Oscar Piastri secured pole position in the Catar GP sprint race this Friday in Lusail. The McLaren driver recorded 1m20s055 in the last attempt of SQ3 and surpassed George Russell by just 0s032. Lando Norris completed the top 3, while Max Verstappen will only start sixth.
The qualifying session for the sprint took place at 6pm local time (11am on Brasília) and defined the grid for the short race scheduled for this Saturday at 2pm on Circuito Internacional on Lusail.
Tight dispute in SQ3 ends with McLaren ahead
George Russell led the final segment until the final seconds. Piastri responded with a perfect turn and took the position of honor at the last moment.
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1m20s055
- George Russell (Mercedes) – +0s032
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0s230
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +0s395
The minimal difference between the top three reinforced the current balance of Fórmula 1 2025 in the remaining two stages.
Verstappen suffers from car jump and is out of the top 5
Max Verstappen opened qualifying by pushing on medium tires in SQ1. The four-time champion led the first segment, but lost performance in the following stages.
The driver of the Red Bull radio reported that the car jumped excessively on the curbs and oversteered in the high curves. The problem had already appeared in the single free practice.
Yuki Tsunoda surpassed his teammate for the first time this year and will start fifth. Verstappen comes out in sixth, a position that makes it difficult for him to recover in the fight for the title.
Gabriel Bortoleto advances to SQ2, but stops in 13th place
Gabriel Bortoleto started SQ1 well and was provisionally among the five fastest. The Brazilian from Sauber maintained a competitive pace in the first phase.
In SQ2, however, the driver did not find enough grip with the soft tires. Bortoleto ended up eliminated in 13th place.
Nico Hulkenberg, his teammate, will start 14th. Sauber continues without scoring in the last races.
Hamilton has early elimination and starts 18th in the sprint
Lewis
Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto completed the list of five eliminated in the first cut. Ferrari is going through a difficult time in Catar.
2025 title could be defined in the sprint race
Lando Norris leads the championship with a 24-point lead over Piastri and Verstappen, who are tied for second place. A combination of results this Saturday could hand the title to the Brit.
If Norris finishes sixth or better in the sprint, regardless of the result of his rivals, he will mathematically be champion. The short test awards up to eight points to the winner.
The start of the sprint race is scheduled for 2pm local time this Saturday. Qualifying for the main Catar GP takes place this Friday at 10pm local time.
