Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed up his Formula 1 drivers’ title with another win Sunday in an incident-packed Qatar Grand Prix as Lando Norris was hit with a penalty that ended his challenge for the race victory.
In a season of controversy over the rules and upheaval at the governing body, the stewards again played a crucial role. Norris had been chasing down Verstappen for the lead before his penalty. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Norris hadn’t slowed down but argued the penalty was disproportionately harsh.
“It’s definitely material that the FIA should consider very seriously if we want fairness to be part of going racing in Formula 1,” Stella said. “To me, it looks like somewhere there must be a book with a lot of dust on the cover that was taken out. ‘Let me see what it says, I apply this.’ Seems a little too simplistic.”
Verstappen, who’d been dropped from pole to second place after an incident with George Russell in qualifying, got his revenge on the Mercedes driver off the line in the race.
Verstappen got alongside Russell to take the inside line into the first corner, then fended off a challenge from Norris into the next turn.
The race was full of drama as the safety car came out three times and Norris was dropped to the back of the field with a penalty for failing to slow under yellow warning flags. Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari and Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was third.
Verstappen, who secured his fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas last week, has won two of the last three races but hadn’t won in dry conditions since June.
“It was a lot of fun out there,” Verstappen said. “Very happy. It’s been a while in the dry to be this competitive. Very proud of everyone within the team.”
At one stage, it looked like McLaren could seal its first constructors’ title since 1998 in Qatar as Norris and Piastri both eyed podium places.
After Norris’ penalty, Ferrari cut McLaren’s lead from 30 points to 21 with Leclerc’s second place and a solid sixth for Carlos Sainz Jr. after a puncture seemed to have wrecked his race. The constructors’ title will now be decided at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next week.
That’s a boost to Ferrari’s morale.
“We knew it was going to be a very difficult weekend compared to the McLaren but we even managed to take some points away from them, so the fight will be all the way to the last race in Abu Dhabi next week,” Leclerc said.
“It’s going to be an exciting end to the year. Hopefully we can be strong but it’s going to take everything we’ve got to seal the deal,” Piastri said.
Russell was fourth, ahead of Pierre Gasly continuing Alpine’s recent good form, with Sainz sixth and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso seventh.
Zhou Guanyu picked up his and Sauber’s first points in eighth, ahead of Kevin Magnussen for Haas in ninth and Norris 10th after having been dropped to 15th by the penalty.
Lewis Hamilton and Sainz both picked up punctures shortly after a discarded wing mirror on the track was shattered by Valtteri Bottas’ Sauber. Carbon fiber and glass were spread across the circuit, bringing out the safety car again.
It was a long, hard race for seven-time champion Hamilton, who also had penalties for jumping the start and speeding in the pit lane as he trailed in 12th.
