Piastri keeps his championship dreams alive by taking pole in Qatar
- Charlotte Mui
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Written by Charlotte Mui
Oscar Piastri secured pole for the Qatar Grand Prix ahead of his teammate and championship rival Lando Norris.
Piastri continues his perfect weekend thus far and will be looking to take his first victory since the Dutch Grand Prix back in August. Norris will start second after aborting his final lap, while Max Verstappen continues to stay close to the McLaren duo, qualifying third despite troubles with the car yesterday.
Qualifying 1
Qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix got underway at 18:02 BST, with Carlos Sainz’s Williams leading the cars out of the pit lane. The top three championship contenders decided to stay in their garage for the beginning of the session rather than put in a lap time right off the bat.
As the first few laps came through, Ollie Bearman sat at the top of the timesheets, with a 1:21.644, before being displaced by Isack Hadjar who went approximately two tenths quicker. Both rookies have been outstanding in qualifying this season, especially when compared to their more-experienced teammates, and are strong contenders for the “Rookie of the Year” title.
Verstappen then put in a lap on used tyres, going second fastest—just four thousandths behind Fernando Alonso. Norris followed but could only manage fifth.
Piastri, meanwhile, went fastest overall, half a second quicker than his teammate. Pole will be crucial for the Australian, as he fights to remain in championship contention going into Abu Dhabi.
With 10 minutes remaining, Alonso improved to second; the Aston Martins appeared to be well suited to the Lusail circuit, especially in the Spanish driver’s hands.
Hadjar then reclaimed the top spot, further showcasing Racing Bulls’ strong pace around this track.
With seven minutes on the clock, the Ferraris sat sixth and eighth. While far from the elimination zone, they will be hoping for better positions, especially after their dismal performance in the sprint race where they came away with zero points.
Verstappen then put in a 1:20.534 to go fastest overall, but the McLarens were quick behind him. Both drivers soon displaced the Dutchman, with Norris moving to the top.
Despite Aston Martin's strong showing, Lance Stroll remained stuck in the drop zone and required a perfect final lap. Alonso, however, climbed to sixth.
In the final three minutes, both Ferraris returned to the track for another lap. While Charles Leclerc improved to fifth, Lewis Hamilton only managed 13th—another poor qualifying for the seven-time world champion this season.
George Russell was the last car out on track, and put his Mercedes at the top of the timesheets, looking to be fighting for pole once again.
Q1 Eliminations
16. Yuki Tsunoda
17. Esteban Ocon
18. Lewis Hamilton
19. Lance Stroll
20. Franco Colapinto
Qualifying 2
Bearman set the early pace in Q2 with a 1:20.438. Leclerc sat behind him, three tenths off the pace; the Ferrari car really didn't seem to be enjoying the characteristics of this track.
Verstappen then reclaimed the top spot, three tenths quicker than the Haas driver, as the two McLarens were on their out laps. He will need to qualify ahead of them to keep his title hopes alive.
Piastri then delivered a stunning lap, setting three purple sectors and going half a second faster than Verstappen. The Australian is looking extremely quick, and for the first time since August, he seems to have the upper hand on his teammate this weekend. Norris originally set a lap that would put him third, but his time was deleted for exceeding track limits.
Russell moved up to third soon after, followed by Sainz and Hadjar, while Bearman briefly went off track, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Without a time on the board, pressure was on Norris to put a lap together to get himself into Q3. He responded with a 1:19.861—good enough for second, but still two tenths off his teammate’s initial time.
The Mercedes drivers ended the session fourth and fifth, with Kimi Antonelli ahead of Russell after the British driver’s lap was deleted for track limits.
Leclerc narrowly scraped through into Q3, his time only good enough for ninth.
Q2 Eliminations
11. Nico Hülkenburg
12. Liam Lawson
13. Ollie Bearman
14. Gabriel Bortoleto
15. Alex Albon
Qualifying 3
Verstappen was the first to head out for the pole shootout, with both McLarens slotting in behind him. For Norris, pole would put the championship within reach; for Piastri and Verstappen, it was essential to keep their title fight alive.
Norris was the first to put in a flying lap and set an impressive 1:19.495, the quickest time so far. Piastri then crossed the line three hundredths behind him, unable to deny his rival provisional pole.
Verstappen’s time was only good enough for third, four and a half tenths behind the McLarens. Russell then split the Red Bull and papaya cars, but was still three tenths behind Piastri. At this stage, it was clear McLaren held the advantage, with pole likely to be decided between their two drivers.
Elsewhere, Leclerc spun off on his lap, finding the limit of his Ferrari and bringing out a brief red flag with the debris.
When the session resumed, all the attention turned to the McLaren cars. Norris returned to track first, while Piastri waited for a few more cars to peel out.
Norris originally looked to be gearing up for his second push lap, but abandoned it quite quickly after running wide in the first turn.
That left the door open for Piastri. His final flying lap edged ahead of Norris’s earlier benchmark by a tenth, securing pole position for tomorrow’s race. Norris, having aborted his last attempt, was unable to respond.
Sunday’s Starting Grid
Oscar Piastri
Lando Norris
Max Verstappen
George Russell
Kimi Antonelli
Isack Hadjar
Carlos Sainz
Fernando Alonso
Pierre Gasly
Charles Leclerc
Nico Hülkenburg
Liam Lawson
Ollie Bearman
Gabriel Bortoleto
Alex Albon
Yuki Tsunoda
Esteban Ocon
Lewis Hamilton
Lance Stroll
Franco Colapinto
Looking Ahead
The Qatar Grand Prix will begin tomorrow at 16:00 BST, and its outcome will shape the championship narrative heading into the season finale. Norris currently leads the standings by 21 points over Piastri and 25 over Verstappen.
If Piastri converts his pole into a victory, he will keep himself in the fight and head to Abu Dhabi with a realistic shot at the title.
Conversely, if Norris finishes ahead of his teammate—and especially if he wins—he could seal the championship before the final round. Pressure will be weighing on all the drivers and it will be fascinating to see how it all pans out.
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