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Piastri Wins Qatar Sprint, Cuts Norris' F1 Lead to 22 Points as Title Fight Heats Up

Oscar Piastri won Saturday's Qatar Grand Prix sprint from pole in Lusail, earning eight points and trimming Lando Norris' championship lead to 22 points. George Russell was second and Max Verstappen fourth, leaving the standings at Norris 396, Piastri 374 and Verstappen 371. Night qualifying will set the grid for Sunday's 57‑lap race, where teams must make two mandatory pit stops and respect a 25‑lap maximum stint limit because of high tyre wear.

01:43 AM, 11/30/2025Culture
Piastri Wins Qatar Sprint, Cuts Norris' F1 Lead to 22 Points as Title Fight Heats Up

Oscar Piastri converted pole into victory in Saturday's Formula 1 sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail, closing the championship gap on McLaren team‑mate Lando Norris to 22 points ahead of Sunday's main race.

Piastri earned eight championship points for the sprint win. Mercedes' George Russell finished second for seven points, Norris took six for third and Max Verstappen collected five for fourth.

“Yeah, the car was good,” Piastri said after the sprint. “Let's keep it going.”

Norris started the sprint third on the grid while Verstappen began sixth. On the opening lap AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda moved aside to allow Verstappen through, but the Dutch driver could not close the gap to challenge Norris.

After the sprint the championship standings read: Norris 396 points, Piastri 374 and Verstappen 371 as teams and drivers prepare for the penultimate round of the season.

Norris needs to finish at least four points ahead of Piastri on Sunday to clinch his first F1 title — provided he also finishes one point ahead of Verstappen, who is chasing a fifth consecutive crown.

Night qualifying is scheduled for later Saturday to set the grid for Sunday's 57‑lap race. “It's going to be a tough race tomorrow — it's not easy to pass around here,” the 26‑year‑old Norris said. “So it's all about qualifying. I'm looking forward to it.”

Verstappen had complained of persistent bouncing and understeer on his Red Bull during Friday running, and the problems continued into the sprint. “The bouncing's still very bad,” he said four laps into the sprint.

AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda finished fifth and rookie Kimi Antonelli was sixth; both drivers received five‑second time penalties for exceeding track limits more than the permitted three times. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso took seventh (two points) and Williams' Carlos Sainz collected the single point for eighth.

Seven‑time champion Lewis Hamilton's difficult weekend continued as he placed 17th after starting from the pit lane following a rear‑wing change.

Piastri, 24, had not won since the final day of August at the Dutch Grand Prix and, excluding Saturday's sprint, had gone six races without a podium. Verstappen's title chances were strengthened earlier after McLaren's drivers were disqualified from last Sunday's Las Vegas Grand Prix, a race Verstappen won.

Teams face a strategic challenge in Lusail because race organisers have mandated two pit stops for safety reasons amid high tyre degradation on the 5.4‑kilometre (3.3‑mile) circuit. Pirelli has capped stints at a maximum of 25 laps for the 57‑lap race, which features a sequence of high‑speed corners.

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