Verstappen Claims Thrilling Victory at Qatar GP, Leclerc and Piastri Follow
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Doha, Dec 1 (NationPress) Max Verstappen achieved a remarkable win in a dramatic Qatar Grand Prix, a race marked by three Safety Car interventions, several incidents, and a penalty issued to Lando Norris that caused the British driver to fall down the rankings after an earlier tussle for the lead.
After losing pole position due to a one-place penalty stemming from a qualifying incident, Verstappen was in aggressive mode right from the start, engaging in a fierce contest for the lead against George Russell and Norris as they entered Turn 1.
However, the race was anything but simple, as the Safety Car was deployed on the very first lap following an incident involving Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon, both of whom collided with Nico Hulkenberg.
This was just the initial of three Safety Car appearances throughout the 57-lap race – although the second restart saw Norris closely chase Verstappen for the lead, the reigning champion managed to maintain his position all the way to the chequered flag.
Norris, on the other hand, witnessed a seemingly certain podium finish slip away when he was handed a 10-second stop/go penalty for not reducing speed under yellow flags, which forced him to battle for points from further down the field.
Charles Leclerc finished in second place, crossing the finish line six seconds behind Verstappen, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri rounded off the podium in third. Russell was the only points scorer for Mercedes, finishing fourth, just ahead of Pierre Gasly who secured a commendable fifth for Alpine, managing to fend off Carlos Sainz.
Sainz ultimately took sixth in the Ferrari, making a strong recovery after an earlier puncture, while fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso added points for Aston Martin, finishing seventh. Zhou Guanyu celebrated Kick Sauber's long-awaited points by finishing in a popular eighth place, also earning him the Driver of the Day honor.
Kevin Magnussen secured ninth for Haas, while Norris's comeback after his penalty saw him clinch the last point in tenth. Valtteri Bottas narrowly missed out on further celebrations for Kick Sauber, finishing eleventh, with former teammate Lewis Hamilton ending up in twelfth after incurring two penalties during the race.
The Red Bull duo of Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson finished in thirteenth and fourteenth, respectively, with Alex Albon being the last classified finisher in fifteenth place for Williams. Haas's Nico Hulkenberg was one of five retirees, spinning out and getting stuck in the gravel, while Sergio Perez also exited the race after spinning in his Red Bull.
Lance Stroll experienced a DNF early on after sustaining damage to his Aston Martin due to contact with Albon on the opening lap. Colapinto and Ocon also had their races end prematurely because of that initial corner incident involving Hulkenberg.
