Verstappen Wins,Title Fight Heads to Abu Dhabi
After the round in Qatar was moved to November, the extreme heat was no longer an issue the only challenge for the drivers was the sand continuously blowing onto the circuit.
With two Grands Prix remaining, the title fight was still wide open: Lando Norris held the lead in the championship, with Piastri and Verstappen close behind. The weekend unfolded under Piastri’s full control he topped the sole practice session, secured pole positions for both the sprint and the race, and won the sprint. Before the start of the Grand Prix, Norris had 396 points, Piastri 374, and Verstappen 371.
The grid was led by the three title contenders, with McLaren once again locking out the front row. Due to high tyre degradation, Pirelli limited each stint to a maximum of 25 laps, obliging all teams to adopt a two-stop strategy.
Piastri comfortably held the lead at the start, but a Safety Car soon appeared following contact between Hulkenberg and Gasly. Under yellow flags, almost the entire field pitted, turning the race into a sequence of strategic calculations.
After the restart, the pace stabilised until the mandatory second round of pit stops began. Piastri and Norris dropped back due to their later stops but gradually climbed forward again. Alonso spun, Hadjar later suffered a tyre failure caused by a damaged endplate, and Stroll received two penalties.
In the closing laps, Norris overtook Antonelli and Piastri fought his way back to second but catching the leader was no longer realistic.
Max Verstappen claimed a commanding victory at the Qatar Grand Prix, earning his seventh win of the season and the 70th of his career. Piastri finished second, with Sainz completing the podium. Williams secured fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
The season finale will take place in Abu Dhabi, where the title will finally be decided: Norris heads into the last round with a 12-point advantage over Verstappen and 16 over Piastri. The showdown promises to be intense.
