Formula 1 in Qatar

LIVE: Piastri stays in front – Max makes up places

Oscar Piastri(Bild: AP/Darko Bandic)

Oscar Piastri has hit back in the Formula 1 title fight by winning the sprint race in Qatar. The McLaren driver won the last short race of the season on Saturday, comfortably ahead of Mercedes star George Russell and world championship leader Lando Norris in the second McLaren. With his third sprint victory in Qatar in a row, the Australian reduced his deficit in the championship standings by two points to 22 points. Max Verstappen in the Red Bull finished fourth and is now 25 points behind Norris.

Should Norris win the Grand Prix on Sunday (17:00), the Briton will have secured his first world championship title. If the 26-year-old does not triumph in the race, he will need a 26-point lead ahead of the finale in Abu Dhabi to be crowned world champion early. A total of 50 are still up for grabs. Qualifying for the 23rd and penultimate race of the season, which is very important due to the few overtaking maneuvers in the sprint, will take place on Saturday evening (19:00).

"I'm very happy with how things have gone so far. I have more speed and the grip is better for our car," said Piastri after finishing on the podium for the first time since Monza almost three months ago. In the past few weekends, things had gone wrong for him personally. "The pace was not the reason. Now I'm in a good mood and the pace is strong. I'm no longer looking to the past, but to the future," emphasized Piastri, who was presented with the winner's trophy by tennis superstar Novak Djokovic.

Here are the results:

Verstappen with problems and under pressure
Norris could be satisfied with third place, in the Grand Prix he wants to fix the first McLaren world title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008. "It's going to be a tough race. You almost can't get past here unless the others make a mistake," he said. If Verstappen does not finish the race ahead of Norris, the defending champion will be dethroned.

In the short race on the Lusail International Circuit, pole-setter Piastri got off to a good start and defended his top position ahead of Russell and Norris. Verstappen, who started the race from sixth on the grid, passed Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso and Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda with relative ease. While Piastri easily managed his lead, Norris had to fend off an attack by Verstappen. After that, the racing died down and there were no exciting moments in the 19 laps. Verstappen, meanwhile, continued to report problems with the 'bouncing' of his car. "The bouncing is still bad," the Dutchman radioed to the pits.