Norris Sacrifices Sprint Win For Teammate Piastri

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Formula One has a history of nasty feuds and intense rivalries among teammates. But last night at the Lusail International Circuit, Lando Norris displayed a rare gesture of sportsmanship and gratitude as he allowed his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to pass him just before the chequered flag to win the Sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Later, Norris revealed that he had disobeyed the team order to give Piastri his victory as payback for the Australian's assistance during the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint. At the time, Norris was still in the hunt for the drivers' title, but with Max Verstappen having wrapped up his fourth successive World Championship in Las Vegas last weekend, the Brit decided to return the favour to Piastri.
The Sprint 1-2 also consolidated McLaren's bid for the constructors' title for the first time since 1998, extending their advantage over Ferrari to 30 points with two Grands Prix remaining.
On the final lap, Norris was told over the team radio:“Finish in this order. We are happy.” McLaren had their reasons, as Piastri was under intense pressure from Mercedes' George Russell throughout the race, with Russell coming close to overtaking him in the first corner on at least three occasions.
But Norris says he had made up his mind to give Piastri the Sprint victory if the chance arose. Norris led from pole to flag before slowing to allow Piastri to win by 0.136 seconds, ahead of Mercedes' Russell in third.“I know it was a bit closer than what I was wanting,” said Norris later.“But I planned to do it since Brazil. What I thought was best is probably a little bit sketchy. The team told me not to do it, but I thought I could get away with it, and we did. So honestly, I don't mind. I'm not here to win Sprint races; I'm here to win races and a championship, but that's not gone to plan. I did the best we could, and I look forward to tomorrow.”
Piastri said his teammate's gesture showed there is a 'lack of egos' at McLaren.“I was aware it could happen,” Piastri said, who had also won the 100km dash in Qatar last year.“I was a bit surprised that, with George (Russell) half a second back, it did, but I was aware it was a possibility, so it wasn't completely unexpected. Maybe a little bit in the circumstances of the race, but yeah, I think it just speaks to our teamwork and fairness for the team, and obviously doesn't change the points. It just shows off our teamwork and lack of egos within the team.”
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished fourth, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, who had won a thrilling battle with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes. Haas's Nico Hülkenberg and Red Bull's Verstappen rounded out the points-paying positions in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Two changes were made to the Sprint starting grid before the race, with Sergio Perez and Franco Colapinto starting from the pit lane due to car adjustments during parc fermé conditions. When the tyre blankets were removed, most drivers were on mediums, except Zhou Guanyu, whose Kick Sauber gambled on softs.
At lights out, Norris surged into the lead, while teammate Piastri quickly overtook Russell for second after a bold move into Turn 2. Hamilton, determined to bounce back from his Sprint qualifying disappointment, made a stellar start, climbing to fifth ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc. Meanwhile, Verstappen struggled, falling to ninth, and Perez, starting from the pit lane, remained at the back.
As Russell applied pressure on Piastri by Lap 4, replays showed Verstappen battling oversteer, limiting his early progress. Elsewhere, Zhou's soft-tyre strategy proved ineffective, prompting an early switch to mediums. Hamilton began losing ground, with Leclerc overtaking him on Lap 13 after a tense wheel-to-wheel battle.
Russell continued his pursuit of Piastri, briefly flaring tempers with a late defensive move from the Australian. Up front, Norris reported front tyre struggles, while Perez's woes deepened with a pit stop for a new front wing.
In the final laps, Norris relinquished the lead to Piastri, allowing his teammate to take the win as a reward for their teamwork.

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