McLaren close gap on Aston Martin as champion Verstappen wins 14th race
Max Verstappen won his first race since being crowned a three-time world champion on Saturday as McLaren inflicted a huge team standing points shift on rivals Aston Martin in Qatar.
Dutchman Verstappen won in the Middle East having been confirmed as world champion after Saturday’s sprint race.
McLaren duo Oscar Piastri – who finished second yesterday and won the sprint race – and Lando Norris completed the podium yesterday and ensured that their constructor gained 38 points on Aston Martin in the team standings.
Financial payouts at the end of the season lessen the lower down the team table a constructor is and differences in placement could result in financial gains of over £10m.
McLaren points mean prizes
Red Bull have won the team title and Mercedes and Ferrari make up the top three, but McLaren’s huge points gain yesterday cuts the gap between them in fifth and Aston Martin in fourth to 11 points – the Woking based outfit are 79 points and 107 points behind Ferrari and Mercedes in third and second.
Drivers were struggling in the heat of Qatar last night as Verstappen won his 14th race of the season.
Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton collided on the first lap with seven-time world champion Hamilton forced out of the race.
Russell finished fourth with Charles Leclerc making up the top five.
Fernando Alonso came home in sixth with Esteban Ocon in seventh, Valtteri Bottas in eighth and Zhou Guanyu and Sergio Perez rounding out the top 10.
The season continues in two weeks as the Formula 1 paddock heads to Austin and the Circuit of the Americas in Texas.