Max Verstappen sealed his third successive title; McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed his maiden Sprint victory; watch the Qatar Grand Prix reside on Sky Sports F1 at 6pm on Sunday, with build-up from 4:30pm
Last Updated: 07/10/23 8:11pm
Max Verstappen was topped world champion after Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez crashed out of the Sprint
Max Verstappen was topped world champion after Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez crashed out of the Sprint
Max Verstappen sealed a third successive Formula 1 world championship by ending second behind Oscar Piastri in a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday.
Becoming the eleventh driver to achieve a minimum of three titles and simply 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 vital spectacular and dominant seasons in F1 historical past.
Verstappen is the primary driver to clinch a title in a Sprint occasion – the short-form race launched onto choose Saturdays from 2021 – and does so with six Grands Prix within the season nonetheless to go, beginning with Sunday’s race in Qatar at 6pm, live on Sky Sports.
Having began from pole, McLaren’s Piastri retook the lead from Mercedes’ George Russell to assert his first F1 Sprint victory, with the Australian rookie persevering with to indicate the form of kind that implies he might quickly be difficult Verstappen for titles.
Verstappen joins a number of the sport’s most well-known names on three titles, together with Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the outright document of seven.
Oscar Piastri held his nerve to take his first-ever Sprint win as Max Verstappen adopted in second to be topped world champion in Qatar
The 26-year-old holds an unassailable 184-point lead over team-mate Perez, with a most of 172 factors out there within the six Grands Prix and two Sprints that stay.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Verstappen stated. “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 simply unimaginable. We will carry on pushing, doing the very best we are able to.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Max Verstappen can rely himself as one of many ‘greats’ of the game after successful his third consecutive world title
“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 ultimate podium spot, forward of Russell and his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who delivered a formidable drive from twelfth on the grid to take fifth.
Qatar GP Sprint Result: Top 10
1) Oscar Piastri, McLaren (8 factors)
2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull (7 factors)
3) Lando Norris, McLaren (6 factors)
4) George Russell, Mercedes (5 factors)
5) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (4 factors)
6) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (3 factors)
7) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (2 factors)
8) Alex Albon, Williams (1 level)
9) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
10) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
How wild Qatar Sprint unfolded
With Verstappen, ranging from third on the grid, merely needing to keep away from Perez, beginning eighth, bettering his end result by 5 factors, any end result aside from the Dutchman turning into world champion appeared extremely unlikely.
However, a poor begin noticed Verstappen drop to sixth within the opening corners, earlier than he recovered one of many locations he had misplaced by overtaking Lando Norris.
Even then, with Verstappen fifth and Perez having dropped out the factors, any likelihood of the wait being prolonged to Sunday was all however gone.
Oscar Piastri holds onto the lead of the Sprint, whereas Liam Lawson loses management and crashes out to carry out the Safety Car
Aside from a very powerful aspect of all, the 19-lap race was about as dramatic as it might have been.
Liam Lawson, probably standing in for AlphaTauri for the final time this season as Daniel Ricciardo nears a return from harm, misplaced management at Turn 2 and introduced out a Safety Car as he grew to become beached within the gravel.
Russell, who had darted previous Norris and Verstappen at the beginning, continued to make good use of his tender tyres, which heat up quicker than the mediums the highest three started on, to cross Piastri up the within of Turn 6 following the restart.
Moments later, the Safety Car would return to the monitor as Williams’ Logan Sargeant additionally spun off to go away himself caught within the gravel.
George Russell dives down the within to take the lead from Oscar Piastri within the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint
Following the restart on lap seven, Verstappen handed the Ferraris on consecutive laps to climb to third, whereas Piastri eased previous Russell as soon as his medium tyres had entered a greater working window.
With Verstappen primed to chase down the highest two, his title was successfully confirmed when Perez crashed out on lap 11 in a dramatic three-car collision with Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg.
By the time the monitor was cleared, solely 5 laps remained, which was sufficient time for Verstappen to cruise previous Russell, however to not mount a problem to the composed Piastri.
Further again, Hamilton stormed by way of the sphere on his medium tyres to take an unlikely fifth, exhibiting tempo that may give him hope of a robust race on Sunday, as he begins third behind pole-sitter Verstappen and team-mate Russell.
Watch Max Verstappen’s first race as a three-time world champion within the Qatar GP on Sunday reside on Sky Sports F1. The race begins at 6pm with build-up from 4.30pm. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW for £21 a month for six months
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