With this win, Piastri reached 374 points for the season, closing the gap on Norris, who has 396 points, by two points – a combination of results in Sunday’s race that could give the Englishman his first title in Formula 1. Verstappen, who finished fourth, reached 371 points, maintaining third place in the season standings.
Sauber’s Brazilian Gabriel Bortoletto started 13th and managed to gain two places in the race to finish 11th. The drivers will return to the Losail Circuit at 3pm (Brasilia time) for the qualifying race, and the race that could secure Norris’ early title is scheduled for 1pm on Sunday.