Verstappen wins after Norris' chance cut short with a 10-second stop-and-go

Max Verstappen made only a single mistake in Qatar, even after the second restart that was not perfect for the Dutchman, he could defend Lando Norris' attack into Turn 1. While it didn't seem like the Ferraris had the pace to finish on the podium, it was Charles Leclerc who could finish in P2 ahead of Oscar Piastri.

After Mercedes made a mistake during his first pit stop, George Russell ended up finishing in P4 even with a five-second penalty added to his name, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz. The Frenchman managed to score important points for Alpine in the battle for P6 in the constructors' standings.

As Lando Norris was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, and finished only in P10, Ferrari could gain 8 points on McLaren in the battle for the constructors' title.

Fernando Alonso finished in P7, Guanyu Zhou scored Kick Sauber's first points with crossing the finish line in P8, and Kevin Magnussen claimed two points for finishing in ninth position.

As it happened

After Max Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty for impeding Russell according to the stewards, the Briton started on pole positions. Everyone started the race on the mediums, except for Nico Hülkenberg, who opted for the hards.

The Dutchman got off to the better start than Russell, and got the lead into Turn 1. An ambitious Norris nearly took the lead, but he took care of his McLaren and backed off against Verstappen, leaving Russell in P3. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton jumped the start from P6 on the grid, earning a five-second penalty.

The Safety Car also immediately made an appearance, as Nico Hulkenberg got a puncture thanks to colliding with Esteban Ocon, forcing the Frenchman to crash out together with Franco Colapinto. Alexander Albon also got hit by Lance Stroll. For that incident, the Canadian received a 10-second penalty.

Verstappen did well on the restart, while Valtteri Bottas came together with Liam Lawson, causing the driver from New Zealand to spin out into Turn 1 on this occasion. For that incident, the VCARB driver received a 10-second penalty.

During the second half of the first stint, Norris and Verstappen traded who was faster on each lap, while Piastri continued to chase down Russell similarly to how the Mercedes tried to gain a place during the Sprint a day before.

From the frontrunners, it was Russell who pitted first on Lap 24, but the Mercedes crew made a mistake, causing the Briton to lose essential time, and as a result he was also held up by Alonso.

On Lap 31, Norris could catch to Verstappen by six tenths, as yellow flags were waved on the main straight because Alex Albon lost one of his mirrors. The Dutchman could rebuild his lead the lap after, and asked his team to investigate the McLaren driver for not slowing down.

On Lap 34, both Hamilton and Sainz had a front left puncture possibly because Albon's mirror was run over by Bottas leaving a lot of debris. Piastri pitted immediately, before the Safety Car was called out, and was jumped by Charles Leclerc. Verstappen and both Norris pitted under the SC conditions, and Russell also pitted for a second set of hards.

As behind the Safety Car, the grid drove through the pit lane, Hamilton braked in front of Norris, leading to the McLaren driver locking up his front tyres. Verstappen second restart was not perfect, as he slid exiting the final corner, but he defended hard. Leclerc and Piastri also battled hard, but the Monegasque driver remained in P3. Gasly also locked up hard into Turn 1, nearly torpedoing Russell.

Not even a single lap has passed, but Perez lost drive during the restart, span out, and had to stop on track. Nico Hulkenberg also ended up in the gravel trap, leading to a third Safety Car.

On Lap 45, Max Verstappen was spot on with Norris not slowing down for yellow flags before, and the Briton received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, relegating him to the back of the grid. The Briton also got one right, as Hamilton received a drive through penalty for not slowing down in the pit lane. He was not the last driver to be penalised, as Albon also got a 10-second penalty.