Qatar GP Sprint Qualifying: Oscar Piastri takes pole with Lando Norris third, Max Verstappen sixth

Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint, outperforming key championship contenders Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, who qualified third and sixth respectively.

At the Lusail International Circuit, Piastri delivered an impressive lap, narrowly edging out Mercedes’ George Russell by a mere 0.03 seconds. Meanwhile, championship leader Norris was held back by a mistake on his second flying lap in SQ3, finishing two-tenths of a second slower.

Verstappen struggled during his initial flying lap in SQ3, making an error that compromised his pace. Consequently, he was surpassed by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda, with Tsunoda outqualifying Verstappen for the first time this season.

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Heading into Saturday’s Sprint at the penultimate race of the season, Norris holds a 24-point advantage over both his McLaren teammate Piastri and Red Bull’s Verstappen. Should Norris extend his lead to 26 points or more by Sunday, he will clinch the championship title.

Qatar GP Sprint Qualifying: Top 10 Grid Positions

Lewis Hamilton’s challenging first season with Ferrari continued as he was eliminated in SQ1, relegating him to start 18th on the grid. This follows a similar disappointing qualifying result in Las Vegas last week. Hamilton’s lack of pace was evident, and his post-session interview was notably brief, with just nine words spoken in response to multiple questions.

Piastri’s Pole: A Welcome Turnaround

After topping Friday’s only practice session, Piastri’s pole position marks a significant improvement following a streak where Norris consistently outqualified him over six consecutive races. Once the championship favorite after leading Norris by 34 points post-Dutch Grand Prix in August, Piastri’s title hopes have dimmed due to six races without a podium finish, leaving him with what he described as a slim “outside chance” to catch his teammate.

Reflecting on his performance, Piastri said, “It’s refreshing to have a strong day. From the outset, everything clicked, and I’m grateful to the team. The weekend has looked promising so far.”

“There are still minor details to refine, which is encouraging to say while on pole. Although it’s only Sprint pole, I’ll take any advantage I can get.”

“Sprint weekends are tricky to fully gauge, but the car felt good all day, and the adjustments before qualifying paid off. The pace was consistent throughout.”

Norris Reflects on Costly Error Amid Tense Radio Exchange

Norris has been in excellent form this season and would have nearly secured the championship if not for both McLaren cars being disqualified in Las Vegas due to plank wear violations. Despite this setback, Norris remains firmly in control of his destiny.

During Friday’s qualifying, Norris was closely matched with Piastri but a mistake at the final corner on his first run left him trailing. Compounding this, he inexplicably allowed Alex Albon to overtake him before his second flying lap, forcing Norris to contend with turbulent air behind the Williams car.

Initially, Norris appeared to blame his team for insufficient track time, but later accepted responsibility after his engineer, Will Joseph, questioned why he let Albon pass.

“The pace was there, but I made a mistake in the last corner. I just couldn’t put it all together,” Norris admitted.

Looking ahead to the Sprint, he added, “I’d be foolish not to aim for the win, but overtaking is extremely difficult here. I expect to finish third, maybe just ahead of George Russell at the line.”

Verstappen Battles Setup Issues and Frustration

Coming off a strong victory in Las Vegas, Verstappen arrived in Qatar with high expectations but struggled to find the right setup throughout Friday’s sessions. His frustration was evident over the radio, where he complained about the car “bouncing like crazy.”

Despite these challenges, Verstappen managed to stay within a tenth of the McLarens in SQ2, keeping him in contention for a front-row start. However, a mistake on his first flying lap in SQ3 forced him to abort the attempt, leading to a more cautious second run.

Falling behind Tsunoda meant Verstappen was outqualified by his teammate for the first time this season since Sergio Perez bested him at the 2024 Azerbaijan GP.

“The first lap was poor. The car was bouncing badly and had aggressive understeer that flipped into oversteer at high speed,” Verstappen explained.

“We tried adjusting settings on the wheel, but nothing really worked, making it tough to find a good balance. We need to analyze this further.”

Regarding Saturday’s Sprint, he said, “With this car balance, it’s going to be more about survival than speed. Hopefully, we can make improvements before qualifying.”

Qatar GP Sprint Qualifying Results

Sky Sports F1: Qatar GP Broadcast Schedule

Saturday, November 29

1:00 PM – Qatar GP Sprint Pre-Race Coverage*
2:00 PM – Qatar GP Sprint Race*

3:30 PM – Ted’s Sprint Notebook*
4:15 PM – F2 Sprint Race
5:15 PM – Qatar GP Qualifying Build-Up
6:00 PM – Qatar GP Qualifying

8:00 PM – Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday, November 30

11:55 AM – F2 Feature Race
2:30 PM – Grand Prix Sunday: Qatar GP Build-Up
4:00 PM – Qatar Grand Prix

6:00 PM – Chequered Flag: Qatar GP Reaction
7:00 PM – Ted’s Notebook

*Also available on Sky Sports Main Event

The thrilling conclusion to the Formula 1 season continues with the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1 starting Friday.