LUSAIL, Qatar >> From a smashed mirror and crashes to unusually severe penalties, there were plenty of hazards at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen steered clear of them all to follow up his Formula 1 drivers’ title with his ninth win of the year on Sunday.

Lando Norris, Verstappen’s closest title rival until he secured the championship last week in Las Vegas, was trying to overtake the Dutch driver for the lead until he was dropped to the back of the field by a penalty for failing to slow for yellow warning flags.

Verstappen, who secured his fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas last week, has won two of the last three races but hadn’t won in dry conditions since June.

“It was a lot of fun out there,” Verstappen said. “Very happy. It’s been a while in the dry to be this competitive. Very proud of everyone within the team.”

Verstappen disposed of another rival off the line, beating George Russell into the first corner. The Mercedes driver had been elevated to pole position in Verstappen’s place after a contentious dispute in qualifying that got Verstappen a one-place penalty for driving too slowly.

Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari and Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was third.

Penalties spark debate

In a season of controversy over the rules and upheaval at the governing body, the stewards again played a crucial role. Norris had been chasing down Verstappen for the lead before his penalty. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Norris hadn’t slowed down but argued the penalty was disproportionately harsh.

“It’s definitely material that the FIA should consider very seriously if we want fairness to be part of going racing in Formula 1,” Stella said. “To me, it looks like somewhere there must be a book with a lot of dust on the cover that was taken out. ‘Let me see what it says, I apply this.’ Seems a little too simplistic.”

The stewards were busy, issuing a wide range of penalties for offenses like causing collisions, but also two for Lewis Hamilton for a false start and pit-lane speeding, and one for Russell, who was judged to have dropped too far back in a safety car period. Russell said later he didn’t know “when or how or why” he’d been penalized.

The safety car came out three times, first for crashes at the back of the pack on the opening lap, then for debris from a smashed mirror, and again when Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas ended up in the gravel.