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FACTS AND STATS: Rookie Piastri claims first F1 win of any kind in Qatar Sprint as Verstappen emulates Fangio

Virtual StatmanSean Kelly
LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - OCTOBER 07: Sprint winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren celebrates

Saturday in Qatar saw a World Championship decided, as Max Verstappen did more than enough with a second-placed finish to win his third drivers’ crown on the bounce. But that wasn’t the only thing going on in a chaotic Sprint at the Lusail International Circuit. Here are the best facts and stats from the Sprint in Qatar…

  • Oscar Piastri takes his maiden F1 win in any format in the Sprint. This was McLaren’s second victory in the last 11 years, after Daniel Ricciardo’s win in Monza in 2021 ended a drought that stretched back to 2012.

  • Verstappen joins Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton in winning three consecutive World Championships.

READ MORE: Verstappen secures third F1 world title as Piastri takes Sprint victory in Qatar

  • The Dutchman has clinched this championship with six Grands Prix still remaining, matching Schumacher in 2002.

  • Verstappen is also the first driver to win a championship on track on a Saturday since Nelson Piquet at Kyalami in 1983.

LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - OCTOBER 07: 2023 F1 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen of the NetherlandsVerstappen closed out his third straight drivers' title in the Sprint

  • Lando Norris was third. The Briton’s finished second in four races this year but this is the first time he’s finished P3.

  • George Russell was fourth, having also finished fourth in the Sprint in Baku.

  • Lewis Hamilton managed his first top-five finish in a Sprint this season.

  • Carlos Sainz is one of only three drivers to score in every Sprint this season, the other two being Verstappen and Russell.

READ MORE: Verstappen calls winning third title ‘a fantastic feeling’ as he joins elite club after Qatar Sprint

SPRINT START: Watch the action-packed opening lap in the Qatar Sprint as Piastri leads the way

  • Charles Leclerc has been beaten by his team mate in the last three Sprint events.

  • Alex Albon scored his Williams team’s first ever point in a Sprint.

  • Fernando Alonso has failed to score in the last two Sprints.

  • Liam Lawson suffered his first F1 DNF, having made it to the flag in the last four races.

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