--- title: "Verstappen Wins the 2023 F1 Qatar GP, McLaren Snags Two-Three Finish" description: "Verstappen wins the 2023 Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix after clinching the championship title in Saturday's sprint race." date: "2023-10-08" modified: "2023-10-08" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/verstappen-wins-the-2023-f1-qatar-gp-mclaren-snags-two-three-finish" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" --- # Verstappen Wins the 2023 F1 Qatar GP, McLaren Snags Two-Three Finish ![]() *Getty* The battle for second place began today, during the 2023 [Formula 1]() Qatar Grand Prix. During yesterday's sprint race, Red Bull's [Max Verstappen]() clinched the 2023 F1 drivers' championship title, his third in a row, which means all other drivers must now fight for second. Unfortunately for Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton—one of those drivers in the hunt for second—a crash in the first corner of the opening lap jettisoned his wheel and put him out of the race. Predictably, the rich got even richer today, as Verstappen won the Qatar GP and padded his championship-clinching lead. However, both McLaren drivers were impressive and finished on the podium. Oscar Piastri, who won Saturday's sprint race, finished second, with Lando Norris finishing third. Norris' third-place finish continues his trend of scoring points without winning, as he's now the [highest-scoring F1 driver ]()without a grand prix win. https://twitter.com/LewisHamilton/status/1711085330374295864 Hamilton's crash came at the worst time for the seven-time champ, as it squandered an opportunity to make up ground in the drivers' championship. He currently sits in third place, with 194 points on the season. But the second place Sergio Perez finished ninth today, which only gave him two points, bringing his season total up to 223. Had Hamilton finished higher, or even on the podium, he would have tightened that gap. If there's a silver lining for Mercedes, though, it's that George Russell finished fourth in Qatar, which helped to keep the team's second-place spot in the constructors' championship. Playing for second place isn't fun but it's the most any team can do now that Red Bull and Verstappen locked up both championship titles. ![]() **Getty** The next race is in two weeks, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and the fight for second place will continue. McLaren is having a fantastic second half of this season and it will be interesting to see if it can gain some ground on Mercedes and Ferrari. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()