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Verstappen benefited from a strategy call from the British team that flew in the face of decisions made by every other team during an initial safety car deployment

This proved to be a expensive choice that gave up track position to Verstappen in the final stages and in hindsight cost the race win for Piastri

Grand Prix Outcome and Title Consequences

Verstappen won to take his 7th victory of the campaign, equalling the McLaren drivers, while the Australian was runner-up and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

The McLaren driver earned an additional points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

Norris has been maintained a 12-point lead over his rival, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on December 5-7

To secure the title, the British driver must finish at least third at Yas Marina if Verstappen wins the race next Sunday

Critical Moments of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• McLaren's decision not to stop when a yellow flag was deployed on lap seven for a crash between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by the Australian to bring forward his final stop in a desperate attempt to challenge Verstappen came to nothing
• A surprise second podium for Sainz handed by McLaren's tactical decision

How The British Team Missed Out in The Race

The critical moment for McLaren was when the two drivers collided as the Hulkenberg tried to overtake the Gasly around the outside of the first corner on the seventh lap

The German's car was damaged beside the track That brought out the safety car

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the grand prix

With the tire manufacturer imposing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who made a stop at that moment was locked into a fixed plan with a second stop on lap 32

Competitor Responses and After the Event Statements

No words

The McLaren driver added in his after-race conversation: Clearly we didn't get it right tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as fast as I could, but there was no more pace out there Tried my utmost but didn't get it done

The race winner said: This was an amazing performance for us We made the correct decision to pit That proved smart Furthermore super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the end, incredible

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

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

Looking Ahead

The crucial title decider at the Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most exciting racing, but yet again this twilight race features an event which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's maiden championship in 2010, or Verstappen's much-debated first title in 2021