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Follow live F1 updates at the Lusail International Circuit as the title contenders target top spot in qualifying
Kieran JacksonFormula 1 CorrespondentSaturday 29 November 2025 17:47 GMTComments
Close'I'm pretty used to it': Lando Norris ahead of Qatar GP with 2025 F1 title at stake
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Oscar Piastri took two points out of Lando Norris' F1 world championship lead after he won the sprint race in Qatar.
Piastri converted his pole position into a comfortable victory under the thousands of bulbs that light up the Lusail International Circuit to reduce Norris' advantage at the top to 22 points with 50 to play for.
Norris finished third, while Max Verstappen made up two places after overtaking Fernando Alonso and Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda on the first lap of the 19-lap dash to take the chequered flag in fourth. However, the Red Bull driver now trails Norris by 25 points. George Russell started and ended the 19-lap dash to the chequered flag in second.
Norris will be crowned champion if he outscores Piastri by four points, and finishes ahead of Verstappen in any position, in Sunday's main event.
Follow live coverage of the Qatar Grand Prix with The Independent
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When can Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 world championship?
F1 QATAR GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix is at 6pm (GMT)
- Oscar PIastri won the Qatar sprint race; Russell 2nd; Norris 3rd
- Norris's lead is now 22 points to Piastri and 25 points to Verstappen
- PREVIEW: How Max Verstappen clawed back 104-point deficit in F1 title race over just seven races
When can Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 world championship?
Piastri won the sprint, closing the gap to 22 points, but Verstappen is now 25 points off Norris.
Therefore, the earliest Norris can win the title is still the Grand Prix in Qatar on Sunday 30 November. Norris will be crowned champion if he outscores Piastri by four points, and finishes ahead of Verstappen in any position, in Sunday's main event.
A points advantage of more than 25 points by the end of the Qatar Grand Prix would see him win the title with one race to spare.
McLaren driver Lando Norris following the sprint race at the Lusail International Circuit. (David Davies/PA Wire)Kieran Jackson29 November 2025 17:47Lewis Hamilton at the end of the sprint race:
"Man, don't know how we've made the car worse."
He finished 17th.
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton addresses the media ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)Kieran Jackson29 November 2025 17:42F1 world champion backs Max Verstappen to win title after McLaren disqualifications
Jacques Villeneuve has backed Max Verstappen to win this year’s F1 world championship after the dramatic events following the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday night.
Championship leader Lando Norris had one hand on the trophy after extending his lead to 30 points over Oscar Piastri with a second-place finish in Vegas, with race winner Verstappen 42 points off the Briton.
Yet the shock double disqualification of both McLaren cars for excessive skid plank wear has thrust Verstappen back into the fight. With two rounds to go and 58 points on the table, Verstappen is now level on points with Piastri – a driver he trailed by 104 points at the start of September – and 24 behind Norris.
Full quotes below:
F1 world champion backs Max Verstappen to win title after McLaren disqualifications
Verstappen, chasing a fifth consecutive championship, now only trails Lando Norris by 24 pointsKieran Jackson29 November 2025 17:36PREMIUM: How son of a millionaire Lando Norris silenced naysayers by being on the cusp of F1 world title
By Kieran Jackson
Over the course of his career, there are two longstanding gripes that have regularly been used to discredit the achievements and skillset of Lando Norris, the McLaren driver from Somerset who is on the cusp of reaching the summit of single-seater motorsport this weekend in Qatar.
Full piece below:
How son of a millionaire Norris silenced naysayers to be on cusp of F1 world title
McLaren driver Norris might become Britain’s 11th F1 world champion this Sunday in Qatar. Kieran Jackson explores his journey – and how he’s rediscovered his form at the perfect time this seasonKieran Jackson29 November 2025 17:30Norris on Verstappen saying he'd have won the title already in a McLaren
“Max generally has a good clue about a lot of things, but there is also a lot of things he doesn’t have much of a clue about.
“But it is also Red Bull’s way of going about things, an aggressive nature and just talking nonsense a lot of the time.”
Strong words!
(Getty Images)Kieran Jackson29 November 2025 17:22F1 constructor standings after Qatar GP sprint:
1. McLaren - 770 points (champions)
2. Mercedes - 441 points
3. Red Bull - 400 points
4. Ferrari - 378 points
5. Williams - 122 points
6. Racing Bulls - 90 points
7. Aston Martin - 74 points
8. Haas - 73 points
9. Sauber - 68 points
10. Alpine - 22 points
Kieran Jackson29 November 2025 17:15Lewis Hamilton gives crushing six-word interview after latest Ferrari F1 nightmare
Hamilton was knocked out in SQ1 on Friday night at the Lusail International Circuit, as the seven-time world champion once again struggled to get to grips with his capricious Ferrari car.
Immediately after, a somewhat perplexed Hamilton said on team radio to race engineer Riccardo Adami: “Ah man, the car won’t go any faster.”
Asked about the session by Sky Sports F1 afterwards, Hamilton replied: “Same as always.” Queried further about whether he can look forward to anything positive on Saturday in the Gulf region, Hamilton simply said: “The weather’s nice.”
More below:
Lewis Hamilton gives crushing six-word interview after latest Ferrari F1 nightmare
The 40-year-old endured another difficult qualifying session for the sprint race in Qatar Kieran Jackson29 November 2025 17:00PREVIEW: How Max Verstappen clawed back 104-point deficit in F1 title race over just seven races
It had all looked so rosy for McLaren.
When F1 returned after the customary summer break, the papaya-clad team continued where they’d left off, claiming a one-two finish at Max Verstappen’s home race, the Dutch Grand Prix.
At that stage, it was considered a decisive day in the world championship. Oscar Piastri took a 34-point lead over Lando Norris after the Briton’s unfortunate mechanical breakdown, and, in what increasingly seemed like a two-way battle, was 104 points clear of Verstappen.
Just seven races and three months on, in an inconceivable turn of events, Verstappen is back level-pegging with the Australian and just 24 off Norris with two rounds remaining.
With all eyes on Qatar this weekend, we give a race-by-race breakdown of Verstappen’s comeback and why the momentum is fully with the Dutchman as the 2025 season concludes.
Full breakdown below:
How Max Verstappen clawed back 104-point deficit in F1 title race
The Dutchman previously dismissed his chances of winning the title but is now firmly back in the fightKieran Jackson29 November 2025 16:45McLaren F1 boss finally explains ‘specific cause’ of double disqualification
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed that “extensive porpoising” was the primary factor behind the team’s double disqualification in Las Vegas.
The verdict has huge ramifications for the title race with Norris – who was 30 points clear of Piastri and 42 ahead of Max Verstappen – now just 24 points ahead of his rivals.
In a Q&A on the McLaren website, Stella explained what occurred during the Vegas race: "The specific cause that led to the situation was the unexpected occurrence of extensive porpoising, inducing large vertical oscillations of the car. “
More quotes below:
McLaren F1 boss finally explains ‘specific cause’ of double disqualification
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri missed out on crucial championship points after their DSQs in VegasKieran Jackson29 November 2025 16:30Top-10 - F1 driver standings after Qatar sprint:
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 396 points
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 374 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 371 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 301 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 226 points
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 152 points
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 140 points
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 73 points
9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 51 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 49 points
Kieran Jackson29 November 2025 16:15Newer1 / 10OlderMore about
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