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Verstappen coasts to victory in Qatar as Hamilton crashes out on lap 1
Newly-crowned three-time world champion Max Verstappen took his 14th race win of the 2023 season with a dominant performance at the Qatar Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton crashed out in lap one after colliding with his teammate George Russell, sending Russell to the back of the field after the first lap.
Verstappen seals championship-winning weekend in style
In a race where it was mandatory to stay on the same tyres for no longer than 18 laps, there were many overtakes throughout the race, but Verstappen led from the front with ease.
The Dutchman finished ahead of both McLarens in second and third, with Oscar Piastri backing up his Sprint race victory with a superb second place from sixth on the grid, and Lando Norris rounded off the podium in third place, once again highlighting the pace of the Papaya coloured car.
Russell recovered from the first corner crash with his teammate to take fourth place, with Charles Leclerc taking fifth place. Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten.
Mercedes mayhem at the start
Before lights out, it was the worst possible start for Ferrari, as Carlos Sainz could not even make the start of the race due to a fuel system issue.
The start was perfect from the new three-time champion Verstappen, as he cleanly got away from first. However, for both Mercedes, it was anything but, as Hamilton was spun into the gravel at the first corner after colliding with his teammate Russell, losing his right rear tyre in the process.
Logan Sargeant became the third driver who did not finish, as the American retired on lap 40 after he came over the team radio saying that he did not feel well, forcing him to come in and return to the garage.
Tyre trouble enforces three mandatory pit stops
Once again, after delays to the Sprint sessions on Saturday, the tyres were the talking point before the race got underway. The kerbs around the Losail Circuit in Doha were still causing major problems with the Pirelli tyres, with the tyre circumference cracking as a result of hitting those kerbs at high speed.
The Italian tyre makers and the FIA analysed the tyre performance after the Sprint race, deciding that drivers could only drive 18 laps on a set of tyres, meaning that all drivers were mandated to a three-stop strategy.