The Qatar Sprint race felt like a straightforward affair for 18 out of the 19 laps, with McLaren bringing home a 1-2 finish. Lando Norris, who led throughout, pulled off a risky yet generous maneuver to let Oscar Piastri overtake him on the final corner of the final lap. This gave the Aussie the win.
This move surprised the community and the popular theory that immediately floated from the commentary box to the paddock was that this was Norris’ way of thanking Piastri for giving up his Sprint win in Brazil from earlier this year.
After the race, Zak Brown revealed that McLaren played no hand in making Norris settle for P2. The McLaren CEO told F1TV’s Ariana Bravo after the sprint race:
“That was not the plan all along. The plan all along was to try and finish 1-2. It was a close race, that was 19 laps of no nails. No, that was Lando’s decision, and good on him.”
Brown highlighted that Norris and Piastri have been excellent teammates, with the Qatar sprint providing further evidence of their camaraderie.
Throughout this season — and especially since Norris entered championship contention — there has been an ongoing debate about whether the Aussie driver should act as a rear gunner for his teammate.
LANDO: “I planned to do it since Brazil… just what I thought was best!”#F1Sprint #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/iOFUgpwbwK
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 30, 2024
At several races, such as Hungary and Italy, the Briton lost points to Piastri, as McLaren maintained that both their drivers were top-tier and deserved equal treatment. While this approach may be justified, Norris’ championship challenge was hindered by the Woking-based team’s reluctance to firmly enforce team orders and ensure Piastri’s cooperation.
Nevertheless, the two drivers have probably worked it out well to help each other whenever they need it, as was the case in the Sao Paulo Sprint where Piastri moved over for the #4 driver to gain points in his title battle.
However, in Qatar earlier today, Norris‘ move could have backfired easily as George Russell was within touching distance of passing both the McLaren cars. Had the Briton messed up his execution in the run-up to the chequered flag, both Norris and Piastri could have lost. Russell, who won in Las Vegas last weekend, could have emerged as the victor.
