The F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint race on November 30, 2024, and the Qualifying event for the December 1 Grand Prix were both competitive with unexpected finishes. McLaren driver Lando Norris moved aside to let teammate Oscar Piastri finish first in the Sprint race, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen surprised everyone, including himself, when he won the pole position in the Grand Prix starting grid.
Qatar Sprint race results
Only six of the 24 Grand Prix races in 2024 were scheduled to include Sprint races. F1 includes Sprint races to add excitement to the weekend and give the drivers and teams a chance to pick up extra Championship points. The first eight finishers win sprint race points. The winner gets eight points, and each successive finisher gets one less. The driver who comes in eighth then gets one point.
In Saturday’s Sprint race, McLaren’s Lando Norris was leading when, just before crossing the finish line, he slowed down, moved over, and allowed teammate Oscar Piastri to win.
Earlier in the season in Brazil, Piastri had done the same thing for Norris, letting the other McLaren driver win the Sprint to get the extra point when Norris was in contention with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to win the Drivers’ Championship. Since Verstappen tied up the Championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last weekend, Norris no longer needed the extra point and returned the favor.
The following table lists the finishing positions and points earned by the first eight drivers in the Qatar Sprint race.
| Finish position | Driver | Team | Championship Points |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 8 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 7 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 6 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 5 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 4 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 3 |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 2 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1 |
Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying positions
Max Verstappen and fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez had issues with their cars earlier in the week and during the Sprint race, but adjustments between the Sprint race certainly turned the situation around. Verstappen handily won the three-stage Qualifying event, which put him in the pole position in the starting grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Perez will start in ninth position.
The following table has the starting grid positions for Sunday’s 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.
| Grand Prix starting grid position | Driver | Team |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 12 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 16 | Alex Albon | Williams |
| 17 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas |
| 19 | Franco Colapinto | Williams |
| 20 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
