Qatar GP Sprint: Norris hands Piastri win as McLaren dominates
Lando Norris expressed his gratitude towards McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri for the latter’s recent teamwork by handing the Aussie a back-to-back Sprint win in Qatar.
Norris led the field from pole and maintained a leading margin while Piastri indulged in a spirited battle with Mercedes’ George Russell who finished third.
But on the run out of the final corner to the checkered, Norris took it upon himself to back off and let his teammate take the win.
McLaren’s 1-2 has allowed team papaya to increase its lead in the Constructor’s over runner-up Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finishing respectively fourth and fifth, with Lewis Hamilton completing the top six.
From pole, Norris enjoyed a perfect launch off the grid to make a clean run towards Turn 1 leaving Piastri to battle Russell for second place. The Aussie showed his grit, keeping his McLaren planted around the outside of Russell at the first corner and claiming the inside line into Turn 2 to pull off a decisive move.
While Norris surged ahead to build an early lead, Piastri had his hands full with Russell, who pounced with DRS as soon as it became available. For two tense laps, Piastri held off the charging Mercedes, much to the visible frustration of the Las Vegas GP winner.
In a clever strategic play, Norris slowed just enough to keep Piastri within DRS range, giving the rookie extra tools to fend off Russell’s advances. As the race wore on, Norris admitted to struggling with his front tyres and asked his team if he should continue shielding Piastri. McLaren gave the go-ahead, cementing their commitment to a potential 1-2 finish.
The final lap brought high drama as Piastri lost DRS, leaving him vulnerable to a last-ditch attack from Russell. However, the #81 McLaren held its ground only to surge ahead of Norris as the Briton slowed down, sealing the win for McLaren.
Russell spent part of the race with Carlos Sainz breathing down his neck, but the Ferrari driver, stuck in the DRS train, could do little to break into the top-three battle.
Further back, Charles Leclerc sparred with Lewis Hamilton, the two drivers enjoying a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle on lap 13. With DRS giving him a boost, the Monegasque darted down the inside into Turn 1. Hamilton countered with a brave defense on the outside, but Leclerc powered around the outside of Turn 2 to take fifth in style.
Nico Hülkenberg earned valuable points for Haas with a solid seventh-place finish, keeping 2024 champion Max Verstappen behind him. The Red Bull charger endured a scrappy opening lap, sliding off track with oversteer and losing positions to Hamilton, Hülkenberg, and Pierre Gasly.
Though Verstappen clawed his way back to eighth by passing Gasly, he couldn’t close the gap to the Haas ahead.
Gasly finished ninth, narrowly ahead of Kevin Magnussen, who produced a lightning start from 15th to snatch the final point in tenth.
Zhou Guanyu and Sergio Perez were the only drivers to pit during the race. Zhou’s gamble on soft tyres didn’t pay off, while Perez’s misfortune started with a sluggish pit-lane start that saw him lose out to Franco Colapinto.
After contact damaged his front wing, Perez was forced into an early pit stop and spent the rest of the race at the back.
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