Max Verstappen wins in the chaos that broke out in Qatar
The world champion was immune to the problems and the Safety Car and took his Red Bull to the top spot on the podium for the ninth time
Max Verstappen won a difficult Qatar Grand Prix in it Lusail International Circuitwhich featured three safety cars and a stop-go penalty for Lando Norris while he was in second place.
The result, in which Ferrari surpassed McLaren by nine points, means that the constructors’ championship is still alive heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
Norris’s 10-second stop-go penalty, which was imposed for failing to reduce speed under a double yellow flag when his rearview mirror Alex Albon he broke free from his car and stopped in the middle of the track, causing him to drop from second place behind Verstappen to the back of the pack.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari rose to second place as a result of the sanction; Oscar Piastri secured third place for McLaren and Norris regained tenth place and scored an extra point with the fastest lap.
The result reduces the difference between McLaren at the top of the rankings and Ferrari in second place at 21 points, with 44 at stake in Abu Dhabi.
Max Verstappen won the race with six seconds to the checkered flag, securing his ninth victory of the season after taking this year’s drivers’ title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix from last weekend.
The pilot of Red Bullwho was stripped of pole position for going unnecessarily slow during a warm-up lap in qualifying, took the lead from George Russell into the first corner and then maintained it for the rest of the competition.
A series of safety cars, caused by the destruction of Albon’s mirror by Valtteri Bottas and the scattering of debris around the track on lap 34, saw Verstappen under pressure from Norris on the first restart, but he was able to hold the position.
The debris appeared to cause punctures in tires. Carlos Sainz and lewis Hamilton, which finally convinced the new race director, Rui Marques, to bring out the first safety car on lap 36.
The opportunity to pit under the safety car saw Leclerc overtake Piastri, who had pitted just before, into second place to Ferrari when Norris received his penalty.
Piastri finished third, but is under investigation for a pre-race incident in the pit lane.
After a difficult race, Russell took fourth place to mercedesahead of Pierre Gaslywho achieved fifth place and crucial points for his team Alpine in the fight for sixth place in the constructors’ championship against haas and R.B..
Sainz recovered sixth position after his puncture, ahead of Fernando Alonso in seventh and Zhou Guanyu of Sauber in eighth, he scored his team’s first points of the season.
Kevin Magnussen finished ninth for haasand Norris went from 15th after his penalty to 10th at the end.
The last test of the 2024 season will be held in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
