Oscar Piastri wins the sprint race, and Max Verstappen is crowned world champion
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) won the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race, the 17th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, on Saturday, at the Losail Circuit (5.419 km). After 19 laps had passed (with two early safety car interventions), the Australian, who had taken first place earlier in the day, advanced ahead of Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and his British colleague Lando Norris (McLaren). .
Despite finishing second in the sprint race, Max Verstappen mathematically confirmed for himself the title of world champion, a third successive crown while there are still six grands prix and two GP races to go before the end of the season. The Dutch driver proved his dominance during the season, winning ten Grand Prix races in a row between May and September. In the first 16 races, Verstappen won 13 times.
The safety car intervened twice at the beginning of the race after New Zealander Liam Lawson (Alpha Tauri) and American Logan Sargent (Williams) left the track. He fell victim to a collision with Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Mexican Sergio Perez (Red Bull) in the gravel trap. The abandonment that confirmed the coronation of his colleague.
This was the fourth of six scheduled sprint races this season. The next round will be held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin during the United States Grand Prix on October 21.
The start of the Grand Prix will take place at 7:00pm on Sunday with Max Verstappen on pole who will only be playing for the win statistics given his world title.
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