Oscar Piastri delivered a masterclass at the Lusail International Circuit, leading every lap of the Formula 1 Qatar Sprint race on November 29, 2025, and breathing new life into the championship battle. The Australian’s lights-to-flag victory not only earned him eight crucial points, but also cut his deficit to title leader Lando Norris to 22 points, with just two rounds remaining in the season. George Russell finished a strong second for Mercedes, while Norris settled for third, fending off Max Verstappen, who could only manage fourth after a frustrating run.
The 19-lap sprint, held under the Qatari sun, may not have provided the fireworks some fans hoped for, but it was a showcase of precision and composure from Piastri. Starting from pole for the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, the McLaren driver made a perfect getaway. Russell, lining up alongside him, slotted into second, while Norris and Verstappen, the other two championship protagonists, quickly found themselves locked in a tense battle for the final podium spot.
Piastri wasted no time in building a gap. By the end of the opening lap, he was already over a second clear of Russell, taking advantage of clean air and a well-balanced car. Behind him, Verstappen, who had started sixth, made an aggressive start, jumping up to fourth within the first few corners. The Dutchman’s charge was aided by a rapid launch from his Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who briefly challenged Norris for third at Turn 1 before slipping back as the race settled into a rhythm.
Despite the benefit of DRS for the first eight laps, Verstappen couldn’t find a way past Norris. The Red Bull star reported persistent bouncing and porpoising issues over the team radio, lamenting, “the bouncing is still very bad.” As the laps ticked by, Verstappen’s frustration grew, and his challenge faded. He eventually finished 2.7 seconds behind Norris and a sizable 9.054 seconds adrift of Piastri, underscoring Red Bull’s struggle for outright pace at Lusail.
Meanwhile, Norris’s third place was enough to keep his title hopes firmly in his own hands. With 50 points still available over the season’s final two events, Norris knows that a victory in Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix would secure his maiden world championship. But with Piastri’s resurgence, the battle is far from over. “It’s been a good weekend so far, and everything went smoothly in the sprint there,” Piastri said after stepping out of his McLaren. “It’s a very different circuit to where we’ve been recently. This is a track I’ve enjoyed in the past, and enjoying it again, clearly.”
The midfield action was shaped by penalties and tire management. Tsunoda, who had initially vaulted into the top five with a stellar start, was handed a five-second penalty for repeated track limits violations. The Japanese driver’s demotion to sixth promoted Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli to fifth, but the Italian was also slapped with a five-second penalty for similar offenses, ultimately dropping him back to sixth and restoring Tsunoda to fifth. Fernando Alonso brought his Aston Martin home seventh, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz claimed the final point in eighth.
For Ferrari, the sprint was a weekend to forget. Charles Leclerc’s early off-track excursion at Turn 2 dropped him from ninth to 13th, and he never recovered, finishing outside the points. Lewis Hamilton, starting from the pit lane after a dismal qualifying, struggled to make headway and crossed the line in 17th. The seven-time world champion’s frustration was palpable, as he told his team over the radio, “I don’t know how, but we’ve made the car worse.”
The race itself was largely processional, with limited overtaking opportunities on the twisty Lusail layout and no pit stops to shake up the order. Dirty air and tire degradation made following closely a challenge, and most of the top positions were settled within the opening laps. The only real shake-ups came courtesy of the stewards, who were kept busy policing track limits infractions throughout the field.
Elsewhere, the performance of Red Bull’s junior drivers was a subplot to watch. Tsunoda’s display, even with the penalty, was a timely reminder of his pace as rumors swirl about his future with the team. Red Bull is believed to be considering promoting Isack Hadjar from its junior program, with Liam Lawson and rising star Arvid Lindblad also in the mix for seats next season. With decisions expected between the Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds, Tsunoda’s final races of the year could prove decisive for his career trajectory.
Antonelli, despite his penalty, showed flashes of promise in only his first few outings for Mercedes. The Italian rookie’s ability to run in the top six bodes well for his future, even if the final result didn’t fully reflect his pace. Alonso’s seventh-place finish for Aston Martin and Sainz’s solitary point for Williams rounded out the scorers, while the rest of the field—including Alex Albon, Isack Hadjar, and Gabriel Bortoleto—failed to trouble the points-paying positions. Notably, Kick Sauber remains the only team without a sprint point this season.
Looking ahead, the championship picture has tightened. Piastri’s win means he heads into qualifying for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix with real momentum, having closed the gap to Norris and kept Verstappen within striking distance. Verstappen, now 25 points behind Norris, must finish ahead of the McLaren driver on Sunday to keep his hopes of a fifth world title alive heading into Abu Dhabi. As for Norris, the equation is simple: win, and the title is his.
The drivers and teams now have only a few hours to regroup before qualifying for the main event. With set-ups allowed to be changed between the sprint and qualifying, expect teams to search for any advantage they can find. Coverage of qualifying kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN, promising another chapter in what has become a thrilling and unpredictable title fight.
As the sun sets over Lusail, all eyes turn to Sunday’s Grand Prix. The sprint may have been short on drama, but it’s set the stage for a weekend where every point—and every decision—could prove decisive in crowning Formula 1’s next world champion.
