The 19-lap occasion featured three security automotive intervals and was characterised by the drivers opting to make use of mushy tyres making large positive factors early on and the protection automotive restarts, earlier than falling again because the race wore on with their rubber graining.
A 3-way crash that triggered the third security automotive interval eradicated Sergio Perez and sealed Verstappen’s title.
In the beginning, Piastri held the lead off the road from pole whereas his fellow entrance row and medium tyre starter Lando Norris and Verstappen, additionally on the yellow-walled rubber from third, have been swamped by the automobiles beginning on the softs – Russell, Sainz and Leclerc.
The race was then neutralised by the protection automotive being known as into motion quickly after Liam Lawson spun off from the again of the pack at Flip 2, the place he appeared to lose the rear of his AlphaTauri solo on the lengthy left-hander and spun off into the gravel.
When the race restarted on lap three, Piastri aced the drive again to full racing pace however misplaced the lead when Russell made a late dive to the within of the Flip 6 hairpin – getting forward as Piastri slid a contact and misplaced momentum exiting the nook.
Proceedings have been then neutralised once more by one other security automotive interval – required as a result of Logan Sargeant had spun off by himself working via the Flip 9 right-hand kink halfway via the second sector.
The race restarted once more firstly of lap seven, with the drivers on the mediums being informed the automobiles working the softs have been already seeing rubber graining up and the expectation being the occasion would swing again in the direction of these on the extra sturdy compound.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60, Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing RB19, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, the remainder of the sector firstly
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Russell was even higher than Piastri on the second restart – taking pictures clear properly earlier than the observe’s last turns as soon as the protection automotive had run forward to the pits to guide by 1.4s as lap seven commenced.
The Mercedes driver was capable of maintain Piastri at bay and out of DRS vary for the primary few laps after the second restart, throughout which Verstappen climbed again to 3rd with DRS-assisted runs passes on the Ferrari pair on consecutive excursions.
On lap 11, Russell was lastly in DRS vary for Piastri because the mushy tyre swing turned out as many engineers had predicted and the McLaren driver surged again to the lead with a DRS run to the primary nook.
Just a few seconds later, a 3rd security automotive intervention was required when a three-way battle involving Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg and Perez within the decrease reaches of the highest 10 resulted in all three automobiles off the highway at Flip 2.
Ocon was underneath strain as a mushy tyre runner versus the opposite two on medium tyres and as he fended off Hulkenberg’s attentions out and in of Flip 1, Perez received a run on each into Flip 2, the place Ocon shifting proper and the Haas being sandwiched triggered the contact and put Ocon and Perez out on the spot – with Hulkenberg capable of escape the scene earlier than retiring within the pits.
The race resume once more on lap 15, with Russell having argued arduous together with his Mercedes engineer in favour of pitting in the course of the last security automotive as he felt his tyres have been gone – a suggestion his staff rebuffed.
Piastri duly romped away from Russell, with Verstappen taking second with a DRS blast into Flip 1 the subsequent time by, with the chief having established a 2.6s lead over the recovering Pink Bull.
Stefano Domenicali, CEO, Method 1, Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing, 2nd place and 2023 drivers world champion, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, 1st place, Lando Norris, McLaren, third place, Mohammed bin Sulayem, President, FIA, after the Dash race
Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Verstappen set two quickest laps throughout first two excursions of the remaining three, however he couldn’t eat into Piastri’s lead sufficient to make a transfer.
Piastri had the legs on the ultimate lap to cap Verstappen’s cost to complete 1.8s again, with Norris recovering to 3rd having handed the Ferrari pair within the first two laps after the third security automotive ended, then getting Russell with a transfer across the exterior of Flip 1 on the ultimate tour.
Russell ended up fourth – forward of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who rose up the order after his shock Q2 dash qualifying elimination and lowly twelfth place grid spot due to the Ocon-Hulkenberg-Perez shunt taking place simply in entrance of him and the Ferrari drivers fading within the last laps.
Of the pair in crimson, Leclerc had jumped Norris to run fifth simply after the third restart earlier than the McLaren driver’s medium tyre life benefit got here to bear, with Sainz then underneath strain from his team-mate after Norris had gone via.
Leclerc locking up forward of Hamilton on the Flip 6 hairpin on the ultimate lap gave Sainz some respiratory room, nevertheless it was not sufficient because the Mercedes driver carved his method by each Ferraris on the final lap.
With Sainz and Leclerc sixth and seventh, Alex Albon made late positive factors to rise to eighth, with mushy starters Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly falling again to ninth and tenth having led Hamilton within the interval instantly after the third restart.
On the rear of the sector, Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen and Zhou Guanyu made pitstops in the course of the last security automotive, however couldn’t use their contemporary rubber to make an impression.
Leclerc and Stroll face a post-race investigation over obvious repeated observe limits infractions.
F1 Qatar GP – Dash race outcomes