F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Race reaction as Verstappen vents fury at Russell after penalty drama
F1 race reaction as Verstappen wins and Norris drops down the field after a controversial late penalty
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Your support makes all the difference.Max Verstappen followed up securing his fourth world championship by winning a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton suffered another miserable evening in his penultimate Mercedes appearance.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton was penalised twice by the stewards and said his car was “broken” as he finished down in 12th spot in a race which saw Verstappen claim a dominant win.
Lando Norris had been on course to finish runner-up, but he was dealt a severe 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow under waved yellows, dropping him to 10th.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took advantage of Norris’ demise to take second place, six seconds behind Verstappen, and one spot ahead of McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. Russell finished fourth.
Max Verstappen sends expletive-laden message to George Russell after penalty incident
Max Verstappen has told George Russell to “f*** off” after the pair clashed in the stewards’ room after qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix.
Verstappen qualified on pole but after a lengthy deliberation involving both drivers, the stewards gave the 2024 F1 world champion a one-place grid penalty for impeding Russell on a warm-up lap in the final phase of qualifying.
Full piece below:
Max Verstappen sends expletive-laden message to George Russell after penalty incident
Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty after being found to have impeded Russell in qualifying
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Max Verstappen wins the Qatar Grand Prix!
Max Verstappen takes another victory in Lusail - with Charles Leclerc in second and Oscar Piastri in third!
4-10: Russell, Gasly, Sainz, Alonso, Zhou, Magnussen, Norris
Ferrari take the constructors’ battle down to the final race in Abu Dhabi!
What a dramatic end to that race!
Zhou Guanyu after finishing eighth for Sauber’s first points of the year:
“I’m in a much better place, I felt good around there. Happy for the team.
“When you’re working hard and nothing is coming, it’s frustrating. It’s a relief. One to go for the guys and see what the future is.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff:
“That was not a good day at the office, we lost all the balance in the car. Horrific understeer. In any case, the mistakes we collectively made, the drivers, the team, a lot to look at.
“The penalties were brutal, particularly to McLaren. It could cost the championship. It needs to be consistency, if a race director comes in and he has a hard stance, so be it.”
Lewis Hamilton after finishing 12th:
“It didn’t go that great, these things happen. Don’t judge me by how many times I fall. gonna get up tomorrow and give it another go.
“The car and I don’t get along, we were very far off at the beginning. We didn’t have enough wing to start with, the cars were quite different, it wasn’t great to drive. My fault today, apologies for today, for false start and pit lane incident.
“I’m not thinking about it, even if it finishes like this weekend, that doesn’t define the journey we’ve been on and the journey we’ve had, I’ll give it everything we can.”
George Russell after finishing fourth:
“We didn’t have the pace today. The speed we had totally disappeared, we need to understand why that was.
“P4 was a better result than what we deserved.
“I was right up behind Fernando, I didn’t see the debris. Easy to say in hindsight, not an easy call.
RACE REPORT: Max Verstappen wins chaotic Qatar Grand Prix after surprising Lando Norris penalty
Max Verstappen followed up securing his fourth world championship by winning a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton suffered another miserable evening in his penultimate Mercedes appearance.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton was penalised twice by the stewards and said his car was “broken” as he finished down in 12th spot in a race which saw Verstappen claim a dominant win.
The Dutchman was stripped of pole position in the early hours of Sunday morning after he impeded George Russell in qualifying.
Max Verstappen wins chaotic Qatar Grand Prix after surprising Lando Norris penalty
Norris was given a penalty which dropped him from second to last amid a dramatic end in Lusail
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after finishing second:
“Coming into the weekend, we never said it within the team but we expected McLaren to score more points, so it’s a big surprise. As much as it’s going to be a stretch to get that constructors [title], we will give it all until the last lap. Today was very unexpected to finish above the McLarens, I’m really happy.
“It should be better [Abu Dhabi]. We definitely should be closer to McLaren, they were super strong today.”
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz after finishing sixth:
“Today we lost more than we gained as an opportunity, we had a puncture. I didn’t have time to come into the pits, had to lose a lot of time, the safety car came out when I came out of the pits. A very unlucky situation which cost us a lot of race time.
“Sometimes racing is like that.
“The race was running smoothly up until then, I didn’t expect it to happen. I got a sudden puncture, a very unlucky situation.”
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