Max Verstappen secures third straight world championship; Oscar Piastri wins Qatar sprint race

Oscar Piastri may have won the sprint race in Qatar, but Max Verstappen secured his third consecutive world championship before the race was even over.  Here’s what you need to know:

The start of the Qatar sprint race was chaotic. Within the first four laps, two safety cars were deployed after Liam Lawson and Logan Sargeant found themselves beached in the gravel a few laps apart.
The safety cars ultimately helped the drivers on soft tires, not only in terms of tire life but also being quicker on the restart compared to medium tires.
On lap 11, Sergio Pérez, Esteban Ocon and Nico…