Race winner Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after the Qatari Formula One Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, north of Doha, on December 1, 2024. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)
Doha: Newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen shrugged off a grid penalty to clinch the second successive Qatar Grand Prix crown at the packed Lusail International Circuit on Sunday.
Staring behind George Russell after being stripped of the pole position of the 57-lap race for impeding the Mercedes driver, the Red Bull's star took the lead shortly after the start to complete back-to-back wins after he had won the last year’s Qatar Grand Prix from pole position.
It was a chaotic contest, witnessing three safety car appearances, multiple punctures, numerous crashes, and a flurry of penalties.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished runner-up while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured third place.
Russell, who lost the lead off the line after starting from pole, secured fourth place ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
