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The championship contender benefited from a strategy call from the British team that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car period

This proved to be a costly decision that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the final stages and in hindsight threw away the victory for the Australian driver

Race Results and Championship Consequences

Verstappen triumphed to take his 7th victory of the season, matching Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was runner-up and the Briton 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 second-to-last lap

Norris has been maintained a 12-point advantage over Verstappen, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on December 5-7

To secure the championship, the British driver must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen wins the race next race day

Key Events of the Dramatic Race

• McLaren's decision not to stop when a yellow flag was deployed on the seventh lap for a collision between the French team's Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by the Australian to bring forward his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to catch the leader proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected podium finish for the Williams driver gifted by McLaren's tactical decision

The Way McLaren Missed Out in The Race

The critical point for the team was when the two drivers collided as the German tried to pass the Frenchman around the exterior of the first corner on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the circuit That brought out the yellow flag

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

With Pirelli imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tyres, that signified anyone who made a stop at that moment was committed to a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on lap 32

Competitor Responses and After the Event Statements

No words

Piastri added in his after-race conversation: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my best but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen said: This was an amazing performance for us Our team executed the right call to pit That proved smart Furthermore super-happy to win here and remain competitive to the end, incredible

Final Grand Prix Positions

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

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina The circuit itself does not create the most thrilling racing, but yet again this twilight race features an contest which promises to be every bit as thrilling as Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or the Dutch driver's much-debated first title in twenty-twenty-one