F1: Verstappen wins Qatar GP as three-way title race goes to Abu Dhabi finale – as it happened
Giles Richards’ race report is here:Thanks a lot for reading and for all the emails.That was a terrible race in many ways, but for all that, I will be tuning in for the season finale next week given the potential for drama … it’s a funny old game.Good night.“David Coulthard even said yesterday that if there was a safety car early, everyone would pit,” emails Kevin.”They should’ve watched Channel 4 highlights.
Marginal gains.”“It’s tough,” says Norris.“We have to have faith in the team.It was a gamble.Now it’s the wrong decision.
We didn’t do a good job today … not our finest day but that’s life.“It’s nothing to do with the team trying to play fair.Nothing to do with it.Everyone goes on about it.“Red Bull did a better job as a team.
They made the right call.We know why we didn’t make the right decision.You can’t get them all right.If the team does their job, and I do mine, we’ll be fine.”“It’s a disappointing result overall,” says Andrea Stella of McLaren.
“We lost the victory with Oscar and the podium with Lando, definitely not what we wanted.We have to review the decision during the safety car on lap seven“It was a decision not to pit.We didn’t expect everyone else to pit.It would have been the right decision to pit, when you are the lead car, you don’t know what everyone else is going to do.“It was a decision.
As a matter of fact, it wasn’t the correct decision.“The [potential] flexibility was – any other safety car would put us in a very strong position.“It worked well for everyone, stopping at lap seven.That’s what it is.We thought the pace in the car might allow us to open enough of a gap.
We could not exploit the pace of the car.Not the desired outcome.“You need to have a plan for the safety car.When it’s so late in a lap, it doesn’t give you a chance … but it’s not an excuse.“We understand Oscar being extremely disappointed.
He’s been fast, solid, consistent, he’s done everything right,Likewise Lando,We want to keep the options open for all our drivers,“It is still in our hands,It comes down to the quality of our work … we will go very determined into the finale of this season.
”“I was thinking,” emails Michael.(That’s always dangerous, by the way.)“ … McLaren must have a plan, a strategy where they valued having their cars in P1 and P2 more than the pit stop.Surely there is a plan, right?“Narrator voice: “There was no plan.”“If one were of a conspiracy mindset, a grand choreographing of this and the previous race would seem eminently plausible,” writes Darryl.
“A big fix taking the title fight to the final race all for “entertainment” value? Or of course one could just put it all down to the sheer stupidity that McLaren and their drivers have shown at crucial points all season.”“Looking like another F1 stitch up in Abu Dhabi to me,” emails John.“Discuss.”Oh, I am sure they (we?) will.“And the dorsal fin is right behind McLaren,” emails Joris van Wijk.
Norris 408ptsVerstappen 396ptsPiastri 392pts“I’m so happy,” says Carlos Sainz of Williams.“So proud of the whole team.We came into this weekend thinking it would be the most difficult of the year … I was super quick.We nailed the pace, the start, the strategy, I could not be more proud.We got everything right today.
We improved in so many areas.There were opportunities today and we grabbed all of them.I am over the moon.”Piastri has a chat: “We didn’t get it right tonight.I drove the best race I could, as fast as I could, it wasn’t to be tonight.
“In hindsight it’s pretty obvious what we would have done [under the safety car].We’ll discuss it as a team.“It’s been a good weekend, the pace has been strong, it’s a little bit tough to swallow at the moment.”“This was an incredible race for us,” says Verstappen.“We made the right call as a team under the safety car.
Super happy to win.We stay in the fight to the end.Incredible.For us it was a very strong race.It was a tough weekend.
”“That’s an interesting move,” Verstappen adds of McLaren’s decision not to pit under the early safety car.“I knew then we had a bit of a gap … still, you have to keep the tyres alive.“It’s all possible now.We’ll see.I don’t really worry about it too much.
”So Verstappen, going into Abu Dhabi, is 12pts down on Norris.“I would love to be in the McLaren debrief,” says Karun Chandhok.This all feels pretty terrible for McLaren.It’s going to be a tough week.VerstappenPiastriSainzNorrisAntonelliRussellAlonsoLeclercLawsonTsunodaAlbonHamiltonBortoletoColapintoOconGaslyStrollHadjarBearmanHulkenberg“Speechless,” says Piastri.
“I don’t have any words.”He ain’t happy.And quite rightly.“Not sure what happened to Antonelli, Max … it looks like he just pulled over and let him through,” says someone on the Red Bull team of Norris taking fourth.“Regardless of that we will fight to the end.
Well done Max.”“Well done on the strategy,” says Verstappen.“That’s a very lovely race, well done everyone,” says Verstappen.His third consecutive win in Qatar.Lap 57/57: Norris moves up to fourth after Antonelli runs wide! That could be big.
Lap 56/57: An email titled: “Re,F1 going downhill”“I think you’ve hit upon an idea there!” writes Dan,“Works for skiing anyway,”Lap 55/57:VerstappenPiastri +9,9secSainzAntonelliNorrisRussellAlonsoLeclercLawsonTsunodaLap 54/57: The commentators are starting to discuss permutations for the final race.
Norris is down in fifth.Verstappen is 10.9sec ahead of Piastri in second.Norris has eight second places, which may prove important in certain scenarios.Lap 53/57: F1 may well have been going downhill since 1979.
But then again, who hasn’t?Lap 53/57: “It may well be that 1mm wear on a skid block costs Norris the championship,” emails Richard.“Results changed long after the race.This is not a spectator sport.“Maybe standing on the penultimate corner at Dijon in 1979 raised my expectations, but F1 has been going downhill ever since.”Lap 52/57:The top five –VerstappenPiastri +12secSainz +10secAntonelli +2.
7secNorris +.5secLap 51/57: So in fairness, Piastri is shaving time off Verstappen’s lead, but six more laps isn’t going to be enough to make a difference.Norris is still in fifth.Lap 50/57: Piastri has reduced the gap to 12.9sec.
Lap 48/57: Norris is in fifth, after his second stop, trying to get past Sainz.Verstappen leads by 14.3sec.He is home and hosed unless something astonishing happens.“Just use your pace now,” Piastri is told.
This is ludicrous.They (McLaren) have completely messed this up.The commentators have been trying their best to maintain interest, and have farcically been hoping for another safety car to spice things up.“If the race finished now, Verstappen would be 10 points behind Norris in the title race,” says Brundle.Lap 47/57: “I gave up F1 a while ago,” writes Tim
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