It was the inaugural Qatar grand prix and the first stop of the trio of races in the desert.

It was a weekend dominated by Lewis Hamilton who managed to close the gap between himself and Max Verstappen to just 8 points. The gap between Mercedes and Red Bull is now down to just 5 points and it is getting tense. With only 2 races to go things are coming down to the wire and the Championships could go either way.

Fernando Alonso has finally returned to the podium for the first time since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix. The Spaniard drove a very impressive race and finished in P3. He had to fight off Sergio Perez for the last bit of the race, which almost saw him get overtaken. However, Alonso kept the Red Bull behind and proved why he is still racing in this sport.

It was a bad day for Valtteri Bottas who went from P3 to P6 and then eventually P11 before he was retired from the race due to tyre issues. The other retiree was Nicholas Latifi, who also retired due to tyre issues.

Tyres were a big feature this weekend. Multiple drivers experienced tyre punctures including the two retirees. The other two drivers were George Russell and Lando Norris who both were forced to pit, effectively ruining their races. It was reminiscent of the Baku race from earlier this season. It was not great to watch, because it put a stopper on quiet a few of the drivers and it is never something you want to see anyways as it can be dangerous.

Lewis Hamilton dominated the weekend and finished on the top step of the podium. Max Verstappen came runner up ahead of Fernando Alonso who completed the podium. Sergio Perez finished fourth followed by Esteban Ocon in fifth, Lance Stroll in sixth, Carlos Sainz in seventh, Charles Leclerc in eighth, Lando Norris in ninth, and Sebastian Vettel rounding out the top ten.

Our first stop in the desert is done. There are only two races left this season and they will be back to back, producing some groundbreaking racing.