A week after winning his fourth consecutive world title, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won this Sunday in the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate of the 24 of the 2024 season, in which Fernando Alonso reached 400 races, a record.
The Dutch driver, leader from start to finish, was accompanied on the podium by the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and the Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren), while the British Lando Norris (McLaren), second for a long time, could only be tenth after having suffered a sanction.
In the Constructors’ World Cup Ferrari managed to reduce the disadvantage with McLaren.
‘I’m very proud of the team’
Verstappen, leader from start to finish, was very proud: “It was a very good race, I was very fast and I enjoyed the circuit. Despite the interventions of the safety car, I managed to stay ahead. I am very proud of the team because after of the sprint we were able to reverse the trend to have a car that performed very well.
‘Mad Max’, who had started from second position after being penalized and losing his pole after disturbing George Russell (Mercedes), signed the 63rd victory of his career, the ninth this season.
The race in Doha was marked by three interventions of the safety car and several penalties, including the one that Norris received after not having slowed down under the yellow flag, which changed the meaning of his test, since he had to leave the stands again in 15th position and could only climb back to tenth place.
A gift for Ferrari, who was about to lose the constructors’ World Cup at the beginning of the race and which finally reduced the gap with McLaren by nine points, before the end of the World Championship on December 9 in Abu Dhabi.
McLaren will defend a 21-point lead with 44 points remaining at stake next weekend.
Russell, who started from pole positionhad to be content with fourth position, ahead of the surprising Frenchman Pierre Gasly (Alpine), who started from 11th position and completed a great performance, resisting with great mastery against the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) in the last ten laps.
Alonso’s 400 hits
In Losail, Alonso, who celebrated his 43rd birthday in Julybecame the first driver in history to reach 400 races. He is followed by seven-time British world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who made his 355th start on Sunday.
Illustrious on the grid, Alonso celebrated his anniversary in the points, ninth, and Hamilton was seventh.
Double world champion (2005, 2006), Alonso is competing this year in his 21st season in the premier discipline of automobile sport, after having debuted in 2001 at the wheel of a Minardi.
In addition to their two crowns with Renault, Alonso was runner-up in the world with Ferrari on three occasions (2010, 2012, 2013) and has 32 victories, 106 podiums and 22 pole positions on his record.
