Lando Norris expects title lead to shrink in Qatar sprint after qualifying error

Lando Norris fears Oscar Piastri will eat into his championship lead at Saturday’s sprint race in Qatar after a mistake allowed his title rival to take pole position.

Norris had been on course to topple his McLaren team-mate in qualifying before he ran through the gravel trap at the final corner to leave him third on the grid.

Mercedes’ George Russell split the McLarens – lapping just 0.032 seconds slower than Piastri under the lights of the Lusail International Circuit – while Max Verstappen’s championship bid suffered a blow after he could manage only sixth.

Verstappen ran off the track with his first run – sustaining slight damage to the floor of his Red Bull – and while he managed to get a lap on the board, he failed to trouble the leaders.

Verstappen was outqualified by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda for the first time, with the Japanese driver one place ahead of him on the grid. Lewis Hamilton’s woeful run continued. He will start the 25-lap dash to the flag from 18th.

Norris needs to outscore both Piastri and Verstappen by two points to secure his maiden title here and avoid a season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

But while he starts three places clear of Verstappen, Norris expects Piastri will take at least a point out of his championship advantage.

The winner of the sprint, which takes place prior to qualifying for Sunday’s main event, receives eight points with points decreasing by one for each subsequent position.

“The pace was there but I made a mistake in the last corner and I just didn’t put it together,” said Norris, who finished 0.230secs behind Piastri.

“I would be stupid to not try and win. Let’s see what I can find overnight but it is impossible to overtake here so I think I will probably finish third. Getting ahead of George off the line is probably the best I can hope for.”

While this marked a rare boost for Piastri, Verstappen endured a poor evening by his usual high standards.

Verstappen aborted his first attempt in Q3 and was straight on the radio: “This f****** car man. It is bouncing like an idiot.” He finished nearly half-a-second off the pace.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s sprint, Verstappen said: “With this balance, it will not be a lot of fun. It will be more about trying to survive I guess, and then making some changes.”

A week after he qualified 20th and last in Las Vegas, Hamilton suffered further misery with a second early bath in seven days.

The seven-time world champion, who insisted on Thursday he had no regrets about his move from Mercedes to Ferrari, headed into the final runs in Q1 facing elimination, and although he clocked a faster lap to temporarily haul himself out of the drop zone, he soon fell down the order as others improved.

He finished nine tenths off Verstappen’s Q1 pace-setting lap and fourth tenths adrift of Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari.

“Ah, man, the car won’t go any quicker,” said Hamilton over the radio. Leclerc progressed to Q3 and will start ninth on Saturday.

Hamilton’s mood had improved little when he reached the media pen for his television interviews.

Asked if the car was tricky to drive, Hamilton replied: “Same as always.” He was then asked if there were any positives he could take into tomorrow. “The weather’s nice,” he said.