Oscar Piastri carried his Sprint Qualifying form into the Qatar Sprint, taking a commanding win ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris in the 19-lap race at Lusail. The McLaren driver controlled the event from pole, coming under pressure only in the closing laps as tyre wear began to bite.
Russell resisted late attacks from Norris to secure second, while Max Verstappen could climb no higher than fourth as porpoising again hampered his pace. Yuki Tsunoda originally slipped behind Kimi Antonelli due to a track-limits penalty, but the Mercedes rookie was also handed a five-second penalty after the finish, dropping him back to sixth and returning Tsunoda to fifth.
Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz completed the points, in a Sprint shaped by tyre management and the need to keep within track limits.
Sprint results
Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2025 — Sprint
| Pos. | Driver | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 26:51.033 | 8 |
| 2 | George Russell | +4.951s | 7 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | +6.279s | 6 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | +9.054s | 5 |
| 5 | Yuki Tsunoda | +19.327s | 4 |
Qualifying sets the stage
With only one hour of practice on Friday, the pressure to deliver a clean lap in Sprint Qualifying was immense. Piastri delivered when it mattered, edging Russell by just 0.032 seconds. Norris lost his chance of pole after running wide into the gravel at the final corner, while Alonso secured an impressive fourth for Aston Martin.
Tsunoda outqualified Red Bull team-mate Verstappen, who settled for sixth – unusual for a driver who has taken 10 Sprint poles in this format.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton endured an even tougher session, knocked out in SQ1 in 18th. The team opted for overnight changes under parc fermé rules, sending him to a pit-lane start alongside Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto.
Lights out
Most of the field lined up on medium tyres, a mix of fresh and scrubbed sets. Piastri made the perfect getaway, pulling clear of Russell as Norris attempted a move into Turn 1. Alonso lost out heavily on the run to the first two corners, passed by both Red Bulls as Verstappen surged to fourth.
Charles Leclerc ran wide at Turn 2 and fell from ninth to 13th, joining a tightly packed DRS train in the midfield. Hamilton’s struggles continued as he remained in 18th after his pit-lane start.
Piastri quickly built a lead of more than a second while Verstappen attempted, without success, to pass Norris for third. The Dutchman reported that “the bouncing is still very bad”, confirming that his porpoising issues from Friday had not been solved.
