Qatar GP: Formula 1 qualifying – Vestappen gets pole, Piastri triumphs sprint | Motorsports News

Max Verstappen consents pole position for F1’s Qatar GP while Oscar Piastri triumphs sprint race in Saturday’s qualifying.

Lando Norris neglectd team orders as he handed his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri the triumph in the sprint race in Qatar on Saturday, while champion Max Verstappen protectedd pole position for the Grand Prix.

With McLaren eyeing its first Formula 1 erectors’ title in 26 years and George Russell shut behind for Mercedes, Norris was tgreater by the team over the radio to “finish in this order”, ahead of Piastri.

He chose to gift his teammate the triumph anyway, easing off to the right on the exit of the final corner and then swooping back apass in front of Russell, who finished third.

“The team tgreater me not to do it, but I thought I could get away with it and we did,” Norris shelp. “Honestly, I don’t mind. I’m not here to triumph sprint races. I’m here to triumph races and the championship, but that’s not gone to arrange.”

Norris had Brazil on his mind in Qatar

Norris was paying Piastri back for doing the same in the sprint race in Brazil when Norris was still combat Verstappen for the driver’s title.

“I made my mind up in Brazil when it happened,” Norris shelp. “I needed to do someleang to give it back.”

Piastri shelp he had not foreseeed Norris to consent the danger. “I was conscious it could happen. I was a bit surpelevated that with George half a second [away], it did,” Piastri shelp. “It fair shows off our teamtoil and the increateage of egos wilean the team.”

It progresss a season where McLaren’s race tactics have frequently been a talking point, such as when Norris and Piastri swapped for the direct in Hungary after a lengthy and frequently inept radio exalter with the team.

On Saturday, Norris commenceed in pole position and kept the direct at the commence as Piastri squeezed past Russell for second. As Russell repeatedly attacked Piastri, Norris dropped back instead of createing a direct. That put Piastri wilean one second of Norris, apvalidateing the Australian to engage the DRS obviousaking help for extra speed.

McLaren teamtoil ‘frustrates’ Mercedes

Russell shelp he set up the McLaren teamtoil “pretty infuriating” while stuck behind Piastri and also objected to what he saw as tardy shifts from Piastri to deffinish the position.

“Hopefilledy, we can have a proper race [on Sunday] rather than this team orders stuff,” Russell shelp.

The F1 champion was not much of a factor in the sprint but he returned to create in qualifying, taking pole for Sunday’s race from Russell by fair .055 of a second on his last run.

It is his first pole since the Austrian Grand Prix in June, after McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all put prescertain on the previously dominant Red Bull team in the second half of the season.

“Crazy. I unbenevolent, repartner, I didn’t foresee that,” Verstappen shelp. “We did alter a bit on the car but I never thought it would create such a striumphg in carry outance.”

Qatar and Abu Dhabi to join resolved role in F1 championship chooser

Norris was .252 off the pace and lines up third, with Piastri fourth, pursueed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr.

McLaren increased its direct over Ferrari in the erectors’ championship to 30 points, and has both of its drivers ahead of the Ferraris on the grid.

Teams can acquire a peak 88 more points from the Grand Prix in Qatar and next week’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull dropped to 67 points behind McLaren in the standings as Verstappen – crowned the drivers’ champion for the fourth time last week in Las Vegas – finished eighth and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was last after a pit stop to alter his car’s nose.