- McLaren’s Lando Norris was on pole position for the sprint race at the Qatar GP
- The Brit led all the way until he let team-mate Oscar Piastri pass him at the end
- George Russell had pushed Piastri all the way, but could only finish in third place
Lando Norris magnanimously pulled over to hand victory in the sprint to team-mate Oscar Piastri in windy Qatar as McLaren kept themselves on target for their first constructors’ title this century.
The Woking-based team are now 30 points clear of Ferrari with 88 on offer across tomorrow’s grand prix in Doha and next weekend’s concluding race in Abu Dhabi.
Watching boss Zak Brown was delighted having set his heart on ended the team’s losing streak stretching back to their last triumph in 1998.
For Norris, this accolade would be a tonic after losing the drivers’ title to Max Verstappen in Las Vegas a week ago.
Norris started on pole, not a position from which he has often been convincing. But this time he maintained his lead.
Piastri jumped a place to go into second ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri won the Qatar sprint race after Lando Norris let him pass him at the end
Norris looked to be romping to victory before he generously allowed his team-mate the win
It was a big result for McLaren as they look to secure the Constructors’ title this weekend
Norris played the team man, offering Piastri DRS to hold off Russell, who was on the Australian’s tail.
He then made way at the death, returning the favour Piastri did him in the sprint in Brazil when he was still in the hunt for individual honours.
‘The team told me not to do it,’ said Norris, ‘because it was a bit of a risk.
‘But I wanted to do it after Brazil. I’m not here to win sprint races; I’m here to win championships.’
Russell finished third after twice complaining about Piastri’s muscular defending.
‘‘He just f****** turned into me,’ the Silver Arrows man remonstrated, and then on lap 14 of 19: ‘F*** me, that was late, twice now.’
Carlos Sainz started and finished fourth with Charles Leclerc repassing Lewis Hamilton after the pair, who will be team-mates at Ferrari next season, went wheel-to-wheel for the opening three corners of lap 13. Leclerc wriggled ahead at the next bend.
It was a curate’s egg of a race for Hamilton, as he took two places at the start, going up to fifth after passing recrowned world champion Verstappen off the line and then Leclerc on the outside of the second corner.
Russell was left frustrated as he chased Piastri and twice slammed the Australian on his radio
Max Verstappen could only muster an eight place finish after he bemoaned oversteer on his car
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez continued his difficult form and finished in 20th place
The seven-time world champion, who a day before said he had lost his speed after qualifying four-tenths behind Russell, finished sixth.
Verstappen, bemoaning oversteer, finished an uncustomary eighth.
McLaren need to score 15 points more than Ferrari tomorrow to be assured of the constructors’ championship.
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