Oscar Piastri Wins his First F1 Race, Verstappen Crowned Champion

Max Verstappen clinched the 2023 F1 Drivers Championship today at Lusail after finished second in the Qatar Sprint Race. Verstappen entered the weekend with very little work to clinch the title. Three points is all that separated him from a third consecutive title. While F1 rookie denied Max another win on the season but the result still awarded him the points he needed. With the drivers championship and constructors champion now wrapped up Red Bull can place their focus on developing next years car and possibly securing P2 in the drivers championship with Sergio Perez.

Perez Taken out in the Qatar Sprint

What seemed like a chance at redemption for Perez quickly turned into a nightmare. Perez was taken out of the race due to a three car incident initiated behind him. There was no where for Perez to go to avoid the crash and unfortunately for the Mexican driver he lost more of his points lead to Lewis Hamilton who finished P5. Perez will start from P13 in the Grand Prix tomorrow and will have a huge uphill battle already losing 4 points to Hamilton. Perez can’t lose his lead entirely to Hamilton this weekend. Even if Perez finishes outside of the Points and Hamilton wins the Qatar Grand Prix with fastest lap. Perez would still be 3 points ahead heading into the next round at Circuit of the Americas in the United States. It is a pivotal moment for Perez to perform and the pressure will be on.

Piastri Wins His First F1 Race

Denying the now Verstappen the win in the Qatar Sprint was a small consolation for F1 rookie Oscar Piastri. Piastri secured his first win in F1 from pole position today at Lusail. In a race plagued with 3 safety cars in just 19 laps Piastri kept his cool on all three restarts and put his head down to pull away at the front. George Russell made an early challenge for the lead but tire degradation saw his pace drop dramatically and Piastri was able to pass him with ease. It was an incredible feat for the McLaren driver. We will see if he can double the magic in the Grand Prix tomorrow.

Full Qatar Sprint Race Results are Below