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Verstappen benefited from a strategy call from McLaren that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car deployment

It was a expensive choice that sacrificed track position to the Red Bull driver in the final stages and in hindsight threw away the victory for the Australian driver

Race Results and Title Consequences

The race winner won to take his seventh win of the season, matching Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was second and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams of Carlos Sainz

Norris won himself an extra two points by passing the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

Norris has been left with a twelve point lead over Verstappen, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to the final race on December 5-7

To win the title, the British driver must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if his rival wins the race next race day

Critical Moments of the Dramatic Race

• The team's decision not to pit when a yellow flag was deployed on lap seven for a crash between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy initiated by Piastri to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to challenge the leader proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for the Williams driver handed by McLaren's tactical decision

The Way McLaren Lost Out in The Race

The fateful moment for the team was when the two drivers came together as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Gasly around the outside of Turn One on lap seven

The German's car was left damaged beside the circuit That brought out the yellow flag

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the race

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a 25-lap maximum usage on the tires, that signified anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Reactions and Post-Race Statements

No words

Piastri commented in his after-race interview: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I could, as quick as I could, but there was nothing left out there Tried my best but didn't get it done

Verstappen stated: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the right call to pit It was smart Furthermore extremely pleased to win here and remain competitive to the end, remarkable

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
• 2. Piastri (McLaren)
• 3. Sainz (Williams Racing)
• 4. Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
• 6. George Russell (Mercedes)
• 7. Alonso (Aston Martin)
• 8. Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari)
• 9. Liam Lawson (RB F1 Team)
• 10. Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing)

Looking Ahead

The all-important title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not produce the most exciting racing, but once again this evening event hosts an contest which appears set to become every bit as thrilling as Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or the Dutch driver's much-debated initial championship in 2021