McLaren's Oscar Piastri wins the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race!
The Australian made a smooth jump off the line and was never troubled for the lead in the shorter dash. He's now 22 points behind Lando Norris heading into today's qualifying session for Sunday's main grand prix.
George Russell is second, Norris comes home in third and Max Verstappen, bouncing and jumping in his Red Bull, gains two places and finishes fourth.
The final lap of the final sprint race of the 2025 season is here and Oscar Piastri is on for a third consecutive sprint victory in Qatar. This win will be a big boost for the Australian, who will close the gap slightly to his championship leader team-mate Lando Norris.
Yuki Tsunoda has had a great weekend so far but the five-second penalty is going to put a little dent in his sprint race. If he stays in fifth place, he'll just lose the one spot to Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and finish sixth.
Marc Priestley Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
The only man that has really made any move is Kimi Antonelli, we saw him overtake Fernando Alonso on circuit.
He's going to gain another place when Yuki Tsunoda takes his five-second penalty as well, so Antonelli is going to be the guy on the entire grid who probably moves the most positions.
We are nearing the end of this routine sprint race and Oscar Piastri will pick up eight points, title leader Lando Norris is on six and Max Verstappen will collect five. Norris can't be crowned champion on a Saturday but he's still in pole position to do it on Sunday if things go his way.
George Russell is 2.1 seconds behind race leader Oscar Piastri but the Australian driver is banking quick laps in his McLaren. This will be eight points in the bag for Piastri's title hopes, which have taken a huge blow in the final third of the season.
Lance Stroll is heading into the pits and Aston Martin make a switch to the soft tyre, just to give them a run out, as the Canadian is way out of the points.
Yuki Tsunoda is still in fifth place but a few track limit warnings, the Japanese driver has now been handed a five-second time penalty.
Fernando Alonso has slipped further down the order, although he is still in the points, as Kimi Antonelli with DRS makes an easy overtake on the 44-year-old Aston Martin driver.
Liam Lawson was told by his Racing Bulls team to give the position back to Charles Leclerc, so now the New Zealander is back in 14th place. Leclerc has been sliding all over the circuit on what has been another frustrating day for Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc is having a nightmare sprint race in Qatar. He's lost places at the start, has tussled with the Haas of Oliver Bearman and now the Monegasque driver is scrapping wth the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson for 13th place.
Marc Priestley Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
The circuit is a punishing one, if you do run wide it will rip bits off your car. These kerbs are quite heavily serrated that if you dip over the gravel, it's a violent journey through some of those gravel traps.
Bits flying off the car are a consequence of the smallest possible mistake.
The gap for Oscar Piastri to George Russell is two seconds as another lap flies by in this final sprint event of the season. The Australian is on for his first podiu since Monza in September.
Max Verstappen is now highlighting bouncing and jumping from his Red Bull. The Dutchman is still in fourth place but his initial threat to Lando Norris in third has faded slightly. Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, is clocking fastest laps in the lead and is looking good for the full eight-point prize.
Outside of the points places and a DRS train is causing frustrations for the midfield drivers. Carlos Sainz is in the final points spot but a piece of his car has just gone flying onto the track.