McLaren celebrates a double victory in the sixth and final sprint race of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Lando Norris concedes victory to his teammate Oscar Piastri in Qatar in the final meters.
Norris, who started from pole position, was heading for a commanding start-finish victory before deliberately slowing down on the home straight and allowing Piastri to pass him. The gesture can be seen as revenge. Three weeks ago, when the Englishman was still in the title fight with Max Verstappen, Piastri had also conceded the sprint victory to Norris in Brazil.
With the 15 points gained, McLaren took the next step towards winning the Constructors' Championship. The lead over Ferrari is 30 points with two Grands Prix remaining. The Scuderia finished the race with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in 4th and 5th place, meaning that their chances are gradually dwindling.
Red Bull, on the other hand, will no longer be able to defend its Team World Championship title. Max Verstappen, who has been a four-time world champion since last Sunday, had to settle for 8th place. The Dutchman had won the first four sprint races of the season. For Piastri, it was the second victory in the format over the shortened distance. He had also triumphed in Qatar in October last year.
For the Sauber team drivers, there were also no championship points on the third-last occasion this season. The Finn Valtteri Bottas finished twelfth, the Chinese Zhou Guanyu 19th and penultimate.
SDA
