Piastri keeps Fl title hopes alive with win in sprint race at Qatar

Oscar Piastri boosted his bid for a maiden drivers' world championship on Saturday when he reduced McLaren teammate Lando Norris's lead to 22 points by winning the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.

- Agence France-Presse

Driving with assurance after a fine start from pole position, the 24-year-old Australian delivered a cool drive reminiscent of his early-season domination to finish 4.951 seconds clear of Mercedes’ George Russell with Norris 1.3 seconds adrift in third.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen came home fourth for Red Bull ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda and teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes.

The latter two were both handed five-second penalties for exceeding track limits.

Piastri’s third consecutive sprint race win at the Lusail International Circuit trimmed Norris's lead while Verstappen dropped further behind, by a point, to 25 points behind the Briton.