Piastri Takes Qatar Pole as Norris Misses Out

Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix with a decisive lap that placed him ahead of McLaren team mate Lando Norris and Red Bull rival Max Verstappen. All three title contenders will start from the front of the grid.

Norris led after the first runs of Q3 at the Lusail International Circuit. A brief delay followed while debris was cleared. On his final attempt Norris ran wide at Turn 2 and abandoned the lap, which removed his chance to improve.

Piastri delivered a time of 1 minute 19.387 seconds. The lap put him one hundred eight thousandths of a second ahead of Norris. A win for Norris on Sunday would secure the Drivers Championship. Verstappen qualified just over one tenth behind Norris. The defending champion must finish ahead of Norris in the race to keep the title fight alive for the final round in Abu Dhabi.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli completed the third row for Mercedes. Carlos Sainz placed seventh for Williams, followed by Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly for Alpine. Charles Leclerc completed the top ten for Ferrari.

Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed Q3 for Kick Sauber. He fell short by three thousandths of a second. Liam Lawson for Racing Bulls, Ollie Bearman for Haas and team mate Gabriel Bortoleto also exited in Q2. Bortoleto lost time after touching the gravel on his final lap. Alex Albon was eliminated as well and faces a post session investigation for a pit lane incident.

Yuki Tsunoda’s strong sprint performance earlier in the day was followed by a Q1 exit. He missed advancement by one tenth. Esteban Ocon for Haas and Lewis Hamilton also dropped out in Q1. Hamilton has now been eliminated in the opening segment of qualifying for three consecutive events. Lance Stroll for Aston Martin and Franco Colapinto for Alpine also failed to progress.

Sunday’s race will cover fifty seven laps at Lusail.

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