Norris: “I’m here to try and win” after qualifying third ahead of sprint race
- Chloe Buckley
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Lando Norris is currently 24-points in the lead of the 2025 title race, ahead of the tied Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. However, will the championship leader be able to pick up those vital points from the final sprint race of the season?
Norris qualified third this evening in Qatar for Saturday’s sprint race. Sprint races are a major opportunity for drivers to pick up some extra points, which is exactly what the top three in the standings need at this point in the season.
With only two races to go, it is becoming an increasingly tight battle for who will take it all. It will be difficult for Norris to try and gain places in such a short amount of time, which means he will likely lose points to Piastri, who qualified first after also topping the practice session.
Following the qualifying session, Norris spoke about his session and his aims for tomorrow.
"The pace was there but I made a mistake in the last corner,” Norris said. “I just didn't put it together.
"I would be stupid not to try and win but it is impossible to overtake so I think I will probably finish P3.
"Getting past George Russell on the line is probably the best I can hope for."
Despite the difficult task, Norris will try his hardest to get past Russell, and hopefully Piastri, to pick up the maximum eight points tomorrow.
On the plus side for Norris, Verstappen qualified back in sixth, meaning he likely won’t be a threat to him in Saturday's sprint.
Tomorrow, the final 19 sprint race laps will take place in Qatar. It will be an interesting watch to see who comes out on top ahead of the penultimate race of the 2025 Formula One season.
