Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Qatar Sprint, narrowly edging out George Russell and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Piastri set a fastest lap of 1m 20.055s in the crucial SQ3 session, finishing just 0.032 seconds ahead of Russell.
Lando Norris, who leads the championship by 24 points over Piastri and Max Verstappen, qualified third after a small mistake in the final corner. Fernando Alonso impressed with fourth place for Aston Martin, while Yuki Tsunoda out-qualified his Red Bull teammate Verstappen, who struggled with bouncing and ended sixth.
The top 10 qualifiers were:
1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
5. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
8. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
9. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
10. Alex Albon (Williams)
Isack Hadjar missed out on progressing to SQ3 after losing his final lap time due to track limits at Turn 8, finishing 11th. Nico Hulkenberg also lost his last lap time for the same reason and ended up 14th. Lance Stroll was the first driver eliminated in SQ1 alongside Liam Lawson and Lewis Hamilton.
During SQ1, Verstappen initially set the pace but was soon outperformed by title contenders Norris and Piastri amid evolving track conditions. Verstappen finished the session fastest with a time of 1m 21.172s, just a tenth ahead of Alonso. This set the tone for a competitive qualifying session ahead of the Qatar Sprint.
Piastri’s pole marks a pivotal moment in the championship battle, especially with Norris poised to clinch his maiden Formula 1 title if he scores enough points this weekend. Meanwhile, Verstappen’s challenge faces difficulties after a disappointing qualifying session. The upcoming sprint race promises intense competition at the Lusail International Circuit.
Read more at: www.formula1.com-
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