F1 Qatar GP: Verstappen takes comfortable win after Norris penalty

Max Verstappen overcame three safety cars to take an assured victory at the Qatar Grand Prix, as main threat Lando Norris copped a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for speeding under yellow flags.

Verstappen led every lap of the race to clinch his ninth victory of 2024, having overcome a fits-and-spurts threat from Norris, which was ultimately concluded when the McLaren driver was caught not slowing for yellow flags along the start-finish straight.

These were produced for Alex Albon's escaped wing mirror, which was run over by Valtteri Bottas to produce a shower of debris along the straight - which was likely the culprit in mid-race punctures for Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen outdragged polesitter George Russell off the line; the Briton had assumed pole when the Dutchman was given a one-place grid drop for apparently baulking the Mercedes in qualifying.

Norris put Verstappen under scrutiny into the first corner, having also claimed a good start, but was shown the door by Verstappen and left to sit in the Red Bull's wheel tracks - although an early safety car for a clash between Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, and Esteban Ocon gave Norris a chance at a restart overtake.

But this was well managed by Verstappen, who left Norris behind on the lap-five restart and started to try and build a lead to clear DRS range. He managed this, but Norris' laps ensured that he could at least remain within two seconds of his former title rival.

Although there was an ebb and flowof about a tenth over the subsequent laps between the two , Norris never looked like putting Verstappen under a realistic threat - although suddenly found half a second on Verstappen at the start of lap 30.

This was the smoking gun in Norris' future penalty; Verstappen had slowed for the debris-induced yellow flags and Norris had not, although this was not realised before a chaotic phase introduced by Sainz and Hamilton simultaneously picking up front-left punctures.

The safety car was thus called out to clear the mess, prompting Verstappen and Norris to finally stop for the hard tyres; on the restart, Norris stayed close to the back of the leading RB20 - the safety car lights were late in going off - and got a run into Turn 1. This challenge, however, was defused expertly by Verstappen.

An immediate third safety car period followed due to Hulkenberg spilling his Haas into the gravel at Turn 9, although Norris was dropped on the later restart by Verstappen and instead left to defend from a chasing Charles Leclerc.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, kicks up gravel

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

At this juncture, Norris got the news of his 10-second stop-and-go penalty, extinguishing his faint hopes of overhauling Verstappen in the final phase of the race.

This left Verstappen free to plough a lonely furrow in front, and he crossed the line 6.1s clear of Leclerc to complete his second victory in three races.

Leclerc had overcome a series of threats from Oscar Piastri, who had found keeping touch with the Ferrari driver difficult with DRS. Piastri had been ahead prior to the second safety car, but the unfortunate timing of his pitstop (a lap before the safety car emerged) shuffled him behind the Ferrari driver.

The two moved up into the podium placings when Norris was rocked by his penalty, while Russell clinched fourth despite taking a five-second penalty at the close of the race for a safety car infringement.

Pierre Gasly took a vital fifth for Alpine and defended well from Carlos Sainz in the final stages of the race; the Frenchman had slipped off the road on the second safety car restart and lost places to Russell and Sainz, but reclaimed the latter position moments before the Mercedes AMG GT safety car returned to lead the field.

Sainz thus shook off his puncture to take sixth, while Fernando Alonso's gamble under the safety car - in which he switched to the hard tyre, only to pounce when the field was directed through the pitlane to fit the medium tyre once more - helped him clinch seventh.

Zhou Guanyu took an excellent eighth to secure Sauber's first points of 2024, clear of Kevin Magnussen – who came to strife multiple times when attempting to pass Alex Albon – in ninth. Norris completed the top 10 to recover to the points, having moved past the soft-shod RBs and then denied Bottas a first point of the year.