari) – Status: DNF (Lap 39) – Points: 0
• NC – Sergio Pérez (Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT) – Status: DNF (Lap 38) – Points: 0
• NC – Lance Stroll (Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes) – Status: DNF (Lap 8) – Points: 0
• NC – Franco Colapinto (Williams Mercedes) – Status: DNF (Lap 0) – Points: 0
• NC – Esteban Ocon (Alpine Renault) – Status: DNF (Lap 0) – Points: 0

Note: Norris scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Russell received a five-second penalty for falling more than 10 lengths behind the safety car.

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