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The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from the British team that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an initial safety car deployment

It was a expensive choice that gave up track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and in hindsight cost the victory for the Australian driver

Grand Prix Results and Title Implications

The race winner won to take his 7th win of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Australian was second and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams of the Spanish driver

Norris earned an extra two points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the second-to-last lap

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

To win the championship, the British driver must finish at least third at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen takes victory next Sunday

Key Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• McLaren's decision not to pit when a safety car was deployed on lap seven for a crash between the French team's Pierre Gasly and the Swiss team's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by Piastri to advance his last pit stop in a desperate attempt to catch Verstappen came to nothing
• A unexpected second podium for the Williams driver gifted by the team's tactical decision

How The British Team Lost Out in The Race

The critical moment for the team was when the two drivers came together as the German tried to pass the Frenchman around the outside of the first corner on lap seven

Hulkenberg's car was left 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 enforcing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that signified anyone who pitted at that moment was locked into a fixed plan with a additional pit stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Responses and After the Event Statements

Speechless

Piastri added in his post-race conversation: Clearly we made mistakes tonight I drove the strongest performance I was capable of, as fast as I possible, but there was nothing left out there Tried my best but didn't get it done

The race winner said: This was an incredible race for us Our team executed the right call to pit That proved smart And super-happy to win here and remain competitive to the head, incredible

Ultimate Grand Prix Positions

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

Looking Ahead

The all-important championship finale at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit This venue does not create the most thrilling racing, but once again this twilight race features an event which appears set to become every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in 2010, or Verstappen's much-debated initial championship in twenty-twenty-one