Lando Norris’ championship charge remains in his hands after finishing third in the Qatar Sprint, despite McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri taking victory.
Norris started third for Saturday’s 19-lap Sprint and remained in the same position at the chequered flag behind both Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell.
It means the Briton’s 24-point margin over Piastri heading to Qatar has been slashed by two points, the pair now on 396 and 374 respectively.
Max Verstappen, who also trailed Norris by 24 points heading into the weekend, struggled for pace in Sprint Qualifying and started only P6.
But a charge on the opening lap brought him up to P4 and means he lost only a single point to Norris, the Red Bull man now on a tally of 371 points.
Norris remains on course for a maiden Formula 1 title, but what does he need to do in Sunday’s race? We have listed all the key numbers and scenarios below…
What’s the situation heading into the Qatar Grand Prix?
There are still 50 points available in 2025 – with 25 on offer for winning each of the remaining two Grands Prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Simply put, if Norris wins the Grand Prix in Qatar on Sunday, then he will have done enough to win the title, regardless of where Piastri and Verstappen finish.
Can Norris get the job done if he doesn’t win in Qatar?
The good news for Norris is he can achieve the title in a number of ways, depending on where Piastri and Verstappen finish.
In the case of Verstappen, the Dutchman must beat Norris in Sunday’s race in order to take the title down to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
In Piastri’s situation, he must not be outscored by four or more points, with the difference between first and second exceeding this amount.
Thereafter, Piastri would need to finish directly behind Norris in any other position in order to keep his chances alive.
Should the worst-case scenario happen and Norris fail to score any points in the Grand Prix, he would be three points behind Piastri or level with Verstappen if either of his rivals win on Sunday.
