F1 Qatar Grand Prix 2024 Sprint results: Verstappen NIGHTMARE as Red Bull star finishes last

McLaren made a statement in their constructors' championship fight against Ferrari and Red Bull on Saturday in Qatar, extending their narrow lead in the last sprint race of the year.

Lando Norris led from lights to the final corner, before handing the victory to team-mate Oscar Piastri over the finish line to pay the Australian back for his own sacrifice in the sprint race in Brazil.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen to be replaced by Red Bull as driver change announced at Qatar Grand Prix

READ MORE: Verstappen DISASTER at Qatar Grand Prix as title race takes huge twist

Max Verstappen struggled mightily with his Red Bull in the early stages, losing places and dropping all the way out of the points on the opening lap as he dealt with snaps of oversteer, although he worked his way back up into eighth place.

The result all but knocks Red Bull out of constructors' championship contention, with McLaren adding a further 14 points to the gap between the teams. Sergio Perez, who finished 20th out of 20 runners, did not help his team's cause.

READ MORE: Hamilton, Verstappen and 15 other F1 drivers under INVESTIGATION at the Qatar Grand Prix

2024 Qatar Grand Prix sprint - Final classification

1. Oscar Piastri [McLaren]
2. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +0.136s
3. George Russell [Mercedes] - +0.410s
4. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +1.326s
5. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - +5.073s
6. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +5.650s
7. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas] - +8.508s
8. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - +10.368s
9. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] - +14.513s
10. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] - +15.485s
11. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +19.204s
12. Valtteri Bottas [Kick Sauber] - +23.351s
13. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] - +24.421s
14. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] - +30.379s
15. Alex Albon [Williams] - +33.062s
16. Liam Lawson [VCARB] - +34.356s
17. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB] - +35.102s
18. Franco Colapinto [Williams] - +35.639s
19. Zhou Guanyu [Kick Sauber] - +1:11.436s
20. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - +1:14.371s

Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc [Ferrari]

READ MORE: F1 star absent at Qatar Grand Prix as team issue official health update

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