Qatar GP 2024: Max Verstappen wins after Lando Norris penalty

Verstappen put himself in position to win the race at the start. He had taken pole position on Saturday, before being demoted one place behind Mercedes’ George Russell for driving too slowly during the session.

Verstappen made his typically good start, getting up the inside of the Mercedes on the run to Turn One, and taking the lead.

As they washed slightly wide, Norris went up the inside to pass Russell, but Verstappen fended off the McLaren on the run to Turn Two.

Verstappen and Norris ran together at the front for half the race, the gap never more than two seconds, as Russell started to fall back from them with Norris’ team’s mate Oscar Piastri putting him under pressure.

As the leader, Verstappen always had the advantage, but the destiny of the race was up in the air until Norris was judged to have transgressed in failing to slow for a yellow caution flag.

During the safety-car period, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc jumped Piastri in the pits to take what became second place with Norris’ penalty. Leclerc is now just eight points behind Norris in their battle for second in the drivers’ championship.

Russell, who had fallen back with a slow pit stop made under racing conditions before the safety car, took fourth place despite a five-second penalty for a safety car infringement, ahead of a strong drive from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who was passed by Russell but managed to hold off the recovering Sainz in the final part of the race.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso took seventh, while Sauber scored their first points of the year with Zhou Guanyu in eighth, ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and the recovering Norris, who took 10th after dropping to the back with his penalty.