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Tyres NorthamptonWith Verstappen writing his name into the history books after his P2 Sprint finish on Saturday, his Qatar Grand Prix was more like a 57-lap victory parade in which his victory seemed assured from the very first corner.
However, it wasn't a standard race, with the FIA and Pirelli pre-empting any possible problems by imposing an 18-lap limit on all tyres. The decision followed earlier post-session checks on the tyre structure that found slight sidewall separation between the topping compound and the carcass cords because of the circuit's "pyramid" kerbs. The result effectively mandated a three-stop strategy for all drivers, with a mixture of tyre compounds on track at any given time.
Even with this unexpected pre-race drama, the Grand Prix immediately provided further theatre. The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton began just behind polesitter Verstappen in P2 and P3 and attacked the Red Bull into Turn 1. Disaster struck for the pair, though, as Hamilton turned in too early when attempting a move on the outside, sandwiched Russell in the middle, and collided with his teammate.
The two Silver Arrows hurtled across the gravel trap, with Hamilton's right-rear wheel bouncing into the barriers. Russell rejoined the track in last place as Hamilton retired in an incident oddly similar to Nico Rosberg's coming together with Hamilton in 2016. An early-race safety car came to clear the Mercedes wreckage, locking in the running order.
The primary beneficiary of the Turn 1 crash was F1's newest race winner, Oscar Piastri. The Australian had won the Sprint one day earlier, and Qatari luck seemed to be on his side as he jumped from P6 to P2 amid the chaos. Teammate Lando Norris also advanced to P6 from his P10 starting slot as McLaren's resurgence continued into the Middle East.
Lap 5 saw the race restart, and an angry Russell began his fightback. The Brit had used Saturday's Sprint race to finetune his overtaking into the Turn 10 hairpin and promptly progressed past Sergio Perez, Guanyu Zhou, Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon. With the first round of scheduled pit stops, Russell had reached P2 with plenty of clean air to gain on the opposition, albeit with a pit stop of his own to come.
The only other remaining British runner, Norris, was also scything through the competition, overtaking Charles Leclerc in the sole Ferrari around the outside of Turn 1. Carlos Sainz had suffered a fuel leak before the race, leaving Leclerc as the only Prancing Horse to reach the grid. Norris next had Fernando Alonso to dismiss, and his incredible pace helped his McLaren team to undercut the Aston Martin and snatch P3.
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While the McLaren team would enjoy their drivers filling the podium positions for the second consecutive race, happiness was in short supply elsewhere. Alonso lost a place to Leclerc with a snap of oversteer to fall further down the order. The Spaniard's wide moment was an extreme example of going over the line, which the stewards had begun issuing punishments to repeat offenders. Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez, and Alex Albon had their afternoons made more difficult by five and ten-second penalties added to their race.
The closing stages had Norris closing in on Piastri for P2, with Piastri running relatively close to Verstappen in P1. McLaren team orders instructed a frustrated Norris to remain behind his rookie teammate and secure another double-podium finish, bringing another 33 points for their constructors' championship campaign. Behind them, Russell completed his comeback by pitting late for soft tyres and advancing to P4, beating out Leclerc and Alonso but finishing well behind the lead trio.
It was Verstappen's day, as it so often has been in 2023, though, and the Dutchman crossed the line to take his 49th career victory. Celebrations were somewhat subdued, however, with many drivers suffering dehydration in the gruelling October Qatari humidity.
Verstappen and Piastri sat on the cooldown room's floor to recover, while Sargeant had retired with intense dehydration, and others vomited or passed out while driving. The two-week recovery before the US Grand Prix on October 22nd will be a much-needed break for everyone as F1 heads to a frantic five races across six weekends to end the season.