Oscar Piastri takes pole position pipping Lando Norris ahead of Qatar Grand Prix
29th November 2025McLaren has locked out the front row of the Qatar Grand Prix as Oscar Piastri clinched pole position ahead of Lando Norris, for a crucial race in the championship.
Feature image credit: McLaren Racing
Piastri has been on hot form this weekend, topping every session so far this weekend, and the Australian didn’t let up in qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix as he sealed pole position.
It marks the first pole position for the #81 McLaren since the Dutch Grand Prix, back in August, where Norris endured a painful mechanical retirement.
Piastri will start ahead of Norris, who qualified second for the race, and his position is crucial as he cut down the Briton’s advantage in the drivers’ championship to 22 points, having taken the sprint victory earlier today.
Norris had to abandon his final push lap in Q3 after he made a small mistake at the second corner of the Lusail circuit. However, his banker lap in Q3 was enough to only drop to second after Piastri pipped him by a tenth of a second.
If the Australian can remain ahead of his teammate at the chequered flag on Sunday, he will push the title fight to the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
However, the same cannot be said for the final championship contender, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who will start in third. It means all three drivers inside the title fight will start the race inside the top three on the grid.
Verstappen currently sits 25 points behind championship-leading Norris heading into the penultimate race of the season. If he cannot finish ahead of Norris in Sunday’s race, it will end the Dutchman’s run of consecutive world championships.
Additionally, it was another painful session for Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton suffered a third consecutive Q1 elimination – including his SQ1 knock out on Friday. The seven-time world champion could only best 13th in Q1 on his final run and dropped to 18th after others improved.
Hamilton’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, was able to climb up to Q3 but could only best 10th fastest.
Who qualified where?
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
- Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
- Carlos Sainz, Williams
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Nico Hulkenberg, Kick Sauber
- Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
- Oliver Bearman, Haas
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Kick Sauber*
- Alexander Albon, Williams
- Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
- Esteban Ocon, Haas
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Franco Colapinto, Alpine
*Bortoleto will serve a five-place grid penalty after causing a collision with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, last weekend.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Oscar Piastri wins Qatar Grand Prix sprint ahead of Norris and Verstappen
- Lewis Hamilton hoping for a better tomorrow after ‘tough’ start at Qatar GP
- Oscar Piastri takes Qatar Grand Prix sprint pole ahead of Norris and Verstappen
- Oscar Piastri tops practice in Qatar Grand prix ahead of sprint qualifying
- Adrian Newey to be Aston Martin F1 Team Principal in 2026
- Qatar Grand Prix Preview: Championships on the line in penultimate round
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
