Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix but there were storylines up and down the grid that deserved plenty of attention.
Esteban Ocon didn’t reach the second corner of the Qatar Grand Prix on what turned out to be his final appearance for Alpine.
He took out Franco Colapinto who now appears unlikely to join Red Bull after a chaotic last three races.
Lando Norris had to settle for 10th place after Max Verstappen reported the McLaren driver not lifting under yellow flags and he had to serve a drive-through penalty.
That’s before penalties for Lewis Hamilton, several crashes and a row between Verstappen and George Russell away from the track are taken into account.
However, covering the race for Sky Sports F1, former champion Jenson Button wanted to praise one driver who avoided all of the drama surrounding him.
Ferrari headed into the race in Qatar knowing they needed to outscore McLaren to keep their Constructors’ Championship hopes alive.
Carlos Sainz was left frustrated by a puncture that meant he could only finish sixth, although he still managed to make up six points on Norris after his penalty.
Charles Leclerc finished ahead of Oscar Piastri on the podium and Button was seriously impressed by the £25.5m-a-year Monegasque driver.
Jenson Button says Charles Leclerc drove the ‘perfect’ race at the Qatar Grand Prix
Button was asked about how the Constructors’ Championship could play out after the race and said: “As we can see, anything can happen.
“And it seems that way in Formula 1 at the moment, so, it’s great for us, but just such a highly intense situation for everyone involved.
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“A great job by Charles Leclerc, the perfect drive.
“Didn’t have the pace of the McLarens and Lando, but got the most out of it.”
Charles Leclerc has plenty to play for at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Although Leclerc’s chances of winning the Drivers’ Championship faded away months ago, he could still finish second in a three-horse race.
Norris’s penalty meant Leclerc made up 16 points on the Brit and with one race to go, he knows that an eight-point swing to his advantage will see him finish runner-up to Verstappen.
Ferrari also have a very good chance of overturning McLaren’s lead in the team standings.
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Sainz will want to finish on a high before joining Williams and will know it’s his final opportunity to win a race or even finish on the podium for some time.
If Leclerc and Sainz can score 21 more points than Norris and Piastri then the title will be theirs, especially if they win the Grand Prix which would give them an advantage on countback.
Leclerc is preparing for Hamilton’s arrival next season and it’s very hard to know what driver is going to turn up.
The seven-time world champion has sounded dejected in recent months at Mercedes, but a new team and different teammate might inspire Hamilton to find a new gear, particularly if he ends up joining the reigning champions.
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