Sam Johnston
Senior sports journalist
Max Verstappen easily took victory after sealing his third consecutive world championship in the sprint; Lewis Hamilton crashed after first-corner collision with Mercedes teammate George Russell; McLaren takes double podium with Oscar Piastri second ahead of Lando Norris
Last updated: 08/10/23 7:55 p.m.
Lewis Hamilton retired after a first-lap crash with Mercedes teammate George Russell before new world champion Max Verstappen took victory at the Qatar Grand Prix.
After confirming his third consecutive drivers’ title in Saturday’s sprint at the Losail International Circuit, Verstappen calmly dealt with unprecedented tire regulations – introduced for the race amid safety concerns – to easily take victory from pole position ahead of McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. .
Verstappen’s task was made simpler when Russell and Hamilton, starting second and third on the grid respectively, collided at the first corner, leaving the seven-time world champion struck in the gravel and his teammate at the back of the pack.
Russell fought back, leaving Mercedes to ponder what could have been, to claim an impressive fourth place ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, whose teammate Carlos Sainz was unable to start the race due to a power problem. fuel system.
With stints limited to a maximum of 18 laps on each set of tires, drivers therefore had to make at least three pit stops each during the 57 laps of the race, leading to near-constant fluctuation on the order of passage.
Fernando Alonso finished sixth for Aston Martin, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon seventh, while Alfa Romeo had their best race of the season as Valtteri Bottas finished eighth, one place ahead of teammate Zhou Guanyu.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez capped another disappointing weekend by taking the final point in 10th to extend his lead over Hamilton in their fight for second in the drivers’ standings, with Verstappen now 209 points ahead on your mind.
Verstappen’s 14th victory of the season leaves him one point short of his record total of 15 from last year, with five races still to come, while Red Bull, who were crowned constructors’ champions last time out in Japan , has now claimed 16 of this season’s victories. 17 Grand Prix.
Qatar GP result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
3) Lando Norris, McLaren
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
6) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
7) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
8) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
9) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
10) Sergio Pérez, Red Bull
More soon…