DOHA, Qatar – Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race, marking his first top spot since the end of August. Championship leader Lando Norris placed third, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull settled for sixth place.
Piastri demonstrated his worth by surpassing George Russell of Mercedes by 0.032 seconds on his last lap, securing the first place on the grid. Norris, who leads Piastri and Verstappen by 24 points, went off track on the last corner, relegating him to third place.
Although the sprint race awards a maximum of eight points and only one point between each position, Piastri’s pole position represents a significant return to form. The driver had been the favorite to win the title after his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix in August, but has only achieved one podium since then.
Oscar Piastri consiguió la pole position para la carrera sprint por delante de George Russell.Red Bull driver Verstappen was looking to continue his fight for the title, but showed his discontent with his car’s setup and went off track at a crucial moment in SQ3. “This car is an idiot,” Verstappen complained. Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies replied on the radio: “We have work to do, but the weekend is long, mate.”
Verstappen finished the session in sixth place, behind Yuki Tsunoda, who surprisingly qualified ahead of him in fifth place. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, was the highlight of the session. Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes will start in seventh place.
Carlos Sainz and Williams’ Alex Albon qualified on either side of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, who finished ninth.
The first qualifying session, SQ1, revealed tensions between the teams competing for the title. The stewards briefly investigated whether Verstappen had impeded Norris’s lap at Turn 16.
Verstappen simply didn’t get out of my way,” Norris reported. “It cost me the lap.”
McLaren expressed their discontent, and race engineer Will Joseph told Norris: “On every lap he pulls over immediately after completing his lap. That time he decided to stay out and screw you over. Yes, we saw it.”
The commissioners did not investigate the incident further.
Outside of the fight for the title, there was little excitement, although Lewis Hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari continued with his elimination in SQ1.
“Ah, man, the car is not going to go any faster,” said the seven-time world champion over the radio.
Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton has already qualified the 2025 season as the worst of his successful career.
