By Joe Murphy
Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint, edging out George Russell and teammate Lando Norris. Piastri’s time of 1:20.055 was just 0.032 seconds faster than Russell’s, with Norris completing the top three. It’s an important weekend for the Australian who must out score his teammate to remain in contention for a world title in Abu Dhabi next week.
Top 10 Qualifiers:
- 1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:20.055
- 2. George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.032
- 3. Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.230
- 4. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +0.395
- 5. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – +0.464
- 6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.473
- 7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.477
- 8. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +0.487
- 9. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.567
- 10. Alexander Albon (Williams) – +0.733
Piastri’s pole position is a significant boost for his title hopes, while Norris’s third place keeps him in contention for the championship. Max Verstappen’s struggles continued, with the Red Bull driver qualifying sixth.
Lower down the order, Lewis Hamilton’s misery at Ferrari continued with an early SQ1 exit.
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