Verstappen wins action-packed Qatar Grand Prix after Norris penalized

From a smashed mirror and crashes to unusually severe penalties, there were plenty of hazards at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen steered clear of them all to follow up his Formula 1 drivers' title with his ninth win of the year on Sunday.

Lando Norris, Verstappen's closest title rival, was trying to overtake the Dutch driver for the lead until he was dropped to the back of the field due to a penalty for failing to slow for yellow warning flags.

Verstappen, who secured his fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas last week, has won two of the last three races but hadn't won in dry conditions since June.

"It was a lot of fun out there," Verstappen said. "Very happy. It's been a while in the dry to be this competitive. Very proud of everyone within the team."

Verstappen disposed of another rival off the line, beating George Russell into the first corner. The Mercedes driver had been elevated to pole position in Verstappen's place after a contentious dispute in qualifying that resulted in Verstappen being given a one-place penalty for driving too slowly.

Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari and Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was third. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu of Kick Sauber crossed the line in the eighth place, earning four points for his team to finally post a score this season. He was voted Driver of the Day for his performance.

"Mentally, it has been a really draining season for me, for Valtteri (Bottas) and for the whole team," Zhou said. "This was our best opportunity after an amazing Saturday performance and we wanted to show what we can do. Today's race was very clean and executed well, I think. There is a lot of work done that people don't see behind the scenes to just continue to be there every weekend, just hoping we will see a return. And today is the day."

In a season of controversy over the rules and upheaval at the governing body, the stewards again played a crucial role. Norris had been chasing down Verstappen for the lead before his penalty. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said that Norris failed to slow down but argued the penalty was disproportionately harsh.

"It's definitely material that the FIA should consider very seriously if we want fairness to be part of going racing in Formula 1," Stella said. "To me, it looks like somewhere there must be a book with a lot of dust on the cover that was taken out. 'Let me see what it says, I apply this.' Seems a little too simplistic."

The stewards were busy, issuing a wide range of penalties for offenses like causing collisions, but also two for Lewis Hamilton for a false start and pit-lane speeding, and one for Russell, who was judged to have dropped too far back in a safety car period. Russell said later he didn't know "when or how or why" he'd been penalized.

The safety car came out three times, first for crashes at the back of the pack on the opening lap, then for debris from a smashed mirror, and again when Nico Hulkenberg's Haas ended up in the gravel.

At one stage, it looked like McLaren could seal its first constructors' title since 1998 in Qatar as Norris and Piastri both eyed podium places.

After Norris' penalty, Ferrari cut McLaren's lead from 30 points to 21 with Leclerc's second place and a solid sixth for Carlos Sainz Jr. who suffered a puncture. The constructors' title will now be decided at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next week.