Beijing: Newly-crowned 2023 F1 World Champion Max Verstappen continued his dominant form with victory in Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit.
Having confirmed his third consecutive Driver’s title after finishing second in Saturday’s Sprint race, Red Bull’s Verstappen started the Grand Prix from pole, reports Xinhua.
Unusually, pre-race concerns over tyre safety meant drivers were restricted to no more than 18 laps of running before having to pit for new rubber, and the oppressive heat and humidity proved a physically demanding challenge, with Williams’ Logan Sargeant forced to retire after feeling unwell midway through the race.
However, Verstappen took everything in typically imperturbable fashion, and after evading a first-corner collision between the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman was never threatened as he cruised to his 14th win in 17 Grands Prix so far this season.
“I think what made the race was my first stint. After that, I could just manage my pace and make sure the tyres were always in a good window,” said Verstappen afterwards.
“It was definitely a tough race out there, one of the toughest I’ve done. Top five, probably.”
Behind Verstappen, McLaren continued their impressive recent form, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris taking another 2-3 finish for the Woking squad as they close on fourth-placed Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship.
Russell recovered from his Lap 1 tangle with Hamilton to climb from the back of the field to fourth place by the flag, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso.
Esteban Ocon took seventh for Alpine, ahead of the two Alfa Romeos of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, with the pair respectively equalling their best finishes of 2023 so far.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez had a difficult race, starting from the pitlane and receiving two separate five-second time penalties for exceeding track limits, before ultimately being classified tenth.
In addition to Sargeant, the only other driver not to see the chequered flag was Hamilton, who was pitched into a spin by Russell on Lap 1 and found himself beached in a sand trap, though a contrite Hamilton later accepted responsibility for the tangle.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz failed even to take the start after his Ferrari sprang a fuel leak before the race.
Verstappen’s latest win moves him onto 433 points, and with five Grands Prix and two Sprint races still to come in 2023, the Dutchman seems certain to overhaul his own record of most points in a single season, which currently stands at 454.
Perez remains second in the Drivers’ standings with 225, and despite not scoring, Hamilton stays third on 190.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull’s tally now stands at 658 points, with the drinks-backed squad on course to better Mercedes’ all-time single-season record of 765 points from 2016.
Mercedes stay second with 326 points, and Ferrari are third with 298.
The 18th round of the 2023 F1 season is the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin on October 22.
–IANS
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