Norris bestows victory upon Piastri, securing a one-two finish for McLaren in the sprint race held in Qatar.
Lando Norris disregarded team instructions and generously handed Oscar Piastri the win at the finish line in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint on Saturday, propelling McLaren closer to their first Formula One constructors’ championship in 26 years. With Carlos Sainz finishing fourth and Charles Leclerc coming in fifth, Ferrari’s deficit to McLaren increased to 30 points, with 88 points still up for grabs in Sunday’s race and the final round in Abu Dhabi next weekend. If McLaren manages to score 15 points more than Ferrari on Sunday night under the Lusail floodlights, they will secure the championship, which is equivalent to another one-two finish. George Russell secured third place for Mercedes in the 19-lap race, followed by his teammate Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh for Haas, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull claimed the final point, a week after clinching his fourth consecutive drivers’ title. The audacious decision to swap positions at the checkered flag, despite Norris being instructed by the team to maintain his position with Russell close behind, was a gesture of gratitude towards Piastri, who had gifted Norris a sprint victory in Brazil.
The British driver was still in the hunt for the championship at that time, but Verstappen put an end to that battle in Las Vegas last Saturday. Only a margin of 1.3 seconds separated the top four at the finish line, with Australian Piastri crossing first, just 0.136 seconds ahead of his teammate, securing his second consecutive Qatar sprint win. “I had planned to make the move since Brazil,” Norris commented on the swap. “I knew it was a bit risky, and the team advised against it, but I believed I could pull it off, and we did. “To be honest, I’m not too bothered about the sprint races. My focus is on winning grand prix races and ultimately the championship, but things haven’t gone according to plan.” Starting from pole position, the Briton led the race while Piastri overtook Russell for second place at turn two on the opening lap, a crucial maneuver that set him up for victory.
Norris maintained close proximity to Piastri, deliberately reducing his speed to ensure that the Australian driver remained within the DRS range. This strategic move allowed Norris to defend himself against Russell on the straight. “The entire race was focused on defence,” stated the Australian driver. “I had a strong start and made it through the first corner well, but couldn’t quite match the pace. I believe I wore out the front tyre a bit too early. “I struggled for the remainder of the sprint, but thanks to excellent teamwork, it became more manageable. Without their support, the sprint would have been significantly more challenging.” Hamilton made an impressive climb from 10th place on the grid to secure fifth place, while Verstappen dropped down to ninth. However, Mercedes’ seven-time world champion was unable to maintain his position ahead of Leclerc in the final six laps, following an earlier overtake. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, faced a challenging race as he started from the pitlane. To add insult to injury, he was overtaken by Williams’ rookie driver from Argentina, Franco Colapinto, upon exiting the pitlane.
