🔗 Share this article

The championship contender capitalized on a strategy call from the British team that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car deployment

This proved to be a expensive choice that sacrificed track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and in hindsight threw away the race win for Piastri

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Implications

The race winner triumphed to take his 7th victory of the season, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was second and the British driver fourth behind the Williams car of Carlos Sainz

Norris earned an additional points by overtaking the Mercedes driver's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been left with a twelve point advantage over his rival, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To win the championship, the British driver must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if his rival wins the race next race day

Key Events of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• The team's decision not to pit when a safety car was called on the seventh lap for a collision between the French team's Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch the leader proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected second podium for the Williams driver gifted by McLaren's strategy call

How McLaren Missed Out in The Race

The critical point for McLaren was when the two drivers came together as the Hulkenberg tried to overtake the Frenchman around the outside of Turn One on lap seven

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the circuit That brought out the safety car

The crucial part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the race

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a 25-lap maximum usage on the tyres, that meant anyone who pitted at that moment was committed to a fixed plan with a second stop on lap 32

Competitor Reactions and Post-Race Statements

No words

The McLaren driver commented in his after-race interview: Obviously we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I could, as quick as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Tried my utmost but couldn't secure victory

The race winner stated: That represented an incredible race for us Our team executed the right call to box That proved intelligent And extremely pleased to win here and stay in the fight to the end, incredible

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

• 1. Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
• 2. Piastri (McLaren)
• 3. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
• 4. Norris (McLaren)
• 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
• 6. Russell (Mercedes-AMG)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
• 8. Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari)
• 9. Lawson (Racing Bulls)
• 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)

What's Next?

The crucial title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not produce the most thrilling competition, but yet again this twilight race features an event which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's much-debated first title in 2021