He has to deliver, he delivers. Oscar Piastri takes pole for the sprint race in Qatar. Teammate Lando Norris, the world championship leader, finishes third, Max Verstappen not even that - and he swears.
28.11.2025, 20:36
dpa
Oscar Piastri has lifted himself out of his slump for the time being with pole position for the sprint race in Qatar and fueled his hopes in the world championship battle. The 24-year-old Australian put in a strong performance in qualifying at the Lusail International Circuit, relegating George Russell in the Mercedes and his McLaren team-mate, championship leader Lando Norris, to second and third place respectively.
"Nice to be back," Piastri radioed to his command post. He is 24 points behind Norris in the championship standings - the same applies to defending champion Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion only managed sixth place in the Red Bull, also beaten by his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda (5). "Not good, from the first lap onwards," said Verstappen, looking ahead to Saturday: "With this balance in the car, it will be more about surviving."
The world championship cannot be decided by the 19-lap sprint - but it can be decided at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. A win would give Norris a 25-point lead; if he doesn't win, he needs 26 points, otherwise the drivers' title will be decided on Sunday next week in Abu Dhabi.
Fierce battle for places right from the start
Verstappen was the first on the track when the race got underway. In practice three hours earlier, the Dutchman had already finished no higher than sixth, but the most striking thing was the gap of over five seconds. Twelve minutes remained for all 20 drivers in the first knockout round.
On his second attempt, he pushed Norris out of first place, but he immediately countered, as did Piastri, and Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin was also in the mix in the meantime - until Verstappen took the lead again. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was caught out again at the back. The seven-time world champion retired in 18th place in the Ferrari and trudged into the motorhome with his helmet on his head.
The ongoing radio traffic made it clear just how explosive the battle for the title is: Verstappen complained about Norris, Piastri complained about Verstappen. It is well known how strong the Dutchman is in sprint races. He has won 13 of the 23 that have taken place so far, with the winner receiving eight points and eighth place one point.
The second knockout section also confirmed that the battle for first place on the grid could be close. This time with Norris in first place, Piastri in second and Verstappen in third - just 80 thousandths of a second behind Norris. Eight minutes remained for the top ten. And Verstappen grumbled: "The car is bouncing like crazy". No lap on time for the Dutchman for the time being. Instead, Piastri moved ahead of Norris by 44 thousandths of a second. Verstappen tried again after the aborted lap - without too much success. At the front, Norris fended off the attack from Russell, who still managed to get ahead of Norris.
