Lewis Hamilton closes on Max Verstappen in title with Qatar Grand Prix win

Lewis Hamilton took a comfortable win in the Qatar Grand Prix to close the gap to Max Verstappen in their fight for the drivers’ world championship.

Verstappen fought his way to second after a five-place grid penalty and took the point for fastest lap.

The win cuts the deficit to Verstappen to eight points with two races to go in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi next month.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso took a superb third, his first podium since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix.