Norris helps Piastri win sprint race at Qatar Grand Prix as Verstappen drops to eighth
Lando Norris defied team orders at the Qatar Grand Prix, allowing his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the sprint race. Norris, who started on pole, finished second, while George Russell of Mercedes took third. Max Verstappen lost his pole position after receiving a penalty for driving too slowly during qualifying. This moved Russell to the front of the grid for the main race, with Verstappen starting eighth. McLaren now leads Ferrari by 30 points in the constructors' championship. Both Norris and Piastri will start ahead of Ferrari drivers in the race, while Red Bull's Verstappen and Sergio Perez struggled, finishing eighth and last, respectively.