Max Verstappen put another win under his already victorious belt following a show stopping race in Qatar this Sunday. Having originally achieved pole position during qualifying on Saturday, Verstappen was quickly demoted to P2 after a penalty was handed later that evening. Despite this setback, Verstappen dominated the chaotic but exciting race on Sunday, which was sure to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
Norris, who originally started P3 and Verstappen, P2, quickly stole the top positions from Russell in the opening lap. Having started P1, Russell lost his position to Max and Lando within the first corner. A safety car was brought out during the first lap after Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon crashed into each other due to an incident with Niko Hulkenberg. Race control faced scrutiny after a delayed safety car deployment, despite dangerous levels of debris having spread throughout the track. This hold-up ultimately led to punctures for both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz.
A safety car was eventually deployed, but Norris was later handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow down under the yellow flags. Verstappen spotted this quickly, which ultimately led to the end of Norris’ fight for victory. Despite the setback, Norris recovered to finish 10th and claimed the fastest lap of the race.
Charles Leclerc stunned everyone by finishing second on the podium, despite having completed the entire race without a functioning water system. The team had been unable to fix the issue before the race began, and this left Leclerc to endure the gruelling race without any form of hydration, all while battling extreme G-forces throughout the full fifty-seven laps. Leclerc crossed the finish line a whopping six seconds after Verstappen, and Australian Oscar Piastri finished third. Zhou Guanyu won the much-deserved ‘Driver of the Day’ title. Zhou also finally scored his debut points with Sauber, after placing 8th. These long-awaited points are something to celebrate in what has been an exceptionally long season for Zhou Guanyu.
The fight between Ferrari and McLaren for the title of Constructors Champion continues. This will ultimately be decided at next week’s race in Abu Dhabi, as the day’s events meant neither team was able to bring home the much-anticipated win. Max Verstappen, who won the 2024 World Champion title last weekend, hopes to keep on winning and finish the season on an even bigger high.