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F1 Qatar Grand Prix results: Yellow flags, penalties, and Max wins again

Harsh penalties changed the outcomes

Formula 1 race cars during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.
Courtesy of Formula 1

The F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix was an exciting race but disappointing for key Formula 1 players. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who won the pole position in the Qualifying event, had to start at P2 because of an F1 Track Steward penalty. Still, he won the race anyway, adding to his already Championship-winning points margin over all other drivers. Yellow flags and penalties during the Grand Prix affected the outcomes of the Grand Prix.

Driver disappointments

Verstappen’s one-place starting grid penalty for the Grand Prix occurred because the Stewards ruled he slowed unnecessarily ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell during the Qualifying event, unfairly affecting Russell’s fast lap time.

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Stewards also penalized McLaren’s Lando Norris during a yellow flag period, when drivers cannot pass other cars and must at least feather their accelerators to slow down. The Stewards ruled that Norris didn’t slow down and gave him a 10-second penalty, effectively costing him 35 seconds because he had to drive through the pit lane to stop for 10 seconds.

Norris had been running just behind Verstappen before the yellow flag and looked to be in a good spot to finish the race that way to build the team points. Primarily because of the penalty, Norris finished in tenth place, earning one point for McLaren instead of the 18 points he could have won, finishing second.

The yellow flag that was Norris’ undoing occurred when a mirror from Williams driver Alex Albon’s car fell on the track. The Stewards continued the race because the mirror was out of the racing line. Sauer driver Valtteri Bottas drove over the mirror and shattered it, scattering carbon fiber bits over the track and nearly immediately puncturing tires on two other cars. At that point, the Stewards imposed the yellow flag.

Driver Championship points:

Max Verstappen Red Bull 429
Lando Norris McLaren 349
Charles Leclerc Ferrari 341
Oscar Piastri McLaren 291
Carlos Sainz Ferrari 272
George Russell Mercedes 235
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 211
Sergio Perez Red Bull 152
Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 68
Nico Hulkenberg Haas 37
Pierre Gasly Alpine 36
Yuki Tsunoda RB 30
Lance Stroll Aston Martin 24
Esteban Ocon Alpine 23
Kevin Magnussen Haas 16
Alexander Albon Williams 12
Daniel Ricciardo RB 12
Oliver Bearman Haas 7
Franco Colapinto Williams 5
Liam Lawson RB 4
Guanyu Zhou Sauber 4
Logan Sargeant Williams 0
Valtteri Bottas Sauber 0

The Constructors’ Championship fight

After last week’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren led in points for the Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari was the closest to McLaren, with Red Bull further behind. It would have been possible for McLaren to score enough points at Qatar to lock in the Championship. Because Norris was penalized, McLaren could not shut out Ferrari for the season, even though Oscar Piastri, the second McLaren driver, came in third.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished the race in second place and sixth place, respectively. Ferrari still trails McLaren in the Constructors’ competition but by only 21 points. With 51 points possible at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend, the team crown is still undecided.

Constructor Championship Points:

McClaren Mercedes 640
Ferrari 619
Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 581
Mercedes 446
Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 92
Alpine Renault 59
Haas Ferarri 54
RB Honda RBPT 46
Williams Mercedes 17
Kick Sauber Ferrari 0

What’s next: Formula 1 Abu Dhabi 2024, December 6-8

The 24th and final Grand Prix of the F1 2024 season follows the Qatar Grand Prix. It will be 58 laps around the 3.28-mile Yas Marina Circuit.

Bruce Brown
A Digital Trends Contributing Editor and Contributor for TheManual.com, Bruce Brown writes e-mobility reviews and covers…
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