F1 Qatar Grand Prix: Max Verstappen Takes 14th Win of 2023 Season as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell Collide

The Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix was marked by Max Verstappen's dominant performance and was notable for the mandatory tyre stint lengths implemented in response to safety concerns. Oscar Piastri finished second after chasing race winner Max Verstappen for the majority of the race, and Lando Norris finished third after starting from tenth on the grid. Verstappen expertly blocked George Russell's attempt to pass at the inside of Turn 1. Lewis Hamilton, who had begun with soft tyres – the front-row starters began with medium tyres – tried to make a move on his Mercedes teammate. Fast passing the medium-equipped car, the soft-shod W14 made contact with it in front of Verstappen, rupturing Hamilton's right rear tyre and sending him into a gravel spin. Russell also spun and dropped to the back of the field.

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F1 Qatar Grand Prix: Lusail International Circuit Race Result

After three pit stops, on lap 51, Verstappen switched back to medium tyres and won by 4.8 seconds. As a result of the issues with the front left tyre, this pit stop took 4.1 seconds longer than expected and ultimately cut into Verstappen's lead over Piastri.

Oscar Piastri, fresh off his first F1 victory in the sprint race, held off teammate Lando Norris to finish second after Max Verstappen. This was McLaren's second consecutive day with a double-podium finish. The race got off to a rocky start, with Russell crashing into Hamilton on the opening lap and having to make four pit stops; however, the former eventually worked his way back up to fourth place, while Hamilton had to pull out of the race.

Due to an engine problem, Carlos Sainz was unable to take part, leaving Charles Leclerc as the sole Ferrari driver in the race. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin finished sixth, followed by Alpine's Esteban Ocon and the two drivers for Alfa Romeo, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. Despite having to start from the pit lane, Sergio Perez still managed to earn the final point towards the championship.

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F1 Qatar Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz Withdraws from the Lusail International Circuit Race

After qualifying disappointingly on Friday, Carlos Sainz was dealt an unexpected setback from his original plan to start in the twelfth position. He was only 0.031 seconds away from advancing to the third and final round of that session. Sainz was scheduled to race in his Ferrari, but an issue with the car's fuel system meant that he would have to sit out of the race at the last minute.

Ferrari's mechanics put in countless hours to fix Sainz's SF-23 and get it race-ready. They were unable to resolve the problem in time for the race to start at 8 p.m. Qatar local time.

The Italian team released a brief statement explaining that Carlos Sainz would not be able to compete in the Qatar Grand Prix because of a problem with his car's fuel system. Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc, who started the race from the fifth position on the grid, finished 5th. The race was won by Max Verstappen, the newly crowned three times world champion.