Oscar Piastri wins Qatar Sprint with the kind of clean, controlled drive that keeps a title fight alive. From pole he managed the launch, controlled the tyre life and never let George Russell or Lando Norris get close enough to attack, banking the full eight points on offer.
Piastri in control from lap one
When the lights went out, Piastri did exactly what he needed. A clean launch, a firm hold of the inside into Turn 1 and no drama on the opening lap. Russell had to go straight into defence mode to cover Norris, which gave the race leader the breathing room to clear DRS range by the time they started lap two.
From there the pattern was set. Piastri edged clear to more than two seconds, then shifted focus to tyre management once the medium compound started to feel the punishment of Lusail’s long, loaded corners. Even when vibrations crept in late on, the gap to Russell stayed safe enough that he never had to lean on the tyres more than necessary.
For the Australian it is his third Sprint win in Qatar and his first victory in any format since Zandvoort. On a weekend where confidence matters as much as maths, it is a huge statement.
Verstappen trapped behind Norris
Max Verstappen’s day was more about damage limitation. He cleared Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda early and moved into fourth within the opening corners, but that was as far as the Red Bull went.
Stuck in Norris’s dirty air, Verstappen reported that the car was “bouncing” and “jumping”, the porpoising issues from Friday still present. He remained within DRS range for the first phase of the race, even posting the fastest lap at one stage, but as the stint wore on his tyres faded sooner than the McLaren’s.
By lap eight he was forced to drop back to cool the car and reset. Norris, meanwhile, had already accepted that third was a smart result in tyre limited conditions and focused on keeping the Red Bull out of striking distance rather than chasing Russell.
At the flag, Verstappen crossed the line 9.0 seconds off Piastri and more than three seconds behind Norris. On pace alone it was not a disaster, but in a three way title fight every point now feels heavy.
Track limits, penalties and the rest of the points
Behind the front four, the story of the Sprint was tyre management and white lines.
Yuki Tsunoda’s strong run to fifth for Red Bull came with a five second time penalty for repeated track limits violations, which briefly promoted Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes rookie had driven an assured race, saving his tyres and picking off Fernando Alonso when the Aston Martin began to slide late on.
Antonelli then picked up his own penalty for the same offence, handing fifth back to Tsunoda and dropping himself to sixth. Alonso held on for seventh and Carlos Sainz took the final point in eighth, managing bodywork damage on his Williams after losing a piece of the car mid race.
Behind them, Isack Hadjar and Alex Albon just missed out in ninth and tenth. Bortoleto, Bearman and Lawson followed, with Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg next across the line. Ferrari’s afternoon never recovered. Charles Leclerc slipped to thirteenth after an early off at Turn 2 and Lewis Hamilton finished seventeenth after starting from the pit lane.
The remaining pit lane starters, including Stroll and both Alpines, treated the Sprint as rolling practice. Late stops for soft tyres turned the final laps into a live qualifying simulation rather than a points chase.
The title picture after the Sprint
The Sprint result tightens the pressure without flipping the standings.
- Norris: 396 points
- Piastri: 374 points
- Verstappen: 371 points
Piastri cuts the gap to 22 points and moves back ahead of Verstappen. Norris still holds the strongest hand. If he wins the Grand Prix, he is champion. Verstappen now has to finish ahead of Norris on Sunday to keep his hopes alive.
What Piastri wins Qatar Sprint really changes is momentum. He has topped Sprint Qualifying, converted pole with authority and reminded everyone that he can carry a weekend on his shoulders when the car is in the window.
Norris does not need to beat him to the flag to win the title. Racers rarely think like that. With qualifying still to come and a full Grand Prix ahead, Qatar feels less like a formality and more like a real swing point.
McLaren still have the quickest package. Now their two drivers are pulling the story in different directions.
