WATCH: Piastri maintains lead from pole in Qatar Sprint start

Oscar Piastri maintained his pole position lead at the start of the Qatar Sprint, with George Russell and Lando Norris holding strong behind him. Further down the pack, Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen initially surged past Fernando Alonso. However, the four-time World Champion quickly retaliated, overtaking his Red Bull rival to climb into fourth place and begin challenging Norris for a podium spot. The opening lap saw clean racing among the front-runners, with Kimi Antonelli, Carlos Sainz, Isack Hadjar, and Alex Albon completing a competitive top 10 as the intense sprint action commenced.