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The championship contender benefited from a strategy call from McLaren that flew in the face of decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car period

It was a expensive choice that gave up track position to Verstappen in the closing laps and retrospectively cost the victory for Piastri

Race Results and Title Implications

Verstappen triumphed to take his seventh victory of the season, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was runner-up and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams car of the Spanish driver

Norris earned an additional points by overtaking Kimi Antonelli's Silver Arrow on the second-to-last lap

The championship leader has been left with a 12-point lead over his rival, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to the final race on 5-7 December

To win the championship, the British driver must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if Verstappen wins the race next race day

Critical Moments of the Thrilling Race

• The team's decision not to stop when a safety car was called on lap seven for a collision between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Hulkenberg
• A decision initiated by Piastri to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch the leader came to nothing
• A surprise second podium for Sainz handed by McLaren's strategy call

How The British Team Lost Out in The Race

The fateful moment for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg came together as the Hulkenberg tried to overtake the Frenchman around the exterior of the first corner on the seventh lap

Hulkenberg's car was damaged beside the circuit This triggered 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 enforcing a 25-lap safety limit on the tyres, that signified anyone who made a stop at that time was committed to a rigid strategy with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Competitor Responses and After the Event Statements

No words

The McLaren driver commented in his post-race conversation: Clearly we made mistakes tonight My driving was the best race I was capable of, as quick as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Tried my best but didn't get it done

Verstappen stated: That represented an amazing performance for us We made the right call to box It was smart Furthermore extremely pleased to win here and stay in the fight to the end, incredible

Ultimate Race Positions

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

What's Next?

The crucial championship finale at the Yas Marina The circuit itself does not produce the most thrilling competition, but yet again this evening event features an event which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Sebastian Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's highly controversial initial championship in 2021