Oscar Piastri will start Saturday’s 19-lap Formula 1 Sprint from pole position, alongside George Russell. The Australian driver claimed a crucial pole for the Qatar Sprint, edging out Russell and McLaren team mate Lando Norris.
Piastri set the pace in the final stage of qualifying, SQ3, with two strong flying laps. His fastest lap of 1m 20.055s placed him 0.032 seconds ahead of Russell. Norris, who holds a 24-point lead over Piastri and Max Verstappen heading into the Qatar Grand Prix, finished two-tenths of a second further back after running wide at the final corner on his last effort. This means Norris could still secure his first Formula 1 World Championship this weekend.
Fernando Alonso impressed for Aston Martin, taking fourth on the grid, while Yuki Tsunoda out-qualified Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen, who struggled with car bouncing and will start sixth.
The rest of the top ten included Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, Carlos Sainz for Williams, Charles Leclerc for Ferrari, and the second Williams of Alex Albon. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar failed to progress into SQ3 after losing his final lap time due to track limits at Turn 8, placing eleventh behind Ollie Bearman of Haas and Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber. Nico Hulkenberg in the second Sauber also lost his final lap time for exceeding track limits, finishing fourteenth ahead of Esteban Ocon in the second Haas.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton were among the drivers eliminated in SQ1, while the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto also failed to progress.
Piastri reflected on his performance after securing pole:
“It’s been a good day, which is nice for a change. Things clicked from the start and the Sprint Qualifying session went really well. I had a pretty big moment on my lap, but it was just enough in the end. Thanks to the team, it’s a great car and it has looked really good this weekend so far. I’m pretty happy with that.”
Saturday’s Qatar Sprint promises an exciting battle, with Piastri, Russell and Norris leading the charge as the drivers compete for vital points ahead of the main Grand Prix.
