Piastri back on pole; Verstappen struggles
Oscar Piastri took pole position for the sprint in Qatar. It is an important boost for his title aspirations. Lando Norris only managed third place. Max Verstappen will start in sixth position.
Piastri was competitive all day. His form had been lacking since Baku, but he regained his confidence in Qatar. It is his first pole position since Zandvoort, eight races ago.
George Russell was close behind Piastri. Mercedes built up his pace and briefly topped the timesheets in SQ3. Piastri responded with a fast lap, despite a precarious moment at Turn 4.
Norris was unlucky with his track position. On his final flying lap, he was stuck behind Alex Albon. Albon was last in SQ3 and clearly hindered Norris.
Verstappen with problems
Yuki Tsunoda beat Verstappen for the first time this season and finished fifth. Verstappen lost his first flying lap due to a track limits violation at Turn 4. He hit the gravel and may have sustained floor damage. On the final run, he struggled with porpoising and called his car “idiotic”.
That result is unlikely to change much in terms of Tsunoda's chances for next year, but it is certainly a positive day for him.
Hadjar and Hulkenberg affected by track limits
Isack Hadjar looked set to progress to SQ3. His fastest time was deleted due to track limits. There was a lot of swearing on the radio after the penalty was confirmed. He had been sixth in SQ1.
Nico Hulkenberg also lost a fast lap time due to track limits. He created a cloud of dust at the final corner and saw his position disappear as a result.
Hamilton out early again
Lewis Hamilton was once again eliminated in Q1. According to reports, he had opted for a higher downforce wing than his teammate Charles Leclerc. This partly explains why his lap time was much slower. It was a setback for Hamilton, while Leclerc managed to advance.
Also noteworthy: Lance Stroll qualified in sixteenth place, while his teammate Fernando Alonso was already in second place in Q1. Things remained difficult for Alpine, with Pierre Gasly still two tenths faster than Franco Colapinto.
Key points
- Piastri takes sprint pole in 1m20.055s.
- Russell and Norris follow close behind.
- Verstappen struggles with track limits, possible floor damage and porpoising.
- Hadjar and Hulkenberg lose time due to track limit violations.
- Hamilton crashes out early in Q1 again.
Complete results
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1m20.055s
- George Russell (Mercedes) +0.032 seconds
- Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.230s
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.395 seconds
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +0.464 seconds
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.473 seconds
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.477 seconds
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.487 seconds
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.567 seconds
- Alex Albon (Williams) +0.733 seconds
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) 1m21.433s
- Ollie Bearman (Haas) 1m21.494s
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) 1m21.567s
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) 1m21.631s
- Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1m21.666s
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m21.807s
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1m21.851s
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1m22.043s
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1m22.112s
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1m22.364s
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