By winning the sprint race of the GP Qatar, Oscar Piastri has managed to close the gap slightly on Lando Norris in the title race on Saturday. Norris finished third, reducing the difference between the two teammates and rivals in the World Championship to 22 points. Max Verstappen, who started sixth, finished fourth in the last of six sprint races this season. That was the best he could do. His deficit to Norris is now 25 points.
A bird’s eye view of the sprint race:
ROUND 1/19: Pole sitter Oscar Piastri gets off to a good start and maintains the lead. Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen also make a quick getaway, with the Dutchman moving up two places and settling into fourth after a few corners. He is now behind World Championship leader Lando Norris (third), with George Russell in second. The biggest loser at the start is Charles Leclerc: he drops from ninth to thirteenth.
ROUND 2/19: Verstappen immediately tries to overtake Norris at the end of the straight. The Dutchman just falls short of outsmarting the Englishman. Will there be more attempts?
ROUND 5/19: Piastri is not extending his lead at the front, but he is in control. Russell sees Norris and Verstappen getting closer. Not much else of note in the rest of the field: the points are currently also going to Tsunoda, Alonso, Antonelli, and Sainz (positions 5 to 8).
ROUND 7/19: Verstappen is no longer a threat to Norris, who has now driven more than a second ahead of him. As a result, there is no more DRS, something that also applies to Norris in relation to Russell. This confirms the expectation that there will be few, if any, overtaking maneuvers after the opening phase.
Lap 12/19: Action on the Track
There’s some action in the field: Charles Leclerc loses grip and goes too wide in turn 4, Liam Lawson takes advantage and overtakes the Monegasque off the track. However, it’s ‘only’ for P13, Lawson subsequently gives the spot back to avoid a penalty.
Lap 14/19: Alonso’s Misstep and a Rare Pitstop
Fernando Alonso also takes a detour, allowing Antonelli to overtake the Spaniard in the battle for sixth place. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda receives a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits too often. And there’s even a pitstop during the sprint race! Stroll opts for a soft tyre.
Lap 19/19: Piastri’s Victory
Piastri remains the best from start to finish, thus winning this final sprint race of the season. The Australian wins, followed by Russell and Norris. The top-3 of the race is the same as that of the sprint qualification. As Verstappen finishes fourth, the World Championship standings are now as follows: Norris 396, Piastri 374, Verstappen 371. After the finish, Antonelli receives a time penalty, like Tsunoda, for exceeding track limits.
Top-8: 1. Piastri, 2. Russell, 3. Norris, 4. Verstappen, 5. Tsunoda, 5. Antonelli, 7. Alonso, 8. Sainz.
The qualification for Sunday’s race begins on Saturday at 17:00 UTC.
