World Championship standings after Qatar GP | Verstappen sees lead shrink

Max Verstappen enters the final two races of the 2021 Formula One season still leading the championship, but Lewis Hamilton continues to creep closer. The Mercedes driver is once again closing in on the Dutchman, albeit by just six points.

For Verstappen, victory in Qatar seemed out of the question, grid penalty or not. He was able to minimise the damage by taking an extra point for the fastest lap on the final lap of the race.

Hamilton is now just six points behind the Red Bull driver, compared to an ideal of eight. Still, the Briton can be more than satisfied with his second win in a row.

Valtteri Bottas, meanwhile, remains on the same points tally, with Sergio Perez closing in on third place. The Mexican still has a chance to take that spot but needs to win 25 points somewhere.

1. Max Verstappen: 351.5 points
2. Lewis Hamilton: 343.5 points
3. Valtteri Bottas: 203 points
4.Sergio Perez: 190 points
5.Lando Norris: 153 points
6.Charles Leclerc: 152 points
7.Carlos Sainz 145.5 points
8.Daniel Ricciardo: 105 points
9.Pierre Gasly: 92 points
10. Fernando Alonso: 77 points
11. Esteban Ocon: 60 points
12. Sebastian Vettel: 43 points
13. Lance Stroll: 34 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda 20 points
15. George Russell: 16 points
16. Kimi Raikkonen: 10 points
17. Nicholas Latifi: 7 points
18. Antonio Giovinazzi: 1 point
19. Mick Schumacher: 0 points
20. Robert Kubica: 0 points
21. Nikita Mazepin 0 points