Following a dominant 19-lap Qatar Grand Prix F1 Sprint win, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri brought home the full eight points available, closing the gap to teammate Lando Norris (22 points) in the battle for the Drivers’ Championship on Saturday.
“It’s been a good weekend so far, everything went smoothly in the Sprint. Just need to keep it rolling,” he commented during the post-race interview.
“The pace has been strong, and it is a track I have enjoyed in the past, and I am enjoying it again, clearly!”
A confidence-boosting result for the Australian racer, who quickly moved on 1.2 seconds clear of Mercedes’ George Russell, a gap he would extend without taking unnecessary risks.
Eventually, Russell settled in second, followed by Norris in third, the same order as the top three qualified the day before at the Lusail International Circuit.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen made a clean start to the race, gaining two places in his pursuit of the championship leader and title rival, clocking the fastest lap time in the early stages.
Despite the Dutchman’s unmatched efforts, the lack of pace halted his initial threat to the Brit. And as he kept struggling with bouncing and the tires, he finished fourth.
“I’m constantly jumping, not only bouncing,” he said over the team radio.
The four-time champion stands 25 points off Norris ahead of Sunday’s grand prix, meaning he will need to finish above the Briton in the penultimate round of the season to keep his chances alive.
Assessing the race, the Dutch outlined: “The start was good, and I think in the first three laps I just pushed a bit more compared to the guys ahead of the track, looking for an opportunity, knowing that passing was tough. But after that, you get into the same trouble.
“The more the tires wear, the more you feel those kinds of issues, and that basically is what prevented us from really following them. I was basically doing my own race out there.
“We need to work on that, get rid of the bouncing, jumping, get rid of the oversteer in general. That’s still a big problem.”
Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, who outqualified teammate Verstappen for the first time this year on Friday, received a five-second penalty from the stewards for exceeding the track limits.
However, he secured his fifth spot, as Kimi Antonelli received the same reprimand and finished sixth.
Aston Martin Fernando Alonso and Williams’ Carlos Sainz secured the final points in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Later today, the focus shifts to the qualifying session for Sunday’s 57-lap race with all to play for.
Norris needs to emerge victorious in Qatar to capture his maiden Formula 1 world championship; otherwise, the battle will go down to the last round of an eventful season in Abu Dhabi.