Max Verstappen, who had lost his pole position due to an incident with George Russell during qualifying, managed to retaliate against the Mercedes driver at the start of the race.
In Lusail, Qatar, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched another victory at the Qatar Grand Prix, following his recent Formula 1 drivers’ title. The race was filled with incidents, and Lando Norris received a penalty that ultimately thwarted his chances of competing for the win.
Verstappen, who had initially dropped to second place after a clash with George Russell, swiftly took revenge on his rival from Mercedes as soon as the race commenced.
Verstappen got alongside Russell to take the inside line into the first corner, then fended off a challenge from Norris into the next turn.
The race was packed with incidents as the safety car came out three times and Norris was dropped to the back of the field with a penalty for failing to slow under yellow warning flags. Charles Leclerc was second for Ferrari and Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was third.
Verstappen, who won his fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas last week, has won two of the last three races after not having had a victory since June before that.
AP auto racing: