Verstappen wins the Qatar GP as Hamilton and Russell collide on opening lap

Max Verstappen wins the Qatar Grand Prix, his 14th of the 2023 season, after contact between Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on the opening lap.

Oscar Piastri secured his maiden F1 podium in second for McLaren, with teammate Lando Norris rounding out the top three.

Lap one chaos between Mercedes teammates

In Qatar, Pirelli's tyre concerns led to a mandatory maximum stint of 18 laps.

At lights out, Russell pressured pole-sitter Verstappen while Hamilton attacked Russell around the outside of turn one on soft tyres.

The Mercedes cars collided, eliminating Hamilton and dropping Russell to the back.

The safety car was deployed, allowing Piastri to move into second ahead of Fernando Alonso after dodging the Mercedes collision.

Verstappen controls from the front

At the lap five restart, Verstappen led from Piastri, Alonso, and Charles Leclerc. Russell began his fightback from 18th. By lap 11, the leaders began pitting for new medium tyres.

Verstappen maintained his lead after the first round of stops, 7 seconds ahead of Piastri. Alonso, on hards, slid off at turn two on worn rubber but held fourth.

Verstappen extended his advantage to 10 seconds before Piastri's second stop on lap 25 for more mediums. Alonso also stopped, rejoining on hards.

Verstappen pitted on lap 34 for hards as Piastri closed in. Over the next 10 laps, Verstappen pulled his lead back out to 10 seconds before Piastri stopped again on lap 44 for hards.

Norris also stopped, emerging just behind his teammate.

Russell elevated to second but had yet to pit. He finally changed to hards, rejoining in fourth behind the McLarens.

Verstappen made his last stop five laps from the end but maintained his lead over Piastri.

In the closing stages, Verstappen managed his advantage to take a comfortable victory by 4.7 seconds over Piastri.

Norris completed the podium ahead of Russell, Leclerc, Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Sergio Perez.

Overall Race Verdict

The Qatar Grand Prix resulted in a straightforward victory for Max Verstappen, but several key factors contributed to a rather processional event.

The FIA's mandated three-stop strategy and maximum 18 lap stint lengths due to tyre wear concerns led to predictable pit stop timing and limited teams' strategic options.

Blistering track temperatures also hindered drivers, with complaints of cockpit heat from Alonso and dehydration forcing Sergeant's retirement.

The restricted strategies combined with the extreme heat made this a race of endurance rather than excitement.

Perez struggled in particular, receiving three track limit violations and being lapped by his teammate.

His performance raises questions over his future in F1.

Mercedes have a quick car but continue to lose points through inter-team battles. Russell is more aggressive than Bottas, leading to contact between the teammates. They need to define clear roles between the drivers to maximize points.

Aston Martin's contrasting results highlight the gulf between Alonso and Stroll. With two drivers of Alonso's calibre, the team could be second in the championship rather than relying on a lone points scorer.

Ferrari’s woes continued in Qatar as Carlos Sainz was unable to start the race due to a fuel system issue on his car. The failure meant Sainz did not participate at all in the Grand Prix.

Leclerc extracted the maximum despite lacking good pace.

Mclaren delivered a standout result, with the Piastri-Norris pairing demonstrating their potential by securing a double podium.

Race Results

Driver's Standings

Team Standings