Oscar Piastri claimed a crucial pole position for the Qatar Sprint, beating George Russell and McLaren teammate Lando Norris to the top spot.
The Australian set the pace when it mattered most in Friday’s SQ3, sitting at the top of the times after both his flying laps, with his final benchmark of one minute and 20.055 seconds, leaving him just 0.032 seconds clear of Mercedes’ Russell.
“I had a pretty big moment on my lap but it was just enough in the end so thanks to the team – it’s a great car and it’s looked really good this weekend so far. I’m pretty happy with that,” Piastri said. “I think if you hook it up, there’s a 1m 19s in there. We’ll see what we can do, but at the moment I’m just happy with the result.
“There are obviously a few things to try and tidy up but it’s nice to be able to say that when you’re starting on pole.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Obviously. it’s only a Sprint pole and for a few points but I’ll take whatever I can get.”
Norris, who holds a 24-point lead over Piastri and Max Verstappen ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, which means he can claim a maiden Formula 1 title this weekend, finished two-tenths further back after running wide at the last corner on his final effort.
Fernando Alonso took an impressive fourth for Aston Martin, as Yuki Tsunoda outqualified Red Bull teammate Verstappen, the Dutchman struggling with bouncing and finishing sixth.
