F1 results: Timings from Qatar Grand Prix sprint
The paddock at night at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.
Max Verstappen was crowned a three-time World Champion during the Qatar sprint following further woes for Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen needed a top-six finish to secure his third F1 title, but when Perez was caught up in a crash also involving Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg, that meant the job was done for Verstappen.
But, he could not celebrate with a win, as McLaren’s polesitter Oscar Piastri recorded his first F1 win and in mighty fashion.
With the top three on the grid of Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen taking the medium tyres, behind that it was a mix of medium and soft compounds, the 19-lap sprint extremely demanding for that soft Pirelli rubber.
Piastri retained the lead, but those softs helped George Russell, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to dump Norris and Verstappen down the order to P5 and P6 respectively. Liam Lawson meanwhile was out as he spun his AlphaTauri into the gravel.
After a brief Safety Car intervention, Russell sent it down the inside of Piastri at Turn 6, feeling the grip of those softs as he snatched the lead, just in time as Logan Sargeant soon spun out to lure the Safety Car back onto the track.
The expected transition came to pass as the sprint came back the way of those medium runners, Piastri reclaiming the lead from Russell on Lap 11, but further back there was a title-deciding collision as Perez crashed out at Turn 2 with Esteban Ocon as Nico Hulkenberg also suffered terminal damage, confirming Verstappen as a three-time World Champion.
Verstappen went on a Piastri hunt to crown his achievement with a win, but the Aussie had the pace to remain out of reach as he recorded an impressive victory.
Sprint results
1 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren
2 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing +1.871
3 Lando NORRIS McLaren +8.497
4 George RUSSELL Mercedes +11.036
5 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +17.314
6 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +18.806
7 Alexander ALBON Williams +19.864
8 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +21.180
9 Pierre GASLY Alpine +21.742
10 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo +22.208
11 Yuki TSUNODA AlphaTauri +22.863
12 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +24.860*
13 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team +24.970
14 Guanyu ZHOU Alfa Romeo +26.868
15 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +29.523*
Nico HULKENBERG Haas F1 Team
Esteban OCON Alpine
Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing
Logan SARGEANT Williams
Liam LAWSON AlphaTauri
*5-second penalty applied post-race for multiple track limits infringements.