Verstappen adds race win to his Qatar title weekend

DOHA : Max Verstappen won his first race as a triple Formula One world champion on Sunday after dominating a Qatar Grand Prix peppered with pitstops and penalties for a rash of track limit violations.

The victory from pole position under the Lusail floodlights was a 14th in 17 races, and career 49th, for the 26-year-old Red Bull driver who clinched his third successive title in a Saturday sprint.

Australian rookie Oscar Piastri, winner of that 19-lap sprint, finished second with McLaren team mate Lando Norris third in what became a three-stop race after Pirelli warned of the risk of blowouts.