Hamilton wins Qatar GP to cut Verstappen’s F1 points lead

Hamilton led from start to finish with a commanding drive to convert pole position into his seventh victory of the season to further cut Verstappen’s championship advantage with his second consecutive win. 

A superb start helped Verstappen overcome a five-place grid penalty for failing to respect double waved yellow flags in qualifying as the Dutchman charged from seventh to second in just five laps. 

While Verstappen was never really in contention to challenge Hamilton, he importantly took the fastest lap bonus point to hold an eight-point championship lead heading into the final two rounds. 

A one-stopping Fernando Alonso turned in a stunning drive to claim his first F1 podium since 2014 as he finished third for Alpine. 

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez fell just 2.8s shy of beating Alonso to the final podium spot after a late Virtual Safety Car thwarted his charge following a second pit stop. 

Esteban Ocon claimed fifth to cap off an excellent result for Alpine to strengthen the Anglo-French manufacturer’s grip on fifth place in the constructors’ championship. 

Just behind Ocon came Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, who denied off the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to take sixth. 

Lando Norris and Sebastian Vettel completed the rest of the points-paying positions in ninth and 10th for McLaren and Aston Martin respectively. 

The race was overshadowed by several dramatic tyre blowouts as Valtteri Bottas, Norris and both Williams drivers all suffered punctures while trying to complete a one-stop strategy. 

Bottas - who endured a miserable race - and Latifi were forced to retire as a result of their issues, which will leave question marks for Pirelli.