Piastri's 1st win, Verstappen's 3rd title: F1 drivers react to 'stressful' Qatar Sprint Race

Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri stole the headlines in the Qatar Grand Prix as they made the most of their chances under the Qatari night skies.

For Verstappen, however, it was a sweet(er) evening as he became a three-time Formula 1 champion. The Red Bull driver needed to score just three points (sixth) in the Sprint Race, provided teammate Sergio Perez had won it.

But with Perez starting down the order and eventually retiring from the race after Esteban Ocon (Alpine) took him out, it was confirmed that the Dutchman is the 2023 champion.

"A fantastic feeling, it's been an incredible year," Verstappen said after the Sprint Race.

"I feel super proud, but super proud of the job of the team. We'll keep on pushing, but of course, I'm incredibly happy at the moment."

A generational talent with superhuman abilities ??

Max Verstappen is our 2023 Formula 1 World Champion! ??#QatarGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/X0Dqc5WV0I

Well done, McLaren!

Piastri and McLaren teammate Lando Norris started the race in P1 and P2, respectively, but were engulfed by some of the drivers around them. However, with them starting on the Medium tyre, like Verstappen, the race came back to them, and they could challenge for the top positions.

Piastri chased down Mercedes' George Russell, regaining P1 and never letting it go. Meanwhile, Norris dropped the order, making his comeback fight harder. Despite this, they finished P1 and P3, respectively, with Piastri taking his first F1 victory, albeit a Sprint victory.

The Australian said: "It was a very stressful race. When all the soft guys came through at the beginning, I thought we were in trouble, but then they fell away pretty quickly. I think we did a very good job. First Sprint win sounds pretty cool!"

OSCAR: "I'm very