Max Verstappen wins Qatar Grand Prix to set up Norris title showdown in final race finale

Lando Norris will hold a 12-point lead over Verstappen and a 16-point advantage over McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri heading into next weekend's season finale.

Furious Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has lashed out at Red Bull's "brainless" claim that Kimi Antonelli deliberately moved over for Lando Norris to aid the British driver's championship challenge.

Norris, whose bid to win his maiden world crown at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday was derailed through a McLaren strategy fumble, finished fourth after Antonelli ran off the road on the last but one lap.

Norris gained two points from the late mistake which means he now can finish third, rather than runner-up at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, to be assured of beating Red Bull's Max Verstappen to the title.

Verstappen placed first but his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase hinted at foul play when he told his driver over the radio: "I am not sure what happened to Antonelli there.

It looked like he just pulled over and let Lando through." Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko then said it was "so obvious" that Lando was "waved" through by Antonelli.

McLaren are powered by Mercedes engines, but in response to Marko's claim, Wolff said: "This is total, utter nonsense that blows my mind.

"We are fighting for second in the constructors' championship, which is important for us.

"Kimi is fighting for a potential third in the race. I mean, how brainless can you be to even say something like this?

"And it annoys me. Because I'm annoyed with the race itself, how it went. I'm annoyed with the mistake at the end. I'm annoyed with other mistakes. And then hearing such nonsense blows my mind."

Wolff revealed he sought out Lambiase after the race. The Austrian continued: "I spoke to GP. Obviously they were emotional in that moment.

"I said to him, 'he (Antonelli) just went off. He had a bit of a moment in the previous corner and then less entry speed into the left-hander. It can happen'.

"So with GP everything is clear. We cleared the air. He said that he didn't see the situation.

"But why would we do this? Why would we even think about interfering in a driver championship? You really need to check yourself and whether you are seeing ghosts."

Who needs what from the final race?

The final race of the season will be the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, December 7, with Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri still all in contention.

• Norris has 408 points,
• Verstappen has 396 points,
• Piastri has 392 points,

There are 25 points for a win, and then 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 points for the top 10 finishers.

Norris can win his first title if he comes first or second in the grand prix.

Verstappen has to outscore Norris by 12, while Piastri has to outscore the Dutch driver by four and his McLaren teammate by 16.

All three drivers have seven wins, which means that if one of the three wins in Abu Dhabi but there is a tie, this driver would win the title courtesy of having eight wins to their rivals' seven.