Mclaren's Norris Sacrifices Sprint Race Win For Teammate Piastri

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain tries to overtake Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco during sprint race at the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix, at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusa

During the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday, McLaren driver Lando Norris made a surprising move by ignoring team orders and allowing his teammate Oscar Piastri to take the win. Despite being instructed by the team to maintain his position ahead of Piastri, Norris chose to gift the victory to his teammate, finishing behind him at the final corner and thwarting Mercedes' George Russell who came in third.

Norris explained his decision by stating that his primary focus is on winning races and the championship, rather than sprint races. He mentioned that he was returning the favor to Piastri for a similar gesture made by Piastri during the sprint race in Brazil when Norris was contending with Max Verstappen for the drivers' title.

Expressing surprise at Norris' move, Piastri acknowledged the potential risk but highlighted the teamwork and lack of egos within the McLaren team. This incident adds to a season marked by McLaren's strategic decisions, including a notable swap between Norris and Piastri in Hungary after a complex radio exchange.

Norris cited championship focus as reason for his decision.

Lando Norris allowed teammate Oscar Piastri to win despite team orders.

Piastri reciprocated Norris' gesture from a previous race in Brazil.

McLaren's strategic decisions have been notable throughout the season.

Norris started from pole position in the sprint race.

In the sprint race, Norris started from pole position and maintained the lead while Piastri overtook Russell for second place. As Russell pressured Piastri for second, Norris deliberately slowed down, allowing Piastri to close the gap and utilize the DRS overtaking aid effectively.

Russell expressed frustration with McLaren's teamwork, particularly while trailing Piastri, and criticized what he perceived as late defensive moves by Piastri. McLaren extended its lead over Ferrari in the constructors' championship by 30 points, with Carlos Sainz Jr. finishing fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth.

Looking ahead, teams have the opportunity to earn a maximum of 88 points from the upcoming Grand Prix race in Qatar and the subsequent Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull fell 67 points behind McLaren in the standings, with Verstappen finishing eighth and Sergio Perez at the back after a pit stop to replace his car's nose.

Qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix race is scheduled to take place later on Saturday.

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