Max Verstappen secured a ninth-season victory in Qatar GP. Fifty-Seven lap encounter at the Lusail circuit was nothing short of chaos and madness involving crashes, safety cars, and penalties one of which was given to Mclarren’s Lando Norris which put a dent in the team’s constructor’s championship pursuit.
Top 10 Standings of Qatar GP
The world champion was triumphant after being handed a one-place grid penalty dropping him from pole to number two for being too slow in a cool-down lap in qualifying for the Qatar GP. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc clinched the silver medal. George Russel finished in fourth just behind Mclarren’s Oscar Piastri who was last to complete the podium standings.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasely was the sole points scorer for the French constructor by finishing in fifth position. Carlos Sainz despite suffering a puncture due to debris on track finished sixth after an impressive recovery drive ahead of his fellow countryman Fernando Alonso who scored the only point for Aston Martin in Qatar GP.
Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanu scored the first-ever points by finishing at number 8. Kevin Magnussen finished on number 9 just ahead of Mclarren’s Lando Norris who was given a 10-second penalty for not slowing down during the yellow flag dropping him to P10 completing the top 10 grid positions of Qatar GP.
Keep Reading
Mad Max and Chaos
Max Verstappen who finished in the pole position on Saturday was demoted to P2 overnight and Mercedes George Russel was given an advantage and started from the pole position but that benefit was short-lived as Max snatched back his position on turn 1 and led the race.
Lando Norris tried to challenge his former rival but Dutchman was fast enough to keep the lead. Meanwhile, on the back of the grid, there was a crash between Alpine’s Estaban Ocon and Haas’s Nicko Hulkenburg William’s Franco Colapinto was also caught in this and suffered the damage this was William’s 16 crash of the season so far. This caused the deployment of the first of the three safety cars deployment.
Mclaren Misfortune During Qatar GP Caused Team Title Setback
Lano Norris was in a significantly higher position and was eying on the podium finish but Britonian’s efforts were jeopardized as he received a 10-second penalty for not slowing down on yellow flags. Although Piastri finished on 3 Norris’s penalty was a significant setback to Mclarren’s hope for the team title.
Now there is only a 21-point difference between leaders Mclarren and challengers Ferrari. It will be decided in the showdown in Abu Dhabi next week.
Max Verstappen was satisfied with his team’s performance in Qatar “I am very happy with that,” Verstappen who has arguably the third fastest car on the grid proved his skills with flawless driving and securing a title earlier in Vegas last week “It’s been a long time since we had victory in the dry, and it’s great for the team to be so competitive again.” World champion added.
What’s Next After Qatar GP?
With the conclusion of Qatar GP next stop on the F1 Calander will be in Abu Dhabi. It will be the final race of the season and also decide the constructors’ championship next week.
Also Read:
