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The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car period

It was a costly decision that sacrificed track position to the Red Bull driver in the final stages and retrospectively threw away the race win for Piastri

Race Results and Championship Consequences

The race winner triumphed to take his 7th win of the campaign, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was runner-up and the Briton fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

Norris earned an additional points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been maintained a twelve point lead over Verstappen, who moved ahead of his teammate by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on December 5-7

To secure the championship, Norris must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if his rival takes victory next Sunday

Critical Moments of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• McLaren's choice not to stop when a safety car was called on lap seven for a crash between the French team's Pierre Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision led by the Australian to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to challenge Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A unexpected podium finish for the Williams driver gifted by the team's strategy call

The Way The British Team Missed Out in The Race

The fateful point for McLaren was when the two drivers collided as the German tried to overtake the Gasly around the outside 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 left exactly 50 laps left in the grand prix

With the tire manufacturer imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was locked into a fixed plan with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Responses and After the Event Comments

No words

Piastri added in his post-race interview: Clearly we made mistakes tonight I drove the best race I was capable of, as quick as I possible, but there was no more pace out there Tried my utmost but couldn't secure victory

Verstappen stated: That represented an amazing performance for us Our team executed the right call to box It was intelligent And super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the head, incredible

Ultimate Race Positions

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

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not produce the most thrilling competition, but yet again this evening event hosts an contest which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's much-debated first title in twenty-twenty-one