Where to watch the Qatar Grand Prix
Sky Sports F1, 4pm GMT Sunday
Best bet
Oscar Piastri to win
3pts 4-7 General
Bet Builder – Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar to finish in the top 6 & Carlos Sainz to finish in the points
2pts 11-5 bet365
Already advised (Nov 27)
Lando Norris to win Qatar Grand Prix
1pt 2-1 Coral, Ladbrokes
Pierre Gasly points finish
1pt 5-2 general
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Qatar Grand Prix preview
Oscar Piastri rediscovered his early-season form to take a Sprint win this weekend and, after a phenomenal qualifying lap that saw him knock more than four-tenths off his Sprint pole time, the Australian can take the World Drivers’ Championship battle to the final weekend of the season by securing a win in the Qatar Grand Prix.
Lando Norris came in third behind George Russell to cut his teammate’s championship lead to 22 points heading into Sunday’s main event, but he knows that a win for Norris would draw the curtain on his championship hopes.
However, the fast and flowing nature of the Lusail International Circuit does not lend itself to overtaking opportunities, and that should play into pole-sitter Piastri’s hands.
Aside from a hint of early pressure from Max Verstappen, there was very little in the way of on-track action in Saturday’s Sprint, and the top five at the end of the first lap remained unchanged through to the chequered flag.
Sunday’s Grand Prix does throw an enforced two-stop policy into the mix but, provided he avoids any first-lap shenanigans, expect Piastri to get first choice in the pits and, with McLaren’s clear pace advantage around this circuit, control the race from the front to take the championship battle to Abu Dhabi.
The improving Isack Hadjar is backed for another points finish in QatarCredit: Getty Images
Further down the field, Isack Hadjar should continue his excellent form to secure a second consecutive top-six finish, along with the rejuvenated Kimi Antonelli.
Hadjar has been the best rookie in the field this season and has taken his Racing Bulls car to a points finish in five of the last eight races, including a stunning podium in Azerbaijan.
He went from 11th on the grid to ninth in the Sprint and, with the torrid pace of Ferrari this weekend and Fernando Alonso struggling for race speed in the Sprint, Hadjar should not come under much pressure from behind and can maintain his sixth-on-the-grid position.
The Frenchman will start alongside Kimi Antonelli on the third row, and the Italian teenager went into this weekend following his best drive of the season in Las Vegas.
After a difficult European leg of the season, Antonelli has taken successive podiums for the first time in his short career and has finished in the top six in five of the last six Grands Prix, and the Silver Arrows showed solid race pace in the Sprint.
Just behind Hadjar and Antonelli sits Carlos Sainz, who ran home eighth in the Sprint and is unlikely to be pressured by Alonso, Pierre Gasly or Charles Leclerc behind him.
The Spaniard came fifth in Sin City last weekend and has three top-ten finishes in his last six races, so he can consolidate Williams’ fifth-place standing in the World Constructors’ Championship.
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Read more:
Qatar Grand Prix betting tips, odds and predictions: Norris can wrap up title in style
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