Oscar Piastri won the sprint before the 2025 Qatar GP, which was very boring, practically without any direct duels. The Australian gained a few points on his rivals in the fight for the world championship.
Read more Analysis of qualifying before the 2025 Qatar GP
The sprint was held in very stable weather conditions, the track temperature was 32 degrees Celsius. The sprint proceeded without any interruptions, all drivers reached the finish line. The only random elements were a few wide excursions into the gravel traps.
Results of the sprint before the 2025 Qatar GP
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Points |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 26:51.033 | 8 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +4.951s | 7 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +6.279s | 6 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +9.054s | 5 |
| 5 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +19.327s | 4 |
| 6 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +21.391s | 3 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +24.556s | 2 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +27.333s | 1 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +28.206s | 0 |
| 10 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +28.925s | 0 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +32.966s | 0 |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +34.529s | 0 |
| 13 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +35.182s | 0 |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +36.916s | 0 |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +38.838s | 0 |
| 16 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +39.638s | 0 |
| 17 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +46.171s | 0 |
| 18 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +69.534s | 0 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +77.960s | 0 |
| 20 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +80.804s | 0 |
Summary and discussion of the sprint before the 2025 Qatar GP
This was one of the most boring sprints in Formula 1 history. We had a few position changes on the first lap, and then the drivers drove to the finish line practically without any direct duels, and overtaking was only possible when someone made a mistake. All drivers started on medium tires, most on used ones from SQ2, and a few on new ones. Tire degradation was minimal, drivers could drive at 100% until the finish line and record increasingly better lap times. When all drivers have the same tires, the pace is even and everyone can push all the time, we have a recipe for a classic procession. The field didn’t spread out much, DRS trains were formed. The zone where the rear wing can be opened was shortened by 175 meters last year, which greatly limited overtaking opportunities then. It is unknown why the FIA did not lengthen it this year.
Oscar Piastri defended at the start and led unchallenged to the finish, maintaining about a two-second lead. Towards the very end of the competition, his lead increased. George Russell drove in a secure second position the whole time, which was unchallenged. Lando Norris finished in third position, having to watch his mirrors in the first laps because Verstappen stayed behind him within DRS range, but not enough to attack. At the end of the sprint, Norris made up some time on Russell, but had no chance of fighting for second place. Max Verstappen started from sixth position, overtaking Alonso and Tsunoda on the first lap; the Japanese driver made room for him nicely. Fourth position was the maximum he could achieve. He had good pace, but not enough to think about overtaking. The TOP4 lineup at the finish was very predictable, and the pace of these drivers was very even.
Yuki Tsunoda finished fifth, having driven a very good sprint; he hasn’t finished in such a high position in any points-scoring session this year. The Japanese driver received a five-second time penalty for breaking track limits during the sprint. Kimi Antonelli was sixth at the finish, having performed a very rare feat during the sprint: overtaking a rival. He took advantage of the fact that Alonso went wide onto the shoulder and attacked him on the long straight. Antonelli, like Tsunoda, received a five-second time penalty for breaking track limits. Alonso dropped from fourth on the grid to sixth on the first lap, and later allowed himself to be overtaken by Antonelli. Sainz maintained eighth position from the start.
Read more Verstappen capitalized on McLaren’s error in the 2025 Qatar GP
Just as little happened in the remaining positions; no one was able to think about points. Leclerc had a poor start, which left him in only 13th. Four drivers changed settings in their cars and started from the pit lane, which excluded them from any fight. Some changed tires at the end because they intentionally used sets they wouldn’t need for the rest of the weekend.
The only successful overtaking maneuver in the sprint was Antonelli on Alonso. Lawson overtook Leclerc but had to give the position back because he did it off-track, so their exchange of positions doesn’t count.
Summary
This was a very boring sprint, one of the worst ever. Piastri confirmed that he feels very good on this track. I expect the TOP4 drivers from the sprint to compete among themselves for these positions in qualifying and the race. I will consider any other result a surprise. The sprint showed that it’s possible to drive for a long time on medium tires, so the race strategy could be 1x soft and 2x medium. I expect many car setup changes because several drivers were unhappy, and Pirelli increased tire pressures, which needs to be reacted to.
The final summary of internal duels in sprint qualifying and the sprints themselves can be checked at this link. It also contains a table of points scored this year only in sprints. In 2025, six sprints took place.
