The penultimate grand prix of the 2024 Formula 1 season took place in Qatar this weekend.
Max Verstappen had already secured the drivers’ championship in Las Vegas, but there was still plenty to play for.
Notably, McLaren were looking to claim the constructors’ championship after a tidy 1-2 finish in Saturday’s sprint race.
Here’s how Sunday’s main race unfolded in Lusail.
Who won the F1 Qatar Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen took out the Qatar Grand Prix – his ninth race victory of 2024.
The recently-crowned world champion proved why he is the best on the grid, delivering a calm performance despite plenty of movement around him.
Verstappen got an ideal start as he pushed past pole-sitter George Russell at the first turn, with Norris slotting into second ahead of the Mercedes driver.
There was also action at the back of the grid on the opening lap. Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto found themselves caught in a collision and were retired shortly after.
Midway through the race, a stray wing mirror was controversially not removed from the track, and the resulting debris saw Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz suffer punctures.
Another safety car was called moments later when Nico Hulkenberg beached his car and Sergio Perez lost drive in his Red Bull.
There were no further additions to the five-car DNF tally, but race control delivered some crucial penalties.
Hamilton copped a five-second drive-through penalty for speeding in the pitlane, with the seven-time world champion considering retirement over the radio.
Norris was also handed a 10-second stop-go penalty for failing to slow under a yellow flag, which saw him placed at the rear of the grid with just over a dozen laps remaining.
His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri got himself on the podium, but Norris’ single point from a P10 finish means the constructors’ championship battle goes to Abu Dhabi.
Their rivals in the standings, Ferrari, shrunk the gap to just 21 points thanks to a second-placed finish from Charles Leclerc.
Elsewhere in the final race standings, Zhou Guanyu helped Sauber claim their first points of the season with an eighth-placed finish.
The 25-year-old drove with awareness and composure, making the most of a slew of other driver retirements. His teammate Valtteri Bottas narrowly missed out on the points in 11th spot.
Pierre Gasly also picked up a surprise result, finishing P5 for Alpine.
F1 Qatar Grand Prix: Driver of the day
Zhou Guanyu was the unlikely recipient of the ‘driver of the day’ award.
His P8 finish saw Sauber claim their first points of 2024.
F1 Qatar Grand Prix: Race results, standings
| Driver | |||
| 1. | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | 11. | Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) |
| 2. | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | 12. | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
| 3. | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 13. | Yuki Tsunoda (RB) |
| 4. | George Russell (Mercedes) | 14. | Liam Lawson (RB) |
| 5. | Pierre Gasly (Alpine) | 15. | Alexander Albon (Williams) |
| 6. | Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) | DNF | Sergio Perez (Red Bull) |
| 7. | Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) | DNF | Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) |
| 8. | Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber) | DNF | Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) |
| 9. | Kevin Magnussen (Haas) | DNF | Franco Colapinto (Williams) |
| 10. | Lando Norris (McLaren) | DNF | Esteban Ocon (Alpine) |
F1 Drivers’ World Championship 2024 updated standings, points
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 429 |
| 2. | Lando Norris | McLaren | 349 |
| 3. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 341 |
| 4. | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 291 |
| 5. | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 272 |
| 6. | George Russell | Mercedes | 235 |
| 7. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 211 |
| 8. | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 152 |
| 9. | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 68 |
| 10. | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 37 |
| 11. | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 36 |
| 12. | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | 30 |
| 13. | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 24 |
| 14. | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 23 |
| 15. | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 16 |
| 16. | Alexander Albon | Williams | 12 |
| 17. | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | 12 |
| 18. | Oliver Bearman | Ferrari | 7 |
| 19. | Franco Colapinto | Williams | 5 |
| 20. | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber | 4 |
| 21. | Liam Lawson | RB | 4 |
| 22. | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber | 0 |
| 23. | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 0 |
F1 Constructors’ Championship 2024 updated standings, points
| Position | Team | Points |
| 1. | McLaren | 640 |
| 2. | Ferrari | 619 |
| 3. | Red Bull | 581 |
| 4. | Mercedes | 446 |
| 5. | Aston Martin | 92 |
| 6. | Alpine | 59 |
| 7. | Haas | 54 |
| 8. | RB | 46 |
| 9. | Williams | 17 |
| 10. | Kick Sauber | 4 |
F1 live stream, TV channel: How to watch races in 2024
| Country | TV channel | Live stream |
| USA | — | FUBO, F1TV |
| Canada | TSN (English); RDS (French) | TSN Direct |
| UK | Sky Sports F1 | SkyGo, NOW TV |
| Australia | Fox Sports | Foxtel Go, Kayo Sports |
| India | — | F1 TV Pro |
