Australian formula one driver Oscar Piastri (R) of the McLaren Team celebrates after the sprint race with Lando Norris at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. David Davies/PA Wire/dpaDPASat, November 29, 2025 at 3:53 PM UTC·3 min readOscar Piastri won the Qatar Grand Prix weekend sprint race for the third time in a row from pole position on Saturday to keep the Formula One title race pressure on McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.
Piastri crossed the chequered flag after 19 laps on the Lusail International Circuit ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell and Norris.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe top three had started in the same order while four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen, who is also in title contention, rose two spots from sixth on the grid to fourth at the start.
But the Red Bull star found no way past Norris on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
The title race
Norris dropped two points on Piastri while gaining one on Verstappen. He is 22 points ahead of Piastri and 25 in front of Verstappen.
There are still 50 points up for grabs from Sunday's proper Qatar Grand Prix and the season-ender in Abu Dhabi where there is no sprint.
With 25 points for a victory and 18 for second, Norris will clinch the title on Sunday with first place. If he doesn't win the placings of Piastri and Verstappen will decide whether the title race will go to the wire at the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPiastri must `keep it rolling'
Piastri has been impeccable all weekend after some difficult months during which he lost the championship lead to Norris again. He has topped every session and must also be rated favourite for GP qualifying later Saturday.
“It’s been a good weekend so far. Everything went smoothly in the Sprint there, so I’m happy with how it’s been so far and just need to keep it rolling," Australia's Piastri said.
"The pace has been strong. It’s a track I’ve enjoyed in the past, and I’m enjoying it again, clearly."
Piastri won the sprints in 2023 and 2024 as well but is yet to top the GP in Lusail, with Verstappen winning the last two editions.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNorris remains the title favourite but knows that qualifying will be crucial, saying: "It’s not easy to pass around here, it’s too difficult, so it’s all about qualifying."
McLaren happy after Vegas DQs
First and third were good news for McLaren after Norris and Piastri were disqualified at last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix for a technical infringement concerning the cars' skid blocks.
"It was a strong reaction in terms of the result on track," team principal Andrea Stella told Sky TV.
"We understood why we found ourselves in that unfortunate circumstance. I'm very proud. Our culture was tested by a hard situation. We emerged even stronger and aware that we have more work to do to not face those situations."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFerrari struggle again
It was meanwhile another difficult day for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc losing four places at the start to place 13th and Lewis Hamilton coming 18th after being among several drivers to start from the pit lane.
Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda originally finished fifth but was hit with a track limits five-second penalty which dropped him to sixth.
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli inherited fifth, and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz of Williams were also in the points.
Australian formula one driver Oscar Piastri of the McLaren Team leads at the start of the sprint race at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. David Davies/PA Wire/dpaAdvertisementAdvertisement
