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Tyres NorthamptonDespite the 2024 champion delivering a champion's drive, expect most of the focus from Lusail in F1's final week to be on the FIA, whose heavyhanded approach drew much criticism before, during, and after the race.
Suggestions that the penultimate round might have some problems began on Saturday night after George Russell inherited pole position from Verstappen. The stewards deemed that the Dutchman was in the wrong for slowing on track during Qualifying. They spent hours deliberating before handing out an unusual one-place penalty to the Red Bull driver. Though it seemed forgotten by the first corner, where Verstappen took the lead, post-race comments suggest the decision could have wider-reaching implications.
A frenzied first lap saw Russell dropping to P3 from his P1 start. Verstappen outdragged the Mercedes into Turn 1, with Lando Norris also taking to the inside and passing his compatriot. However, any disappointment for Russell paled in comparison to Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon. The two were innocent retirements at Turn 1 after Nico Hulkenberg span to crash both drivers out. With Colapinto seeking a seat on the 2026 grid and Ocon rumoured to be dropped for Abu Dhabi, a Lap 1 DNF is not what either needed in Qatar.
The resulting Safety Car period slowed the action down, preventing Norris from attacking Verstappen until Lap 4's restart. Yet, there were no moves in the podium positions. Behind, Oscar Piastri swept ahead of Charles Leclerc for an important P4. McLaren had hoped to take the World Constructors' Championship trophy in Qatar as they fought Ferrari, and Piastri edging past Leclerc was a crucial step to making that happen.
While there was little overtaking in the upper positions, there was mayhem and many wheel-to-wheel passes in the midfield. Lance Stroll had hit Alex Albon on the opening lap to receive a 10-second penalty, and Liam Lawson had the same punishment for an incident with Valtteri Bottas at the Safety Car restart. More penalties followed throughout the race, with Lewis Hamilton being hit with a five-second demotion for a false start as the steward's Sunday began getting busier.
Slower-than-expected tyre degradation delayed pit lane activity until Russell became the first car to stop on Lap 24. Hoping to benefit from the undercut on fresh Pirelli tyres, Russell instead lost out after the Mercedes pit crew fumbled his trip to the garage. Seven stationary seconds cost the Brit, who returned to the track in traffic to run a compromised race. Again, though, Russell's misfortune was less than others, who had an unlikely culprit ruining their Qatar GP.
A loose mirror from Albon's car flew off on the pit straight, and one of the least technical parts of an F1 car triggered a turning point in the race. Yellow flags to alert drivers of the debris had disastrous consequences for Norris. Verstappen questioned whether the McLaren had slowed down, and once the stewards established that he didn't, they later handed down a 10-second stop-go penalty, one of the sport's harshest punishments. More instantaneously problematic, however, were punctures for Carlos Sainz and Hamilton after Bottas ran over the Williams mirror to scatter carbon fibre over the circuit.
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The following laps were sheer confusion as the affected cars limped back to the pit lane. The FIA called out a Safety Car many minutes after the mirror dropped off Albon's car, but after the debris had already caused problems. All remaining drivers had to head through the pit lane as they followed the Safety Car to avoid more punctures. That caused more issues for the P16-placed Hamilton, who exceeded the speed limit. A drive-through penalty for the seven-time champion summed up his day. And still, this wasn't the end of the craziness.
Sergio Perez had continued his awful season with a spin as the Safety Car period came to a close. Replays suggested that a mechanical fault might've caused his retirement rather than an error. Nonetheless, the Mexican has only one point over the past four grands prix, adding more pressure to his ailing career. Hulkenberg also had a spin, his second in 40 laps, shortly after the restart, and the two stricken cars caused a third Safety Car to slow down the running once more.
Norris received his penalty after the third and final Safety Car and dropped to the back of the field. A fightback from the Briton had him reach P10 by the chequered flag, and he picked up the Fastest Lap point en route in his recovery. Those two points will reduce the pain for McLaren, who saw Leclerc's pit stop leapfrog Piastri for P2 and Sainz finishing in P6 to outscore them in Qatar. Just 21 points separate the two legendary teams as F1 heads to Abu Dhabi to find out which of F1's oldest two constructors can clinch the title.