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.
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.
