Qatar is one of the recently added races that has gotten better over time. The first time Formula 1 raced on the track three years ago, multiple drivers were complaining about the heat, the poor conditions and even reported health issues post race. Now it has severely improved and fans appreciate the efforts taken by the FIA to improve the standards. Yesterday’s race was an important one for the season because Lando Norris could have won his first ever championship title. The Brit started in second after already finishing the Sprint Race on Saturday in third behind fellow Brit George Russell and his team mate, Oscar Piastri. Oscar Piastri was back in form after a couple of tough weekends, winning the sprint race and taking the pole position. This allowed the championship fight to be a lot closer during the night race in the desert.
Max Verstappen wasn’t going to let the papaya coloured cars off that easily though. He started the race on Sunday in third. Hoping to pass Norris on the first lap. He made good on that promise and once again became the ‘flying dutchman’ as we soared past the McLaren before the first corner. Piastri was able to hold off Verstappen and extend his lead out front but an early incident involving Hülkenberg and Gasly caused the Safety Car to come out. The Team from Surrey really cost themselves the victory here by choosing the worst possible strategy and staying out with both cars whilst the entire grid pitted.
They ended up leading the race for a few laps but ultimately had to concede due to their older tyres and weren’t able to catch up to Max after that.
In the end, Max Verstappen won the race, ahead of Piastri and Carlos Sainz. Sainz managed to score his second podium for Williams despite having issues with his car for the last couple of laps. He managed to fight off Norris, who came home in fourth. He still leads the championship by twelve points but Verstappen and Piastri are on his heels and both still capable of winning the title in the last race in Abu Dhabi.
🏎️🏎️🏎️
Featured image designed on Canva
