In an eventful but not overly exciting race, Max Verstappen took an easy victory in Qatar, while with Lando Norris's mistake, the constructors' championship was practically open before the final race.
George Russell got off to a good start, but Max Verstappen reacted even better and immediately took the lead. Lando Norris, in third place, almost trapped the two, and after two corners, he was already fighting for the lead, but Verstappen repelled his attack. In the backstretch, Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon collided, which first led to a yellow flag and then a safety car phase. The other Williams was also unlucky: Alexander Albon was put out of the race by Lance Stroll, but at least he was able to continue the race. Nico Hülkenberg, meanwhile, was rewarded with a puncture after his dive...
Verstappen handled the restart well, but behind him there were no major changes, with only Oscar Piastri managing to gain positions. While the race had started with fireworks, it flattened out so much in the middle that a pack formed. Verstappen, Norris, Russell, the two Ferraris, and the others... We only saw battles and mistakes in the rear regions, but these didn't really raise the pulse. The pit stops could have begun, but Russell made a big mistake, which practically eliminated him from the upcoming battles. His place and his chances of a podium were taken by the Scuderia Ferrari drivers, who demonstrated good tire management with a one-stop strategy.
A serious problem arose when Alexander Albon's wing mirror broke and remained in the middle of the straight, causing a series of punctures... Another safety car followed, another restart, during which Verstappen, with unheated tires, made a mistake that Norris should have easily overtaken. This didn't happen, so the order remained the same as before. However, another safety car arrived, and more drama... Norris received a penalty for failing to respect a yellow flag phase, and the ten seconds meant that the Briton was struggling to score points. Meanwhile, at the front, the order was Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, and this didn't change until the finish.
