Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday at the Lusail circuit, beating McLaren teammate and championship leader Lando Norris as Formula One’s title-chasing trio locked out the top three for a race that could define the season.
Norris, who can secure the championship on Sunday, was denied by Piastri at the decisive moment. While McLaren celebrated a front row lockout, Red Bull’s four time world champion Max Verstappen secured third and will start within striking distance as he bids to keep his hopes alive with a third consecutive victory in Qatar.
George Russell completed the second row for Mercedes on a night when overtaking is expected to prove difficult. Piastri’s pole capped a near faultless weekend, the Australian having already cut Norris’s lead to 22 points with a straightforward sprint win that also lifted him three clear of Verstappen.
It was Piastri’s first pole since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, the venue of his most recent full distance win, and it ended Norris’s run of three successive poles. Norris initially shattered the circuit record with a 1:19.495 in the final phase, but Piastri went quicker with a 1:19.387, finishing 0.108 ahead as Norris abandoned his last attempt after an error.
Piastri said the team had made minimal changes, adding that the car had felt strong throughout the weekend. Norris admitted he struggled with understeer on his final run, praising his teammate’s form and accepting that second place still leaves him well placed for Sunday.
Verstappen, who continued to struggle with bouncing at high speed, ended the session 0.264 off Piastri’s benchmark, describing the result as an improvement but still limited by the car’s behaviour.
Kimi Antonelli took fifth for Mercedes with Isack Hadjar sixth for Racing Bulls, followed by Williams driver Carlos Sainz, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Charles Leclerc rounded out the top ten for Ferrari after spinning in dramatic fashion, triggering a red flag so marshals could clear debris shed by Sainz’s car.
