Surprise finishes for the F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint and Qualifying event
Norris returned a favor, even though the team told him not to do it.
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.