On a weekend when Oscar Piastri has to beat Lando Norris to keep his championship hopes alive, the Australian racer pipped his teammate in FP1, the sole practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.

Norris arrived at the Lusail circuit with a 24-point lead in the Drivers’ standings, meaning he only needs to outscore Piastri and Max Verstappen by two points to seal the title.

First blood to Oscar Piastri in Qatar

George Russell got Formula 1’s penultimate grand prix weekend underway as he led the field out of the pits at the start of FP1, the sole practice session for the season’s final Sprint weekend.

The Briton was quickly into his programme, laying down a 1:24.7 as the opening gambit while a snap of oversteer left Lando Norris a full second down and outside the top ten in the ea

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