Max Verstappen won a controversial and incident-filled Qatar Grand Prix as Lando Norris lost second place after a stop/go penalty.
Norris was penalised by the stewards for failing to slow under a yellow flag. That promoted Charles Leclerc up to second, with Oscar Piastri completing the podium.At the start, Verstappen took advantage of the inside line to get ahead of pole sitter George Russell at the start, then fended off Lando Norris on his outside into turn two to take the lead. The Safety Car was deployed on the opening lap, following a three-car clash between Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto which saw the latter two retire with damaged cars.
The race restarted at the start of the fifth lap, with Verstappen leading away Norris, Russell and Piastri. Verstappen pulled quickly out of DRS range from the McLaren behind, helped by Norris running into the gravel in between turns four and five.
Verstappen led through the opening stint, but Norris never let the race leader escape more than three seconds away. There was a yellow flag along the pit straight when a loose wing mirror ended up on the circuit. Verstappen asked Red Bull to report Norris for failing to back off under yellow flags, which the team responded they would.
The yellow flag was rescinded despite the debris still remaining on track. Eventually, Valtteri Bottas ran over the mirror littering the circuit with more debris. Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jnr both suffered punctures and the Safety Car was deployed.
Verstappen and Norris both pitted for hard tyres, but confusion over the restart allowed Norris to challenge Verstappen for the lead. Norris was repelled and the Safety Car was deployed before the end of the restart lap after Sergio Perez pulled off track and Nico Hulkenberg spun out.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Verstappen’s second restart was better than his first and allowed him to stay in the lead. But the stewards announced that Norris had been handed a ten second stop-go penalty for speeding under yellow flags, dropping him out of contention for the victory.
Norris immediately pitted to serve his penalty, with Verstappen simply checking off the final laps to secure his ninth win of the season. Charles Leclerc finished in second place, with Oscar Piastri completing the podium in third.
George Russell finished fourth and held the position despite being handed a five second time penalty post-race for a Safety Car infringement. Pierre Gasly finished fifth ahead of Sainz who recovered to sixth.
Fernando Alonso scored Aston Martin’s first points since Singapore in seventh, with Zhou Guanyu finally breaking Sauber’s points drought in eighth. Kevin Magnussen finished ninth with Norris taking the final point in tenth.
The race result means the constructors’ championship battle will go down to the final round next weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories - and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2024 Qatar Grand Prix
- Horner ‘believes 100%’ Verstappen did not threaten to crash into Russell
- Russell and Verstappen cast new light on clash which triggered explosive row
- Hamilton’s puncture not caused by mirror debris – Mercedes
- Another start-to-finish win shows Qatar GP could be F1’s most processional race
- “Am I dead last now?” Unheard radio from Hamilton’s disastrous Qatar GP
Jere (@jerejj)
1st December 2024, 17:54
Two rookie errors by Hulkenberg, a great race by both Gasly & Zhou, especially the latter, but also decent drives by Alonso & Magnussen.
Otherwise, the late-season phase has become a bit more akin to the early-season one.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
1st December 2024, 17:55
Lando doing for McLaren’s Constructors Championship hopes what he did to his Drivers Championship opportunity.
McLaren have given him a fantastic car. Norris really needs to up his game as, as it stands, he’s not good enough to win the championship.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 18:12
You mean the RD and stewards. I’m no Norris fan, but the severity of that penalty was a joke, especially since, as Palmer said, all it takes to avoid the penalty is feathering the throttle to show you’ve lifted, which makes no difference in terms of driving safely. If this was a double yellow I could understand. It was a yellow with no marshals on track. At least they were consistent in making themselves look ridiculous with making themselves look silly since quali yesterday.
A bright side to this farce is that MBS is going to be ultimately blamed for this and his position will become more untenable than ever.
BasCB (@bascb)
1st December 2024, 18:14
Hitting on NORRIS for the mess of race control / stewarding there.
RH
1st December 2024, 18:15
A double yellow was waved by the Marshalls even after it flashed green. It was a joke of a penalty but Norris didn’t do his bit.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
1st December 2024, 19:13
The penalty was severe but is irrelevant. Norris has not been good enough when it mattered.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 19:39
I agree about his shortcoming, but I’m talking about the penalty’s severity and especially the general cynicism of how these things are treated.
Namely, why I find this whole thing especially absurd + ironic is because what we’re really talking about here is the diff between pretending to respect the yellow – a momentary feathering of the throttle which barely alters the speed – and failing to pretend, which is how drivers handle single yellows on a straight. So, while a penalty is justified, the severity is not.
BMW P85 V10
1st December 2024, 20:38
Verstappen drove 259Kp/h norris drove 323 Kp/h. Looks like Verstappen did a little bit more than feathering the throttle. The penalty is harsh, but comes straight from the rule book.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 22:05
Thanks. That changes my view of the incident. He definitely deserved a penalty, but a 10-second stop go was way too harsh let alone with a few laps left and after an SC closed up the entire field.
notagrumpyfan
1st December 2024, 19:21
Not sure what the RD did wrong there.
I agree that the penalty was too severe; but even with a lighter penalty it would’ve been many points lost due to a stupid mistake.
SteveP
2nd December 2024, 17:51
The Race Director does not make the judgement on penalty/no penalty, nor do they issue the penalty – that’s the job of the stewards.
Ask instead why the stewards handed out a penalty on the harsher end of the scale available to them.
Nikos (@exeviolthor)
1st December 2024, 20:16
I was a double yellow.
Nikos (@exeviolthor)
1st December 2024, 20:19
*it
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 22:06
It wasn’t a double yellow. A double yellow means “slow down dramatically and be prepared to stop.”
prelvu (@prelvu)
2nd December 2024, 1:00
Karma was a rough one on George
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
1st December 2024, 18:30
Why was it flashing green and yellow? Was that just online or also to the drivers?
Leo B
1st December 2024, 19:51
There is no severity about the penalty. It is stipulated as 10 sec: if the driver fails to lift off.
Max was clever enough not to be caught out as well as noting that Norris seemed not to slow as required.
Osnola
1st December 2024, 23:07
Max did slow considerable. Norris kept his foot down
j3d89
2nd December 2024, 2:54
i even thought he went off in sector 1… cuz max was 1.8 then 1.2 so clearly max lifted and norris didnt
Edvaldo
1st December 2024, 17:57
The new race director really wanted to show his mark, heh? Can’t even remember the last time i saw a drive-through penalty and in just his 2nd race, he issues one.
Couldn’t they wait for next season to start this new approach?
Red Andy (@red-andy)
1st December 2024, 18:01
The stewards issue the penalties, not the race director, so that wouldn’t account for the severity of Lando’s penalty (which I think was correct, on balance – respecting the flags is the first thing you learn in motorsport, after all).
The race director, on the other hand, should absolutely be held accountable for leaving a broken wing mirror on the track until it inevitably ruined some people’s races. Preferably with the same treatment Wittich got.
Edvaldo
1st December 2024, 18:07
It was so easy to avoid all that confusion, they didn’t even need to call a SC or a VSC, there was a huge gap between cars in which it could be done, but somehow they flagged the sector and did NOTHING about it.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
1st December 2024, 18:15
@red-andy I agree to some extent but at the same time, F1 is leaving a mirror on the only DRS high-speed straight for several laps.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 18:20
This weekend will be remembered for years due to the RD and stewards rather than the racing. From Max’s quali penalty and Stroll’s T3 penalty to the stop-and-go and drive through for for Lando and Lewis, just consistent head scratchers.
Coulthard, an F1TV commentator, said he’d seen nothing like it in his 30+ years of F1. Palmer agreed. F1TV is usually fairly hands of on the stewards and they agreed that the above penalties were all inexplicable. Also even the consistency within the race made no sense: Hulk wipes out two cars by locking up into them and Stroll, while often doing clownish things, gets penalized for being half a car ahead and Albon just thinking he can stick to the middle of the track on the outside. Why, because it’s two turns later? Anything goes at T1, but not T3?
MacLeod (@macleod)
2nd December 2024, 7:53
To be fair they had it about just yellow as they didn’t see the double yellows which Lando was penaultized. those flags were just a moment out …
Werfer (@werfer)
1st December 2024, 18:02
If they waited, they wouldn’t have the hype of a completely open P2 in both the WCC and WDC
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
1st December 2024, 18:16
@werfer I forgot about P2 in the WDC. And the season is practically over Haas and Alpine.
notagrumpyfan
1st December 2024, 19:28
That’s the stewards, not the RD, issuing the drive-through penalty.
Not sure what the stewards were trying to prove this weekend.
Bob
1st December 2024, 18:01
I always find drive-through penalties a bit odd as the severity of the penalty varies depending on the track.
notagrumpyfan
1st December 2024, 19:29
The upside of a drive-through instead of time penalty is that it is (mostly) served before the end of the race.
Grapmg
1st December 2024, 18:01
I don’t understand why it’s “declared” a controversial race? Nothing controversial in penalties for failing to slow under yellow. Makes more sense than driving to slow in qualification.
F1statsfan (@f1statsfan)
1st December 2024, 18:19
Steward decisions were not in favor of British driver so it labelled controversial by Racefans and British media.
To be fair it should have been a drive through for Norris and a 10 second penalty for Lewis.
Curious how many penalty points they get.
Far more controversial was Norris and George not being penalized for breaking race start procedure putting marshals at risk.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 18:22
I am always complaining about the Brits being favored by the stewards and media, but all those penalties were a complete joke. You’re just failing to show any objectivity and basically asking for retroactive justice. I want consistency and a light touch.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
1st December 2024, 18:42
I was under the impression that a 10 seconds stop/go is the only possible penalty for speeding under yellow flags when the there are no mitigating circumstances. The Verstappen penalty was sensible too. Teams and drivers really need to get their act together when they’re messing with the lap time delta in qualifying as these speed differences are quite dangerous. Also I liked that Hamilton got a drive through for speeding in the pit lane as it was indeed erratic and dangerous with all the cars driving through it at the same time. So all three penalties are safety related and I do sympathize with the idea to penalize them harshly. And the timing is also convenient so they know what to expect from next year.
The only thing I criticize is the delay of the safety car. They should have the mirror being removed immediately instead of letting it be run over. I guess they were reluctant to allow everyone the cheap and free stop which would probably have settled an already boring race, but again, it’s safety that is paramount and not a tense race finish.
Grapmg
1st December 2024, 18:52
Vasseur also said the 10s stop and go is a standard penalty. I basically agree with your comments about the penalty’s. With hindsight they should have removed the mirror earlier.
Ludewig
1st December 2024, 19:45
@roadrunner
No, since they let drivers ignore that rule during the rest of the season and all drivers but Max during this race. If they suddenly want to interpret rules differently, they should notify the drivers/teams in advance and then apply them consistently.
MichaelN
1st December 2024, 21:19
There is no such thing, the rules don’t prescribe penalties like that.
The stewards (rightly) see this as a serious offense, but not instantly DSQ worthy without aggravating circumstances, so that makes the stop and go the harshest possible penalty.
Illusive (@illusive)
1st December 2024, 18:34
Was the same tone added yesterday when Max got a penalty? Controversial pole for George?
CarWars (@maxv)
1st December 2024, 18:08
F1 steward driving soap opera continues.
Paul (@frankjaeger)
1st December 2024, 18:11
The racefans calendar had the race down as 6pm so I missed it!
Gilles Amon (@gillesamon)
1st December 2024, 19:17
Same here.
azd_lowry (@azd_lowry)
1st December 2024, 19:20
Same here. Turned on the TV to watch the build up and it was already lap 50. Glad I recorded it.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
1st December 2024, 19:27
Haha, glad to see others had the same issue, I thought I was being daft.
Esteban
2nd December 2024, 3:20
COTD!
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 22:12
That’s funny. I always wondered why they even bothered those how to watch articles. I assumed no one read/used it as a reference, but either used the F1 website, their F1TV app or their TV provider’s channel guide.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
2nd December 2024, 1:36
You don’t have to worry about missing races nowadays: just as an example, search race replay on google, should lead you here:
https://watchf1full.com/newvideos.php
These sites have all races, all qualis, all practice sessions for not only f1 but also minor series, more so in recent years ofc, and they come up very fast, even just 2h after a race ended.
I personally realised the race had started since 12 mins when I remembered of it, so I simply did my stuff, didn’t open any f1 related websites and checked it a few hours later, bonus of being able to fast forward boring periods, such as when the SC already bunched up the field or red flags when they happen.
Jon
1st December 2024, 18:14
Wwe F1. It’s not F1 it’s F1 entertainment. They will be fitting banana skins next
Edvaldo
1st December 2024, 18:29
Yeah, i’m under the impression they left that rearview mirror there for so long to spice things up sooner or later, there’s no other explanation.
WWE at least doesn’t pretend to be anything other than entertainment.
RH
1st December 2024, 18:17
Good win by Max. The 10s stop-go ruined a fantastic fight for the win. Norris was flying on the hards. Mediums, both Verstappen and Norris were in their own league pushing every other lap.
Anyways, Red Bull looks like it might be back to being competitive for at least one stint in the right conditions like Miami/Spain/Austria/Canda/Imola.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
1st December 2024, 18:18
+1 it’s a complete and utter joke.
t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
1st December 2024, 18:22
Felt more like WWE than F1 at times.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 18:24
Stewards Slam Down 23: Inexplicable Penalties to the Xtreme!
Stephen Taylor
1st December 2024, 18:27
Whilst the delay in the deployment of the first SC (which should probably have been a VSC anyway) to retrieve that mirror was a joke, as a Lando fan ( and I might be in minority amongst Lando fans online) I have no problem with the stewards giving a stop and go penalty . I thought he might have got a drive through like Lewis got for speeding in the pit lane but I have no problem with award of of a stop-go penalty and presumably a good number of penalty points. Driving infringements that potentially endanger safety should be severely punished and I think this current crop of drivers have become too use to getting smaller softer time penalties. As long as other drivers are given the same penalty going forward for speeding under yellows then i’m fine with the penalty Lando got.
Illusive (@illusive)
1st December 2024, 18:32
Great victory for Max after a ridiculous penalty yesterday, equally ridiculous penalty for Lando, but nothing out of the ordinary since we have seen Max severely penalized for small things in the past.
Verstappen01
1st December 2024, 19:34
What’s clear is that Hamilton is the most overrated driver ever. He has been beaten by mediocre drivers such as Button, Rosberg and now Russell. He is now running away to Ferrari to avoid further humiliation at the hands of Russell and he will be outpointed by Leclerc. Hahaha!
Jack
1st December 2024, 19:44
It looked like Bottas deliberately drove over the mirror
It added some excitement to the race though
MichaelN
1st December 2024, 21:12
Bottas is a bit of a doofus when it comes to stuff like this. He has a history of parking his car in the most ill-conceived places, requiring a full safety car to recover.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 22:14
lol Doofus is such a great word. It even sounds like what it means.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
1st December 2024, 19:48
Great drive by VER start to finish. Everything else was garbage. HAM is lucky to be leaving Mercedes. 7 second pit stop for RUS and they put him on the hards twice even though they could light them up. Yellow flags for lap after lap in the one DRS zone. Drive through penalties are back which is good. Doubt we’ll see them again though.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 22:16
Mercedes putting Russell on hards again was wild. However, it is possible they were out of mediums.
Robert Williams (@weiliwen)
1st December 2024, 19:50
Whose mirror was it, anyway?
Haas Khan (@haas918)
1st December 2024, 20:39
I am so happy for Zhou. Sauber in the points, finally!
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
2nd December 2024, 0:47
only positive of the day imo.
MichaelN
1st December 2024, 21:17
Surprised Albon wasn’t penalized for running Magnussen off the road. These Xbox antics have no place in F1. But I guess the stewards don’t care if it doesn’t happen at the front of the field. Poor form.
Piastri a bit lackluster losing to Leclerc given the pace Norris showed earlier, and speaking of which, Norris is really not doing himself nor his team any favours. The contrast between the constant critical and even derisive comments about Ferrari in 2018 and McLaren now this is also astounding. They’ve messed up so badly this year when they’ve often been in a much better position than Ferrari was back then.
Disappointed Sainz couldn’t clear Gasly. Cost the team a bunch of crucial points. But on a more positive note, it’s great to see Leclerc continuing his fine form. I’m really curious how he’ll fare next to Hamilton.
SPArtacus
1st December 2024, 22:21
Also surprised they gave Stroll a penalty for what was more Albon’s fault if anything while Hulk got nothing for plowing out of control into two cars and putting them out of the race.
Piastri’s pace is consistently disappointing and he’s constantly on the edge of crashing in quali despite being down 20-3 in quali. There’s really no excuse for his failure to catch Leclerc.
Sainz’s inability to clear Gasly just reinforces how poor Piastri’s pace was in a fast car and how well Leclerc drove. He’s lucky the race was thrown into chaos.
Mooa42
2nd December 2024, 6:13
So as i remember Piastri overtook Leclerc earlier in the race and Leclerc lucked into second because of the safety car.
Not sure what else Piastri could have done. Seemed like no one could overtake unless there was a significant tyre delta.
Oscar certainly doesn’t qualify as well but he is certainly getting better. Stella said if they put all their best sectors together during Q3 Lando and Piastri got the same time. Last year when Piastri qualified 4 or 5 tenths off Lando it was because he was slow across the whole lap, now it is usually because he makes a mistake in one corner and the rest of the lap is within often a 100th of a second, I see that as a good progression.
Alex
2nd December 2024, 3:14
Norris, Hamilton and Russell. All of them penalised, lost and defeated. Priceless…