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1+ min ago (357+ words) McLaren's Oscar'Piastri'topped the only practice session of Formula 1's sprint weekend in Qatar, edging out team-mate and title rival Lando Norris in a last-minute flurry of qualifying runs in Doha. At the floodlit Losail circuit, which hosts the penultimate weekend on the 2025 calendar,'Piastri's'second soft-tyre run at the end of the session was enough to overhaul Norris''previous'best effort by half a tenth, with Aston Martin's Fernando'Alonso'completing the top three. Mercedes' George Russell led the early running from Max Verstappen, who complained about the ride quality of his Red Bull RB21, which he reported was "jumping a lot". The Mercedes driver then improved his leading time to a 1m22.165s after 20 minutes, which would stand untouched for the next half hour. Drifting wide on the dusty high-downforce Losail circuit, Norris also took a while to get up to speed as he wondered why…...

3+ min ago (545+ words) Max Verstappen fumes at his Red Bull during an SQ3 run that sees him qualify sixth. (0:42) DOHA, Qatar -- Max Verstappen and Lando Norris will both be in damage limitation mode for Saturday's sprint after Oscar Piastri's surprising pole position added another unexpected twist in F1's three-way title fight. Piastri ended his long run of rotten form with a timely return to pole in Qatar, catching a massive snap of his car during the crucial final lap to beat George Russell to pole. Norris, who leads both Piastri and Verstappen by 24 points ahead of the penultimate round of the season, ran wide at the end of his own lap to spoil his own chance of lining up on pole position. Verstappen could only manage sixth. Norris still appears the strong favourite for the championship and he will claim the title if he…...

59+ min ago (824+ words) The McLaren driver is close to sealing the first F1 title of his career. The 26-year-old Briton is 24 points ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, whose brilliant comeback in recent weeks has given him a glimpse of a fifth straight crown. Verstappen's 69 race wins put him third all-time behind Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (105). The dynamic Dutchman is already considered one of the best F1 drivers ever and his late charge this season was aided by the disqualification of both McLaren drivers following the Las Vegas GP last Sunday, a race he won. Norris lost the 18 points he had earned from crossing the line in second place, and Piastri the 12 from initially placing fourth. "Of course it hurts. But actually I found it quite easy just to move on," said Norris, who earlier this season found himself lagging…...

59+ min ago (766+ words) Norris holds a 24-point lead in Formula 1 over both men, and may well be relieved that Verstappen will start Saturday's sprint race behind him. The winner gets eight points with the top eight scoring points. "A day when things clicked," said Piastri, whose form has nosedived in the second part of the season. "It's nice to be back." In-form Mercedes driver George Russell found a late burst to qualify second. Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso was fourth and Yuki Tsunoda " Verstappen's Red Bull teammate " was fifth in a season where he has struggled badly. Verstappen was frustrated throughout the sprint qualifying. He complained of understeer and also said his car was bouncing, a problem he encountered earlier Friday in the race's only practice session. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton's miserable form continued when he was eliminated from SQ1, the first part of sprint…...

1+ hour, 6+ min ago (583+ words) Max Verstappen fumes at his Red Bull during an SQ3 run that sees him qualify sixth. (0:42) DOHA, Qatar -- Oscar Piastri said "it's nice to be back" after taking his first pole position of any kind since late August for Saturday's sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix, as championship leader Lando Norris qualified third and Red Bull's Max Verstappen settled for sixth. Piastri picked a vital time to do it, going 0.032 seconds quicker than Mercedes driver George Russell with his final lap to snatch the front spot of the grid. Crucially, teammate and title rival Norris -- who leads Piastri and Verstappen by 24 points -- ran wide at the final corner, meaning he had to settle for third behind Russell. There is only a maximum of eight points available in Saturday's sprint race and one point between each position, meaning Piastri's chances of…...

1+ hour, 9+ min ago (322+ words) Formula One News: Oscar Piastri claimed Sprint pole at the Qatar Grand Prix, setting a blistering pace. His McLaren teammate Lando Norris secured third, while George Ru High-octane action unfolded under the stars at the Lusail International Circuit on Friday as the Qatar Grand Prix began with a free practice session followed by Sprint Qualifying Oscar Piastri secured the Sprint pole and set the tone for the next two days of the penultimate round of the F1 season He is currently in second place in the Drivers" Standings, tied with Max Verstappen, while Lando Norris leads the championship.Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying resultsSprint Qualifying was held on Friday at 8:30 pm local time (11 pm IST) McLaren"s Oscar Piastri clinched the first spot on the grid for the Sprint on Saturday His teammate Lando Norris finished third Mercedes" George Russell secured…...

1+ hour, 10+ min ago (609+ words) Nov 28, 2025 | 1:37 PM EST Over the years, Dale Earnhardt's life and legacy have inspired a steady stream of documentaries, books, and storytelling projects that continue to keep his impact alive long after his final race. ESPN's 30 for 30 film, The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt, is still one of the most-watched motorsports documentaries ever. Now, for Intimidator's fans, there's something brand new to get excited about. The Daytona Beach News Journal just announced a big, beautiful tribute called "EARNHARDT! The Intimidator's life, legacy and enduring popularity after 75 years." The timing feels perfect. April 2026 would have been Dale's 75th birthday, and it also marks twenty-five years since the 2001 Daytona 500. The book follows his whole journey " growing up in a mill town in Kannapolis, his first Cup start in 1975, his first win at Bristol in 1979. His seventy-six victories, seven championships, and the switch to that famous…...

1+ hour, 17+ min ago (250+ words) Elfyn Evans' hopes of claiming his first World Rally Championship title suffered a major blow on Friday when the Welshman lost valuable time with a puncture in Saudi Arabia. He had to change a rear-left tyre which cost him around two minutes, giving the title advantage to his Toyota teammate Sebastien Ogier. "We had a puncture alarm right at the beginning," said Evans. "It was going down quite slow but it was so far to go that we had to make a decision to change it where we could. Not ideal." France's Ogier, three points behind Evans going into this season-closer, ended the day in sixth, but crucially over two-and-a-half minutes up on Evans, despite being hampered by a double puncture himself. "Tomorrow we'll have to cross our fingers to not have any more punctures," said Ogier. "I don't want…...

1+ hour, 20+ min ago (233+ words) Oscar Piastri secured pole position for McLaren in the Qatar sprint race, with teammate Lando Norris qualifying third. Max Verstappen starts sixth. Norris leads the championship by 24 points. Mercedes' George Russell and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso also in top positions. McLaren Shines as Piastri Grabs Pole in Qatar Sprint Oscar Piastri secured pole position for McLaren in the Qatar sprint race, with teammate Lando Norris qualifying third. Max Verstappen starts sixth. Norris leads the championship by 24 points. Mercedes' George Russell and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso also in top positions. Oscar Piastri delivered a stellar performance for McLaren by securing pole position in the Qatar sprint race on Friday, while his teammate, F1 championship front-runner Lando Norris, qualified third. The other title contender, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion, will begin Saturday's race in sixth place, trailing his teammate Yuki…...

1+ hour, 20+ min ago (474+ words) Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari woes from Las Vegas seem to have followed him to the Middle East in Qatar, given the result of the Sprint Qualification for the Briton. The man who announced his arrival to the famous paddock at the start of the last season carried immense hype when he initially donned the Ferrari red. However, as the season progressed, Hamilton's fabled Ferrari move turned into a nightmare season, with the 7X world champion looking at the first-ever season of his career without a podium finish in a Grand Prix. Ahead of last week's Las Vegas GP, Ferrari chairman John Elkann took a shot at his drivers, as he claimed his team needed drivers who would focus on talking less and driving more. Ever since, the onus was on the drivers to prove their mettle on the track, but for Hamilton,…...