Max Verstappen delivered a flawless, strategically sharp drive to win the Qatar Grand Prix and ignite a three-way championship showdown heading into Abu Dhabi. Starting behind rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, he surged to second off the line before capitalising on a McLaren strategy misstep to secure his seventh victory of the season.
I feel great, I am really proud of that one. We made the right call as a Team there to box: it was definitely what made us win the race today, as I felt like we were not on the same level as McLaren in terms of pace. When a safety car comes in it can shake up the grid and that was a great opportunity for us to then win the race. We did a very good job as a Team and I was very proud of us, especially as we nailed the strategy. In Abu Dhabi, we have nothing to lose and we are going to give it everything that we have… We need to maximise the car and be as competitive as we can.
Max Verstappen
The victory closes the championship gap to just 12 points behind leader Norris, with Piastri now four points further back—setting the stage for a dramatic finale.Further down the order, Liam Lawson claimed ninth for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, finishing ahead of Yuki Tsunoda. Isack Hadjar was on course for a strong sixth-place finish before a late puncture ended his race on lap 56.
Source: HONDA MIDDLE EAST
