LUSAIL, Qatar — Lando Norris ignored team orders to hand McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri victory in the Qatar sprint race on Saturday, while champion Max Verstappen secured pole position for the grand prix.

With McLaren sees its first Formula 1 constructors’ title in 26 years and George Russell close behind for Mercedes, Norris was told by the team over the radio to “finish in this order” ahead of Piastri.

He opted to give his teammate the win anyway, easing off to the right at the exit of the final corner and then sweeping back across in front of Russell, who finished third.

“The team told me not to, but I thought I could get away with it and we did,” Norris said. “Honestly, I don’t mind. I’m not here to win sprint races. I’m here to win races and the championship, but it hasn’t gone according to plan.”

Norris paid back for Piastri do the same in the sprint race in Brazil when Norris was still battling Verstappen for the driver’s title.

“I decided in Brazil when it happened,” Norris said. “I needed to do something to give it back.”

Piastri said he didn’t expect Norris to take the risk.

“I was aware that it could happen. I was a little surprised that it did with George half a second (away),” Piastri said. “It just shows our teamwork and the lack of egos within the team.”

It continues a season in which McLaren’s race tactics have often been a point of contention, such as when Norris and Piastri swapped the lead in Hungary after a protracted and often awkward radio exchange with the team.

On Saturday, Norris started on pole and held the lead at the start as Piastri squeezed past Russell for second. As Russell repeatedly attacked Piastri, Norris fell back rather than build a lead. That put Piastri within a second of Norris, allowing the Australian to use the DRS overtaking assist for extra speed.

Russell said he found the McLaren teamwork “quite infuriating” while stuck behind Piastri and also objected to what he saw as late moves by Piastri to defend the position.

“Hopefully we can have a proper run (on Sunday) rather than this team ordering things,” Russell said.

The F1 champion didn’t play much of a role in the sprint but he returned to form in qualifying and took pole for Sunday’s race from Russell by just 0.055 of a second on his final run.

It is his first pole since the Austrian GP in June, after McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all put pressure on the previously dominant Red Bull team in the second half of the season.

“Crazy. I mean, honestly, I didn’t expect it,” said Verstappen. “We changed the car a little bit but I never thought it would make such a swing in performance.”

Norris was .252 off the pace and sits third, with Piastri fourth, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr.

McLaren extended their lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship to 30 points, and have both their drivers ahead of Ferrari’s on the grid.

Teams can earn a maximum of 88 more points from the grand prix in Qatar and next week’s Abu Dhabi GP.

Red Bull dropped to 67 points behind McLaren in the standings as Verstappen — was crowned driver’s champion for the fourth time last week in Las Vegas — finished eighth and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was last after a pit stop to change the nose of his car.

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