In a thrilling yet not overly exciting race, Max Verstappen secured a smooth victory in Qatar, while behind him, Lando Norris's blunder opened up the constructors' championship practically for the last race.
George Russell got off to a good start, but Max Verstappen reacted even better, taking the lead immediately. Lando Norris, the laughing third, almost tricked both of them and was already jostling for first place after two corners, but Verstappen fended off his attack. In the back regions, Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon found each other, resulting first in a yellow flag and then a safety car phase. The other Williams didn't fare well either, as Alexander Albon was spun out by Lance Stroll, but at least he could continue the race. Nico Hülkenberg's dive resulted in a puncture as a reward...
Verstappen executed the restart well, and there were no significant changes behind him, with only Oscar Piastri gaining positions. The race started with such fireworks, but by the middle, it flattened out, and the field settled down. Verstappen, Norris, Russell, the two Ferraris, and the others... We only saw battles and mistakes in the back regions, but these didn't significantly raise the pulse. Pit stops were next, which Russell botched badly, effectively taking him out of further contention. The British driver's spot and podium chances were taken over by the Scuderia Ferrari drivers, who showed good tire management with a single-stop strategy.
A serious issue arose when Alexander Albon's mirror broke off and remained in the middle of the straight, causing a series of punctures... Another safety car followed, leading to another restart, during which Verstappen made a mistake on not warm tires, which Norris should have easily overtaken him. This didn't happen, so the order remained the same as before. However, another SC came, and more drama... Norris received a penalty for not heeding a yellow flag section, and the ten seconds meant that scoring points became difficult for the Brit. Meanwhile, the order at the front was Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, and this did not change until the end of the race.
