Standings after Qatar: McLaren takes a step towards the title, Sauber opens its account
F1. If Ferrari scored more points than McLaren in Qatar, Zak Brown's team will only have to manage their effort in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to multiple penalties, Guanyu Zhou gives Sauber its first points.
Until the last lap, nothing was certain. Ferrari or McLaren were going to fight from a distance for the constructors' championship title. With Lando Norris' heavy penalty, the Italian team was rubbing their hands. But with Oscar Piastri's good management up front and Pierre Gasly's defense to not let Carlos Sainz pass, McLaren didn't lose many points.
Everything will be decided at Yas Marina.
The British team has 640 points compared to Ferrari's 619. Everything will be decided in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull can no longer compete for the title, so the Austrian team will finish in third place.
Behind, Alpine, thanks to Pierre Gasly's fifth place, has moved back ahead of Haas. The French team has 60 points compared to 53 for the American team. Barring any mishaps, Alpine should finish the championship with this sixth position that seemed far off at the beginning of the season.
Sauber always last
Much further, Sauber finally unlocks its points tally. With Guanyu Zhou's eighth place, four points were scored. This is not enough to move off the last place, but it's a little relief that will become Audi in the future. Valtteri Bottas was very close to bringing in a small amount, but he was snatched of the tenth place by Lando Norris in the final moments.
