Unraveling the Chaos: A Recap of the Qatar Grand Prix

The Qatar Grand Prix was a mess. The only thing everyone will remember from this weekend will be the race’s incidents and penalties. The FIA stewards gave out penalties like candy on a Halloween night, so much so that I’ve compiled a list: 

• Lance Stroll: ten seconds for causing a collision with Alex Albon

• Liam Lawson: ten seconds for causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas 

• Lewis Hamilton: five seconds for a false start 

• Lando Norris: ten-second stop/go penalty for failing to slow under yellow flag

• Lewis Hamilton: drive-through penalty 

• Alex Albon: ten seconds for causing a collision with Kevin Magnussen 

• George Russell: five seconds for yellow flag infringement 

It was overkill, in my opinion, especially since the FIA stewards generally “note” (in other words, acknowledge) most collision incidents before concluding that no further investigations are needed. This will undoubtedly increase the skepticism they’re already receiving from drivers, teams, and fans alike. 

The Norris penalty, by far, was the most brutal of them all, as it caused the McLaren driver to drop from P2 to P1. He ultimately finished in P10, gaining a mere one point. Another driver who took a massive L in the race was Lewis Hamilton, who started P7 and finished P12. Penalties aside, the seven-time champion was vocal about his technical difficulties with the Mercedes car (as did teammate George Russell). What screwed him over, however, was that godforsaken mirror debris. 

Let’s all take a deep breath and rewind this a little bit. 

Around Lap 30, yellow flags were waved after a wing mirror had flown off one of the cars. That mirror belonged to Alex Albon's Williams car. This eventually led to Norris’s stop/go penalty. Valtteri Bottas, four laps later, had driven over the piece, which shattered. Hamilton drove over the debris and got a nasty puncture, as did Carlos Sainz, who then endured a nine-second pit stop. It was only then that a Safety Car was deployed for the second time in the course of the race. 

During the Safety Car’s route through the pit lane (which the drivers had to follow), Hamilton accidentally sped up, thus invoking that second penalty. The Mercedes driver was later so frustrated with the car’s issues (probably further exasperated by damage from driving over that debris) that he asked to retire the car. Hamilton was encouraged by his team to not give up on the race… which he didn’t. I hope Hamilton has a much better race in Abu Dhabi, his last race with Mercedes before he moves to Ferrari in 2025. 

And yes, you read that correctly - that was the second Safety Car. The first one came within the first lap of the race after Nico Hulkenberg locked up and hit Esteban Ocon, who then collided with Franco Colapinto. Ocon and Colapinto were the first retirements of the race. 

Racing finally resumed at Lap 40… only for Sergio Perez’s car to lose drive and spin out, probably due to a hydraulic issue, aka a mechanical issue. Nico Hulkenberg, in a separate incident, spun out and beached into the gravel. For the third and final time, the Safety Car was deployed. Hulkenberg and Perez were the fourth and fifth drivers to retire. 

Ultimately, only fifteen drivers (out of twenty) finished the race. Max Verstappen won the race, Charles Leclerc came in second place, and Oscar Piastri came in third. Unfortunately, this has been overshadowed by the chaos that has defined the race. If I were a Drive to Survive producer, I would ensure this race was covered in the last two episodes of the upcoming season. 

The MVP of the race was Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu, who finished P8 and earned the team’s first points of the season. I remember being surprised by his P13 start and finish in Vegas, but P8 after a P12 start? That is HUGE, especially for him and the team. I wish Kick Sauber had brought whatever upgrades they gave the cars earlier in the season. Zhou might have kept his seat for next year. This shows that he was always a great driver, but a great driver can only show so much of their talent with a rubbish car. And to add a cherry on top of the sundae, the Chinese driver was also voted Driver of the Day. Good for him, honestly. His performance was the sole silver lining of the race.

Hey Cadillac, I heard you’re looking for drivers for your entry in 2026… Care to consider Zhou Guanyu? 

Hmmm… Am I missing something?

Right - the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren now has 640 points, and Ferrari has 619… that title will be decided in Abu Dhabi. 

Also,  here are two highlights from Saturday that I wanted to throw in because it’s worth remembering: 

1. On Saturday, Oscar Piastri won the season's final Sprint after Lando Norris swapped positions in the last lap despite McLaren asking them to hold their 1-2 position. This was Norris repaying Piastri for the team-ordered swap from the São Paulo Sprint. 

2. Max Verstappen got pole position at Saturday’s qualifying but was handed a grid-drop penalty for unnecessarily slowing in front of George Russell during Q1. The Red Bull driver was then set to start at P2, and the Mercedes driver was promoted to pole position… The latter finished in fourth place. 

One more race, folks. 

Vintage & Coupe will cover the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend from December 6th through 8th.