The Safety Car was needed after a chaotic start at the 100KM Sprint in Qatar, as while Oscar Piastri was able to get away well from pole position, his fellow rookie driver Liam Lawson’s day ended in the gravel.
Piastri made a strong start to keep a hold of the lead, but it was not good news for his team mate, Lando Norris, who dropped down to sixth from second, as the fast-charging George Russell, as well as the Ferraris, came past.
READ MORE: Piastri beats Norris and Verstappen to pole during Sprint Shootout thriller in Qatar
Max Verstappen went from third to fifth as a slow start saw him drop down the order, although he is still in prime position to seal his third drivers’ title. Further back, his team mate, Sergio Perez dropped from eighth to 11th.
As for Lawson, his race ended after losing the rear of his car and dropping it into the gravel in the opening exchanges, bringing an end to the AlphaTauri driver’s evening.
Click on the video player above to relive a superb first lap in Qatar and keep up with the rest of the evening’s proceedings in Lusail with our live coverage here.
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