Qatar GP: Max Verstappen wins eventful race from Charles Leclerc after Lando Norris penalty drama | F1 News

Max Verstappen won a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix as Lando Norris was given a harsh penalty which put him out of the lead fight.

Verstappen and Norris were locked in a tense lead battle until a harsh 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the McLaren driver put him at the back, before he recovered to finish 10th.

Charles Leclerc finished a surprise second, with Oscar Piastri in third, so McLaren saw their lead in the Constructors’ Championship cut to 21 points over Ferrari, meaning the title race will go down to next weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Pole-sitter George Russell was fourth, ahead of Pierre Gasly, who shone again for Alpine, and Carlos Sainz was sixth.

Lewis Hamilton’s miserable end to his career at Mercedes got worse after two penalties for a false start and speeding through the pit lane. At one point he asked to retire from the race but he took the chequered flag in 12th.

Sauber scored their first points of the season as China’s Zhou Guanyu was eighth amid the mayhem.

Esteban Ocon competed in his last race for Alpine after deciding to part ways immediately after the Qatar GP.

Ocon retired on the opening lap after a collision with Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto at the first corner. He will be replaced by Jack Doohan in Abu Dhabi, ahead of the Australian’s full-time debut in 2025 at Alpine.

Debris turns race on its head

Having both brilliantly got by Russell on the opening lap, Verstappen and Norris were trading punches out in front until wing mirror flew off Alex Albon’s Williams at the halfway mark of the 57-lap race completely changed the grand prix.

Race control elected to not deploy a Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car for seven laps, deciding to use double-waved yellow flags on the main straight.

During that period, Norris seemingly did not slow down for the yellows, which was instantly spotted by Verstappen.

Eventually, a Safety Car was called on Lap 36 but only after Valtteri Bottas ran over the original debris, shredding it to bits, so Hamilton and Sainz suffered dramatic punctures.

On the restart, Verstappen and Norris went side by side down to Turn One, with the Red Bull driver repelling his rival by holding the inside.

Five laps later, Norris was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty by the stewards, which ended the fight for the lead.

Norris came out at the rear but fought back to 10th, and also scored the bonus point for the fastest lap, while Verstappen came under no pressure from Leclerc to take his ninth win of the season and his first as a four-time world champion.

“It was a very good race. Of course, already yesterday in qualifying the car was a lot better, and today that first stint was very, very fast,” said Verstappen.

“Lando and I were within 1.8s of each other the whole time, pushing each other and honestly, it was a lot of fun out there.

“It got a bit spicy into Turn One [on the restart against Norris] but I think that’s great to see. And then after that we drove it to the end with good pace, so very happy to win here.”

“It’s been a while in the dry to be this competitive, and very proud of everyone in the team to turn it around within a day. So they definitely also deserve this victory.”

Ferrari take advantage of McLaren woes

McLaren took a 30-point lead over Ferrari into Sunday and were expected to be on the brink of, or even secure, their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.

Not only did Norris’ penalty cost McLaren, but Piastri pitting before the second Safety Car meant Leclerc was able to leapfrog him.

Piastri was ahead of Leclerc before the pit stops, however, they reversed positions as the Ferrari driver pitted during the Safety Car and lost less time in the pits.

Leclerc kept Piastri behind in the battle for second, so Ferrari gained 11 crucial points on a track they were expected to struggle at.

“I’m very happy,” said Leclerc, who is only eight points behind Norris in the fight for the runners-up spot in the Drivers’ Championship.

“Honestly I would have signed straight away a bit of paper that told me we would have finished second on a track like this, after a weekend like this, because our car characteristics is not fitting very well with this track.

“We knew it was going to be a very difficult weekend compared to McLaren but in the end we managed to take some point away from them so the fight will be all the way to the last race in Abu Dhabi next week.”

Leclerc will be team-mates with Hamilton at Ferrari in 2025 and the seven-time world champion’s torrid weekend turned into a nightmare.

Hamilton has been lost in Qualifying throughout 2024, admitting “I’m not fast anymore” earlier in the weekend but he suffered arguably his most frustrating Sunday of the year on his way to 12th.

From sixth on the grid, the seven-time world champion immediately apologised on the radio for jumping the start and was given a five-second time penalty.

He questioned whether the “car was broken” during the first half of the race when he was told his lap times compared to the leaders, then was unlucky to get a puncture for running over debris.

Then, Hamilton got a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and emerged in last place, getting back up to 12th.

Watch the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season – the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – live this coming week on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s race at 1pm. Get Sky Sports F1 or stream with NOW