Oscar Piastri has kept his F1 drivers' title hopes alive with a near-perfect day at the Qatar Grand Prix, as he enjoyed triumph in the sprint before powering to pole for the main race.
According to Daily Mail, the Australian did everything he could to pile the pressure on his McLaren teammate and championship leader Lando Norris, who will start Sunday's race on the front row but with his lead now trimmed to 22 points.
“Let's go, baby!” the exhilarated Piastri declared over the radio after earning his first race victory and pole since the Dutch Grand Prix in August.
The 24-year-old, who is seemed a bit down amid his recent slump, admitted it was the most fun he'd ever had in an F1 car.
Asked if it was now win-or-bust on Sunday to keep his dream alive, he smiled: 'Pretty much.'
Norris remains on championship pole, knowing if he can win on the Lusail circuit, or if he gains four points more than Piastri, he'll be celebrating the title on Sunday night.
Piastri's sprint win enabled him to gain two crucial points on Norris, who could only finish third behind George Russell's Mercedes.
He is also three points clear of Max Verstappen in second overall after Red Bull's champion, level with Piastri going into the sprint, finished fourth, rising two places from his grid start.
Verstappen then came third in the dramatic qualifying as Norris, who'd been on provisional pole, had to abort his final run in Q3 after making a mistake with “understeer” as he was about to launch into it.
