Max Verstappen dominated a frantic Qatar Grand Prix marked by Safety Cars, spins, and crashes to secure a stunning victory for Red Bull – and while others had plenty to grin about, many couldn’t wait to board a plane heading for the final race in Abu Dhabi. Lawrence Barretto picks his winners and losers from the Lusail race.
Winner: Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen was furious after receiving an unprecedented one-place grid penalty, which cost him pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix.
But he channelled that irritation beautifully – something he’s become a master at in F1 – to reclaim that position almost instantly once the lights went out.
The newly-crowned world champion went on to command the race at the front to secure his second win in three Grands Prix and ninth of the season. It was also his first Grand Prix win in the dry since Spain back in June.
Loser: Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon has been in a lot of pain lately, feeling there’s a problem with his Alpine that’s costing him about half a second every lap compared to his Alpine teammate.
And things didn’t get any better in Qatar. He qualified last and failed to complete the first lap for the second race this year and the seventh time in his career due to a Turn 1 incident caused by an out-of-shape Nico Hulkenberg.
To add insult to injury, it was announced that would be his final race for Alpine, with the team releasing him early and giving reserve driver Jack Doohan – who was set to take the seat next year anyway – his F1 debut in Abu Dhabi.
Winner: Ferrari
Ferrari expected a difficult weekend in Qatar due to the circuit’s peculiarities, but they surprised themselves by outscoring title rivals McLaren, closing the gap to 21 points with one race remaining.
Charles Leclerc drove an accomplished race to finish second, having never previously finished higher than fifth in either the Sprint or Grand Prix format in Qatar. He moves to within eight points of Lando Norris in the fight for P2 in the drivers’ championship.
Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, was set for a strong result before picking up a puncture. He recovered to sixth for his best-ever finish in Qatar.
Losers: Mercedes
Mercedes brought their strong performance from Las Vegas to Qatar, with George Russell fighting at the front of the Sprint and starting the Grand Prix from pole position.
But Russell was unable to transfer the speed he demonstrated on Friday and Saturday into the Grand Prix, and he finished fourth, the same position he held last year.
His team mate Lewis Hamilton had a miserable day, first picking up a puncture and then taking a drive-through penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit. He ended up P12 and now trails Russell by 24 points with a maximum 26 available.
Winner: Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu’s tenacity paid off in Qatar, when the Chinese driver made a superb drive to finish eighth and earn his first points of the year.
That equals his career-best result (Canada 2022) and ensures that Kick Sauber avoid their second pointless season in their history.
He showed great pace throughout, delivered some combative racing and executed his strategy beautifully.
Losers: Williams
Williams’ dismal run continued into Qatar, where they sustained further damage shortly after the lights went down, as Franco Colapinto was collected by Ocon after being struck by Hulkenberg.
Colapinto retired the car for his second DNF in three races. It was the team’s seventh crash in the last four Grand Prix weekends.
Team mate Alex Albon was in the top 10 in the closing stages but ran out of tyres and fell back to 15th at the chequered flag after picking up a time penalty for a clash with Kevin Magnussen.
Winner: Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly extended his hot streak with a fantastic drive from 11th to fifth, his second top-five finish in three Grand Prix.
It shows how far Alpine have come from race one in Bahrain earlier this year, where they were woefully overweight and locked out the back row, that Gasly was able to defend from Ferrari’s Sainz in the closing stages in Qatar.
Alpine has reclaimed sixth place in the constructors’ championship, five points ahead of Haas with one round remaining.
Loser: Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez’s terrible form continues, with his fourth retirement of the season leaving him 277 points behind Red Bull teammate Verstappen.
The Mexican ran as high as fifth, but a spin ended all hopes of points before he retired the car. He’s scored just nine points in the last seven events.
Fernando Alonso won
Fernando Alonso delivered one of his best performances of the season, driving from tenth to seventh place.
The score ended Aston Martin’s four-race pointless streak and gave the team a much-need boost after an uninspiring campaign that has seen them sit in no man’s land in fifth in the constructors’ championship.
Losers: McLaren
This was intended to be a big-scoring weekend for McLaren because the track suited their car, and things looked promising after they finished one-two in the Sprint.
However, on race day, Norris’ prospects of winning were dashed when he received a 10-second stop/go penalty, dropping him to last place. He recovered to finish 10th, earning another point for the quickest lap.
His teammate Oscar Piastri finished third, his ninth podium of the season, but was unable to catch and pass Leclerc for second place.
