Max Verstappen is hovering right over Lando Norris' shoulder after the Qatar Grand Prix, with the F1 title battle now set to go down to the wire

Oscar Piastri took two points out of Lando Norris ' F1 world championship lead after he won the sprint race in Qatar. Piastri converted his pole position into a comfortable victory under the thousands of bulbs that light up the Lusail International Circuit to reduce Norris' advantage at the top to 22 points with 50 to play for.

Verstappen took the win after Norris’s poor start; Norris finished second. Russell completed the podium. Then the controversy came.

After Red Bull slotted in the last dominoes of next year’s lineup, here’s what to make of 2026’s crop of the most prominent figures in Formula One.

Lando Norris is taking a narrow F1 championship lead over Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri into the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi.