Max Verstappen sealed his third successive title; McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed his maiden Sprint victory.
Max Verstappen sealed a third successive Formula 1 world championship by finishing second behind Oscar Piastri in a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday.
Becoming the 11th driver to reach at least three titles and just the fifth to win a hat-trick of titles in a row, Verstappen’s triumph was confirmed when his Red Bull team-mate – and nearest title challenger – Sergio Perez crashed out on lap 11, sealing one of the most impressive and dominant seasons in F1 history.
Verstappen is the first driver to clinch a title in a Sprint event – the short-form race introduced onto select Saturdays from 2021 – and does so with six Grands Prix in the season still to go, starting with Sunday’s race in Qatar.
Having started from pole, McLaren’s Piastri retook the lead from Mercedes’ George Russell to claim his first F1 Sprint victory, with the Australian rookie continuing to show the sort of form that suggests he could soon be challenging Verstappen for titles.
Verstappen joins some of the sport’s most famous names on three titles, including Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the outright record of seven.
The 26-year-old holds an unassailable 184-point lead over team-mate Perez, with a maximum of 172 points available in the six Grands Prix and two Sprints that remain.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Verstappen said. “Been an incredible year. Lots of great races, super proud of the job from the team. It’s been so enjoyable to be part of that group of people.
“To be a three-time world champion is just incredible. We will keep on pushing, doing the best we can.
“Today was quite an exciting race, a bit of a shame with the Safety Cars, but overall it was fun out there. Just incredibly happy at the moment.”
Lando Norris recovered from dropping from second to sixth on the opening lap to take the final podium spot, ahead of Russell and his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who delivered an impressive drive from 12th on the grid to take fifth.
Qatar GP Sprint Result: Top 10
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren (8 points)
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull (7 points)
- Lando Norris, McLaren (6 points)
- George Russell, Mercedes (5 points)
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (4 points)
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (3 points)
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (2 points)
- Alex Albon, Williams (1 point)
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
