Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Qatari Formula One Grand Prix. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)
Newly-crowned three-time world champion Max Verstappen cruised to his 14th win of an outstanding season for Red Bull on Sunday when he won an exhausting, frantic and often confusing Qatar Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old Dutchman, who secured his third straight title win in Saturday’s sprint race, came home 4.838 seconds clear of McLaren’s rookie Oscar Piastri, who won Saturday’s sprint, and lapped his Red Bull team-mate, erstwhile title rival, Sergio Perez.
Lando Norris finished third in the second McLaren ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, who survived a first-corner crash with teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the Italian team’s only runner after Carlos Sainz withdrew due to fuel issues before the start, finished fifth ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon of Alpine.
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Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo was eighth, Perez came home ninth and Zhou Guanyu 10th in the second Alfa Romeo, but their positions were reversed due to the Mexican’s time penalties.
It was Verstappen’s 49th career victory and came complete with pole position and fastest lap, giving him a classic hat-trick to mark his triple title triumph.
“I think what made my race was my first stint,” said Verstappen. “After that I could manage the pace and keep the tyres in a good window, but the McLarens were quick and really pushed me.”
Piastri, reflecting the feelings of all the drivers, said: “It was so hot. With three stops, it was flat out every lap so it was like 57 qualifying laps… I’m happy, but it was the hardest race of my life.”
Norris said: “Well, I’m sweaty, hot, tired and happy.”
After another sweltering day, the air temperature was 32 and the track 37 when the race began in sensational fashion as the two Mercedes collided at turn one in an accident that sent seven-time world champion Hamilton spinning out of the race.
Verstappen had made a perfect start and Hamilton, the only front-runner on soft tyres, attempted to sweep round the outside of Russell, but succeeded only in steering his rear-right tyre into his compatriot’s front wing.
The impact sent both cars spinning. Hamilton flew off, but Russell recovered to continue and make a pit stop as a safety car was deployed.
After muttered complaints, Russell apologised, but it appeared that he had nowhere to go in an incident which, for Mercedes, revived memories of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix when Hamilton and then teammate Nico Rosberg collided and retired.
Seven-times champion Hamilton later accepted responsibility for the crash, saying, “I feel so sorry for my team. The opportunity was there to for us to score a lot of good points.
“It was all in the heat of the moment. I mean… I didn’t really understand what happened. I just felt the tap from behind and I don’t think George probably had anywhere to go. It’s just one of those really unfortunate situations. I’m happy to take responsibility for it”.
He later posted on X (formerly Twitter), confirming it was his fault.
“I’ve watched the replay and it was 100 percent my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George,” he said.
Russell said he was disappointed because he felt that a podium finish was a realistic target for both Mercedes drivers before the race.
“I know it was nothing intentional. When you are racing in these cars, you can’t see because they have such big blind spots and it is very difficult. I am sure we’ll speak about it and it will be all okay,” Russel said.
Hamilton was fined 50 000 euros half of which is suspended, and given a reprimand by the race stewards for walking across the track after the crash.
After four laps, the safety car came in and the race restarted with Verstappen blasting clear of Piastri to open up a lead of 1.2 seconds with Alonso third.
This move followed Saturday’s revision of the marked track limits and kerbs that had damaged the walls of several cars’ tyres on Friday and meant all the teams had to adopt a minimum three-stop strategy.
Perez, who started from the pit-lane following car changes after his crash in Saturday’s sprint, also sliced through the field to reach third before, on lap 18, after Verstappen pitted, Williams’ Alex Albon took the lead and Perez fell, after a stop, to 16th.
Albon pitted within a lap and Verstappen was back in charge ahead of Piastri and Alonso, all on a three-stop strategy.
In addition to the frantic tactical challenge of the new tyre rules, several drivers were shown a black and white warning flag for exceeding track limits, meaning a repeat transgression would bring a five-second penalty.
For Perez, this duly came as Verstappen’s domination continued.
By lap 30, he was 22 seconds clear of Russell as he set a record for laps led in a season with his 740th in command, beating the 2013 record set by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.
On lap 42, he retired and Perez collected another five-second penalty.
The sweltering heat at the Lusail International Circuit took its toll on competitors throughout the 57 laps. Williams’ Logan Sargeant retired after 40 laps after complaining that he felt too sick to continue, suffering severe dehydration and having vomited.
His team chief James Vowles said he felt a responsibility for his drivers’ health and advised him to retire.
“Let’s bring it in and call it a day,” he said. “Let us look after you. There is no shame in retiring.”
Elsewhere, Ocon completed the full race distance in seventh place, later admitting to having “thrown-up” on laps 15 and 16 and felt ill, but continuing.
“I was mentally fighting to focus… I have never in the past had any experience like. I prepare to race for two race distances, but this was too much for me,” he said.
“It must have been 80 degrees in the car (Celsius)… It was my hardest ever race and the toughest four points I’ve won.”
He said he had tried to cool down by diverting airflow to his face and body with his hands while racing on the straights.
Leclerc said: “That was the toughest race of my career and I think it is the same for all of us.
“The heat was crazy. It is a high speed circuit, with high speed corners which is harder for us and thirdly we had to make three pit-stops for the tyres.
“If felt twice as bad as Singapore. It was right on the limit even for us and we are all prepared for this. We have to consider this race’s place on the calendar at this time of the year.”
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll said he was “passing out” and suffering from blurred vision while racing in Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “These temperatures, everything goes blurry. The last 25-30 laps it’s just blurry in the high-speed corners.
“Blood pressure dropping, just passing out, basically, in the high-speed corners with high loaded G-forces. The kerbs are now painted because they’re worried about punctures.
“I couldn’t see where I was going because I was passing out. I was fading in and out. The temperature was too much.”
Similar to his teammate, Albon was admitted to the medical centre for treatment after the race.
In a statement afterwards, the Grove-based team said: “Following the Qatar Grand Prix, Alex was taken to the medical centre to be treated for acute heat exposure. He has now been assessed and cleared by the medical team.”
The championship now takes a two week’s break before returning action on 22 October for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americans in Austin, Texas.
Additional information by Charl Bosch
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