Oscar Piastri wins a dramatic Qatar Sprint as Verstappen crowned champion

Oscar Piastri claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory in a dramatic Qatar sprint race, as Red Bull's Max Verstappen was crowned 2023 world champion despite a poor start.

Polesitter Piastri led initially before Mercedes' George Russell grabbed the lead on lap 3 following a safety car restart.

However, Russell's pace faded on soft tyres allowing Piastri to reclaim first on lap 10.

Verstappen surged from sixth to second, passing Russell on lap 14 but unable to threaten Piastri, who took the checkered flag by 1.8s.

Lando Norris claimed the final podium spot for McLaren after a late charge.

The race was marred by multiple incidents, requiring three safety car interventions.

AlphaTauri's Liam Lawson crashed out on lap 1, while Williams' Logan Sargeant and later the Renaults of Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg exited following collisions.

Despite finishing second, Verstappen sealed his third world title as closest rival Charles Leclerc could only manage seventh. Later he received a 5 seconds penalty for exceeding track limits and ended up in P

Leclerc was subsequently handed a post-race penalty, dropping him to 13th.

Piastri was delighted to record his breakthrough win, calling it "a great reward" for McLaren.

Verstappen meanwhile was satisfied to wrap up another championship.

For Mercedes, Russell rued his tyre struggles after leading, while Hamilton produced an excellent drive from ninth to fifth.

With three races left in 2023, attention now turns to the constructors' battle between Ferrari and Mercedes, and the fight for second in the drivers' standings between Perez and Hamilton.

However, there remains work to be done for both teams to regularly challenge Red Bull and Verstappen over a full Grand Prix distance.