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Verstappen capitalized on a strategy call from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an initial safety car period

It was a costly decision that sacrificed track position to Verstappen in the final stages and retrospectively cost the race win for the Australian driver

Race Results and Championship Implications

The race winner won to take his seventh victory of the season, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was second and the British driver fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver won himself an additional points by passing the Mercedes driver's Silver Arrow on the penultimate lap

Norris has been left with a twelve point advantage over his rival, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to the final race on December 5-7

To win the championship, the British driver must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if his rival takes victory next Sunday

Key Moments of the Thrilling Race

• McLaren's choice not to stop when a safety car was deployed on lap seven for a crash between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by Piastri to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to challenge the leader came to nothing
• A surprise podium finish for the Williams driver gifted by McLaren's strategy call

The Way The British Team Missed Out in The Race

The fateful moment for the team was when Gasly and Hulkenberg collided as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of the first corner on lap seven

Hulkenberg's car was left damaged beside the track This triggered the yellow flag

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

With Pirelli imposing a twenty-five lap maximum usage on the tires, that signified anyone who made a stop at that moment was committed to a rigid strategy with a second stop on lap 32

Driver Responses and After the Event Comments

No words

The McLaren driver commented in his after-race interview: Clearly we didn't get it right tonight I drove the best race I could, as quick as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my best but didn't get it done

The race winner stated: That represented an amazing performance for us We made the right call to box That proved smart Furthermore super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the head, remarkable

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

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

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not produce the most exciting racing, but once again this twilight race features an contest which promises to be every bit as thrilling as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's much-debated initial championship in twenty-twenty-one