There was more to the weekend than just Verstappen’s win with crashes, safety cars, and some crucial points scored in the middle of the grid.
Turns out it takes a four-time World Champion, a prodigy in all manner of ways, to win at a weekend where things were chaotic.
It was not Max Verstappen’s greatest drive ever, and the win in Sao Paulo from 17th place probably takes the cake for this season. But at the Lusail International Circuit, the Red Bull driver certainly displayed a commanding on-track presence to win, especially against the odds.
Verstappen overtook George Russell off the line early on Sunday to take the lead, which he had been stripped of due to a late one-place penalty after taking pole for the first time since June this year.
It was emblematic of the 27-year-old’s persistence this year. He has had to fight the toughest challenge at the Drivers’ Championship and even on multiple weekends where his car has not given him the headstart, he has managed to come out on top.
To put things in context, Red Bull were not the quickest of cars in the practice and McLaren were the most vibrant team during the Sprint on Saturday. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished one-two in a race Verstappen finished eighth, more than 10 seconds behind the winner.
In a muted weekend for Red Bull until the first Qualifying, Verstappen had emerged as the pole position holder on Saturday, for short. And then, he reclaimed the top spot, to win his double in Qatar.
“It was a very good race,” he said after the commanding win. “Of course already yesterday in qualifying the car was a lot better.”
Three chaotic safety cars and Norris’ penalty
The race in Lusail was exciting and complicated in many ways. A hard-fought win for Verstappen saw him manage through three safety cars and a close battle with Norris for the most part.
Norris was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow during the safety car and was sidelined to eventually finish in the 10th position.
“Lando and I were just within 1.8s of each other the whole time, pushing each other and honestly it was a lot of fun out there,” Verstappen said.
“It got a bit spicy into Turn 1 but I think that’s great to see. After that, we drove it to the end with good pace so very happy to win here
Three safety cars had to be deployed in a race that had a bit of everything: drama, penalties, crashes, and close overtakes.
The first of those came in the first lap itself with three cars tangling at the back of the grid, forcing Williams’ Franco Colapinto and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon to retire early.
It did not end there, however, as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg also did not finish their races.
Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had their share of struggles too, having had to pit due to damages over the course.
Constructors’ Championship heads to Abu Dhabi
A perfect weekend would have seen McLaren walk out with the Constructors’ Championship and they looked on course to do that after a promising Sprint. With Norris’ slump that saw him finish P10 in the main race eventually, the Constructors’ Championship will now head to the ultimate race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
“The team are doing a great job but I’ve let them down,” Norris said after the race. “I’ve made the job of the team much harder than it needs to be.”
Ferrari are behind the leaders, still in contention for the title with 21 points to make up. 44 points are up for grabs at the Yas Marina Circuit later this weekend.
A disappointing result in the Sprint race and the continuation of Perez’s poor recent record sees Red Bull out of the equation, despite Verstappen’s win. Red Bull sit third, 59 points behind leaders McLaren.
A stellar season from the Norris-Piastri has put McLaren in a commanding position to win their first title since 1998.
Points up for grabs in the middle
There were plenty of “winners” on the track, in their own regards.
Kick Sauber had their best race of 2024 so far, with Driver of the Day Zhou Guanyu finishing in eighth place, securing his team’s first point of the season. Valtteri Bottas, his teammate, finished 11th place.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso also returned back to the top ten to end his team’s four-race scoreless streak.
Pierre Gasly, who finished third on the podium behind Ocon in Sao Paulo, finished in fifth, helping Alpine move back into the sixth position in the Constructors’ Championship. His teammate Ocon, meanwhile, will be replaced by Jack Doohan for the ultimate race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
It might have started a bit slow in Qatar with just one practice session, by the end, it was an eventful weekend, beyond just Verstappen’s resurgence.
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