Lando Norris' bid to become champion of the world will go to a season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend after Max Verstappen cashed in on a calamitous McLaren strategy decision to win the Qatar Grand Prix.
Norris, who finished only fourth, will head to the concluding round just 12 points ahead of Verstappen with Oscar Piastri, runner-up to the Red Bull driver under the lights on Sunday, 16 points adrift with 25 left to play for.
McLaren were in control of the 57-lap contest, despite Norris dropping from second to third behind Verstappen at the start.
Piastri led, but both he and Norris were told not to pit when a safety car was deployed on the seventh lap after Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly collided.
Of the other 18 drivers, only Haas' Esteban Ocon elected not to stop for new tyres with two stops mandatory here.
That put Verstappen in the driving seat to keep his dream of winning a fifth straight title alive, and the Dutchman did not waste his opportunity, taking the chequered flag 7.9 seconds clear of Piastri with Norris - who came close to losing control of his McLaren on lap 36 of 57 - behind Carlos Sainz in fourth.
Norris passed Kimi Antonelli on the penultimate lap and will still win the world championship if he finishes third in seven days at the final race.
A nervous McLaren team headed into Sunday's showdown desperate to end Verstappen's title bid - with the British team's CEO Zak Brown describing him in the build-up to the 23rd round of 24 as "that guy in the horror movie that keeps coming back".
But their worst fears have now been realised with Verstappen hot on their heels heading to Formula One's first title decider since 2021 and just the third in 10 seasons.
"This was an incredible race for us, and we made the right call to stop behind the safety car," said Verstappen.
"That was smart. I am super happy to win and we stay in the fight."
Asked about McLaren's strategy fumble, Verstappen said: "I was like, 'that is an interesting move'."
Piastri, who said on the radio after the race: "I am speechless," added: "Clearly, we didn't get it right tonight. I drove the best race I could, as fast as I could and there was nothing left.
"In hindsight, it is pretty obvious what we should have done but we will discuss it as a team. It is not all bad but tough to swallow at the moment."
Piastri has every right to feel the most aggrieved. He took control from pole while Norris slipped to third. Verstappen starting on the cleaner side of the track drew level with Norris and then moved to his right to put the frighteners on the British driver.
Norris did not want to get involved and Verstappen was up to second. Not ideal but not the end of the world. Then the defining moment of the race, and perhaps the season.
A safety car was deployed with Hulkenberg stranded in his stricken Sauber after a move on the outside of Gasly at Turn 2 went wrong.
With all drivers allowed to do only 25 laps on one set of tyres amid safety concerns due to extreme rubber wear, the obvious decision was to come in for their first stop.
But Piastri and Norris stayed out. Were McLaren worried about favouring one driver and going against their Papaya Rules of a level playing field? Either way, both men were now in no-man's land.
On lap 24, Piastri came in for a change of tyres and Norris followed in on the next lap. Piastri and Norris were behind Verstappen, Sainz and Antonelli.
Piastri cleared Antonelli on lap 30 to take fourth but Norris failed to clear the Mercedes man before Antonelli, and the others, stopped on lap 32.
"This is the bit of the race where we need to be quicker than Max," Norris was told, with the out-of-sync McLaren men now running in clean air in first and second.
But then a wobble for Norris as he ran wide at Turn 14 and he called on his team to check for damage on the car.
Piastri stopped for a second time on lap 42 with Norris stopping two laps later. But while Piastri was second on the road, Norris was fifth.
He was able to clear Antonelli with one lap to go but the door has been left ajar for Verstappen to derail a McLaren team which wrapped up the constructors' championship in Azerbaijan in September.
