Qatar sprint race: Lando Norris hands victory to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris handed victory at Saturday's Qatar sprint race to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, repaying the favour the Australian gave him at the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race earlier this year.

In Brazil, Piastri gave up the lead of the sprint to let Norris win and maximise his chances of beating Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship.

With the title decided in Verstappen's favour at last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix, Norris returned the favour by letting Piastri through for victory on the final lap.

"The team told me not to do it, but I thought I could get away with it and I did," Norris said after the race.

"I made my mind up in Brazil when it happened. It's a sprint, I care more about the grand prix [victories] like we all do."

A team radio transmission during the 19-lap sprint revealed Norris asked about swapping positions only for his engineer Will Joseph to say: "Don't worry about that, we finish in this order. We finish in this order. We are happy."

The Mercedes of George Russell in third place was only 0.2 seconds behind the McLarens when they crossed the line, underlining the risk Norris took by letting Piastri through just ahead of the finish line.

The one-two victory strengthened McLaren's chances of securing its first constructors' title in 26 years by extending its lead in the standings to 30 points over rivals Ferrari.

Eighty-eight points are still up for grabs over the remaining two grands prix of the year, meaning McLaren can claim the title in Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix by outscoring Ferrari by 15 points.

Russell started second on the grid but lost the position to Piastri in the opening corner when the McLaren passed around the outside.

The Mercedes driver attempted to reclaim second place on multiple occasions into Turn 1, but Piastri was able to defend each time.

Norris helped Piastri keep the Mercedes at bay by slowing his pace to ensure his teammate was less than a second behind and therefore could use the DRS overtaking aid to defend against Russell, who also had use of DRS.

Carlos Sainz took fourth place for Ferrari ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc in fifth.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton overtook Leclerc at the start, but lost the position again on lap 13 when Leclerc pulled a brave but fair overtaking manoeuvre on his future Ferrari teammate through Turns 1 and 2.

Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh for Haas, adding two points to the team's tally and boosting its chances of holding off Alpine and RB for sixth in the standings.

Verstappen took the final point on offer in eighth place after losing four places at the start of the race when he dropped from fifth on the grid to ninth.

It was a tough race for Red Bull, with Sergio Pérez finishing in last place after a pit lane start and a mid-race pit stop to switch front wings.

Qualifying for Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix will take place on Saturday evening at the Lusail circuit.