Piastri wins Qatar Sprint as Norris nears his first F1 title

Oscar Piastri delivered a commanding performance under the Lusail floodlights to win the final Sprint of the 2025 Formula 1 season, keeping his faint title hopes alive and adding yet another Qatar Sprint victory to his record. The McLaren driver led from start to finish, resisting early pressure from George Russell and managing tyre degradation better than most in a race where track limits and fading grip were constant threats.

Piastri Controls from the Front

Starting from pole after edging Russell by just 0.032s in Sprint Qualifying, Piastri made the perfect launch, covering off the Mercedes into Turn 1 and immediately breaking DRS range. From there, he managed the pace superbly, even as his medium tyres began to lose performance in the closing laps. His win marks his third consecutive Sprint victory at Lusail, underlining his affinity for the high-speed Qatari circuit.

Russell held firm in second place throughout, unable to mount a serious challenge for the lead but comfortably ahead of the battle for third. The Briton admitted tyre wear was brutal in the final laps, but his eight points are a welcome boost for Mercedes in their fight for P4 in the Constructors’ standings.

Norris Extends Championship Lead

Lando Norris finished third, crucially ahead of title rival Max Verstappen. The McLaren driver now sits on 396 points, 22 clear of Piastri and 25 ahead of Verstappen. That means a win in Sunday’s Grand Prix would seal the championship regardless of his rivals’ results. While overtaking proved difficult, Norris managed his hard tyres well and gradually dropped Verstappen, who struggled in the dirty air and with tyre wear.

For Verstappen, fourth place was damage limitation after starting sixth. The Dutchman’s Red Bull looked more competitive in race trim than in Sprint Qualifying, but he never found a way past Norris and now faces a must-beat scenario in the Grand Prix to keep his title hopes alive.

Penalties Shake Up the Midfield

The Sprint was littered with track limits violations, with Yuki Tsunoda and Kimi Antonelli both falling foul of the stewards. Tsunoda, who had been running fifth, received a five-second penalty that dropped him to sixth, promoting Antonelli to P5. The Mercedes rookie had his own lap time reinstated mid-race before the stewards ultimately confirmed his penalty, re-estabilishing the order of Yuki P5 and Kimi P6.

Fernando Alonso, who started fourth, faded to seventh on the road due to Aston Martin’s higher tyre degradation but still scored enough to lift the team back ahead of Haas in the Constructors’ fight for seventh. Carlos Sainz claimed the final point in eighth for Williams, despite losing part of his bargeboard early on.

Tyre Strategy and Track Limits Define the Race

With Pirelli’s 25-lap limit on any tyre set in place for safety reasons, most drivers opted for mediums, though some – including Norris and Verstappen – ran hards. The Sprint’s non-stop format meant tyre management was critical, and those who pushed too hard early paid the price in the final laps.

Track limits were a constant storyline, with multiple drivers – including Tsunoda, Antonelli, Leclerc, and Hadjar – having lap times deleted. The combination of high-speed corners and wind direction made staying within the white lines a challenge, especially as grip levels fell.

Final Sprint Classification (Top 8)

1. Oscar Piastri – McLaren
2. George Russell – Mercedes
3. Lando Norris – McLaren
4. Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing
5. Yuki Tsunoda – Red Bull Racing
6. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
7. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
8. Carlos Sainz – Williams

Championship Outlook

With just the Abu Dhabi finale to follow, the title fight is finely poised. Norris can clinch the crown in Qatar with a win, while Piastri and Verstappen must outscore him to keep the battle alive. The Sprint result has tilted momentum slightly towards Norris, but Piastri’s form at Lusail suggests Sunday’s Grand Prix could be another tense McLaren intra-team duel.

Key Takeaways:

• Piastri dominates for third straight Qatar Sprint win.
• Norris extends title lead over Piastri and Verstappen.
• Tyre wear and track limits penalties shape the midfield.
• Aston Martin leapfrogs Haas in Constructors’ standings.

Qualifying later today will be crucial, with overtaking at Lusail proving tricky. The grid order could well decide whether Norris seals the championship under the lights or if the fight goes down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.