Verstappen win sets up final-race decider

Max Verstappen boosted his late bid for a fifth successive drivers’ world championship on Sunday when he took full advantage of a McLaren strategic blunder to complete a sensational hat-trick of victories at the Qatar Grand Prix.

- Agencies

The Red Bull driver made an immediate pit-stop during an early safety car intervention, when McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris stayed out, and he capitalised by driving with cool precision to triumph in convincing style.

His win lifted him into second place in the title race with 396 points, 12 behind series leader Norris who finished fourth on a disappointing evening for him and the Woking-based team who were stunned by the outcome.

Pole-sitter Piastri slipped to third, but trimmed his deficit to Norris to 18 points with one race remaining in Abu Dhabi next Sunday where Verstappen has won four times in the last five years.