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Verstappen capitalized on a strategy call from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an initial safety car period

This proved to be a costly decision that gave up track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and retrospectively cost the race win for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Results and Championship Consequences

Verstappen won to take his seventh victory of the campaign, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was second and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

Norris won himself an extra two points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

Norris has been left with a 12-point lead over Verstappen, who overtook his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on December 5-7

To win the title, the British driver must finish at least third at Yas Marina if his rival wins the race next Sunday

Critical Moments of the Thrilling Race

• McLaren's decision not to stop when a safety car was called on the seventh lap for a collision between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by Piastri to bring forward his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to challenge Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected second podium for Sainz handed by the team's tactical decision

How McLaren Lost Out in The Race

The fateful moment for the team was when the two drivers collided as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of the first corner on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the track That brought out the yellow flag

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps left in the race

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tyres, that signified anyone who pitted at that time was committed to a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Driver Reactions and After the Event Statements

Speechless

Piastri commented in his post-race conversation: Clearly we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as fast as I could, but there was nothing left out there Tried my utmost but didn't get it done

Verstappen said: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the correct decision to pit It was intelligent Furthermore super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Race Positions

• 1. Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
• 3. Carlos Sainz (Williams Racing)
• 4. Lando Norris (McLaren Racing)
• 5. Antonelli (Mercedes-AMG)
• 6. George Russell (Mercedes-AMG)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin F1)
• 8. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 9. Lawson (RB F1 Team)
• 10. Tsunoda (Red Bull)

Looking Ahead

The crucial championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not produce the most exciting racing, but once again this evening event hosts an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's highly controversial first title in 2021