With no room for celebrations, the new three‑time Formula 1 world champion spoke after finishing the World Championship in the sprint race on Saturday. Verstappen returned to the track to cement his status, turning in a quiet, decisive victory at the Qatar Grand Prix. This result places him fourteenth in his personal season rankings and forty‑ninth in his career. With the drivers’ and constructors’ titles already decided, Verstappen and Red Bull could ignite a series of events over the remaining five races on the calendar.
The podium fight featured Fernando Alonso submerged in the moment, bringing a bit of drama to the Losail circuit. McLaren, alongside Red Bull, claimed to have the fastest car of the weekend, while Oscar Piastri won the sprint and then secured a second place on the podium after a fierce duel with his teammate. Lando Norris finished third. Alonso finished sixth, marking a better‑than‑expected weekend for Aston Martin overall.
Max Verstappen, three‑time Formula 1 champion: from child prodigy to lethal driver
Chaos at Mercedes
Tire strategy, always a pivotal factor in modern racing, grew even more influential as the FIA ruled that no tire set could last more than 18 laps on the demanding Losail surface. Drivers faced at least three pit stops to complete the 57‑lap race.
The race opened with Verstappen executing a flawless start. Hamilton, on soft, aggressive rubber, disrupted his teammate Russell, causing a collision that sent the seven‑time champion into the gravel. Russell recovered to continue, but he fell to the back. Piastri and Alonso benefited from the incident, finishing second and third respectively, just ahead of the first safety car.
It was a moment of shock for Mercedes. Hamilton and Russell’s crash opened the door for Alonso to climb to third. The incident sparked a flurry of reactions from the team and fans alike.
Carlos Sainz’s absence loomed large after Ferrari mechanics found a fuel leak they could not repair before the start. Leclerc became Ferrari’s sole hope for challenging Mercedes for the battle for second place, but Hamilton’s retirement diluted Mercedes’ advantage.
Alonso faced a double scare
Verstappen maintained peak pace, widening the gap as Piastri resisted Alonso’s pressure after exiting the track, with Alonso narrowly avoiding a crash and holding his ground in the battle. Leclerc crept closer, though he had fewer laps available than the Spaniard to close the gap.
The moment demanded a calm, emergency response that Alonso delivered, keeping a position that kept him in contention for podium honors.
The pit lane stage began with Alonso making a bold first stop that moved him ahead of Leclerc, only for a late‑race twist to shake the order again as Alonso faced further challenges on track where a whiplash incident had briefly unsettled him.
On his second lap over the potholes, Fernando attempted a hard pass that came with a setback, costing him nine seconds and complicating the chase with Russell and Leclerc. A five‑second penalty for Pérez for track limits also influenced the order, and the two McLaren drivers, Piastri and Norris, kept up their pace to shadow Verstappen on the virtual podium, as Russell sat more than eleven seconds behind.
Logan Sargeant showed endurance strain, stepping away from Williams due to dehydration concerns. In the final stops, Alonso pressed toward fifth place, while the intense heat in Qatar pushed several drivers to the edge. At one point he asked his team to pour water on his seat as a cooling measure, noting, “I’m literally burning up.”
Verstappen crossed the line alone, with Piastri five seconds behind. Norris overtook Russell to claim third, and Alonso slipped to sixth as Leclerc’s Ferrari rose to the fifth position. The result provided Fernando with valuable points in the fight for third in the World Championship standings, while Hamilton remained a distant figure in the title race.