F1 Qualifying: Piastri wins Sprint, Norris eyes championship showdown

QATAR: Oscar Piastri continued his dominant run at the 2025 Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix by winning the final Sprint race of the season on Saturday. Piastri started from pole and finished first, taking eight crucial points while keeping teammate and championship leader Lando Norris in check.

Norris finished third in the sprint, behind Piastri and George Russell, cutting his lead over Piastri to 22 points. Max Verstappen finished fourth, now 25 points behind Norris, keeping the championship battle very much alive ahead of Sunday’s grand prix.

The spotlight now turns to qualifying, which kicks off at 1pm ET (6pm UK). Norris, starting third on the grid, will aim for pole to secure the best possible path to victory and potentially clinch his first Drivers’ Championship. Piastri and Russell, starting ahead, will look to disrupt his plans, while Verstappen will need a perfect session to remain in contention.

After the sprint, Verstappen brushed off questions about McLaren’s dominance, saying Red Bull’s title fight had been helped by “other people’s failures.” Norris responded with characteristic calm, acknowledging Verstappen’s status but dismissing the comments as part of Red Bull’s aggressive approach.

With the Lusail track notoriously tricky for overtaking, qualifying could prove decisive in the title race. Fans can watch the action live on ESPN2 (US), Sky Sports (UK), or via Fubo streaming, with the grand prix race set to start Sunday at 11am ET.

The 2025 F1 season could well be decided by mere fractions of a second this weekend–and all eyes will be on Qatar as Norris, Piastri, Verstappen, and Russell battle for supremacy.