Oscar Piastri starts from the front. © APA/afp / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

Pole Position: Piastri show continues in Qatar

Oscar Piastri remains on course to battle his teammate for the Formula 1 World Championship in Qatar. After securing pole position for the sprint race and winning the afternoon session, the championship contender in his McLaren also secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix.

29 November 2025

From: dpa

The 24-year-old Australian relegated his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who leads the championship standings, to second place. Defending champion Max Verstappen finished third in his Red Bull. "Let's go, baby," Piastri radioed to his crew: "That was mega." The whole weekend has felt fantastic, said the visibly delighted challenger, who needs to finish ahead of Norris in Sunday's race (5:00 PM CET) to stay in contention for the championship.

The same applies to Verstappen. "We have to see what we can do," the Dutchman said regarding the race prospects. It will be tough. Overtaking is difficult on this track, and for safety reasons, two tire changes are mandatory this time; one set can be used for a maximum of 25 laps, and there are 57 laps to go.

"Oscar is definitely back"

Piastri made it clear, first verbally and then on the track, that he hadn't traveled to Qatar to help Norris. Starting from pole position in the sprint, the Melbourne driver demonstrated why he had been considered the top favorite for the title until the end of August. "Oscar is definitely back," team principal Andrea Stella had already emphasized. His last victory to date had been at the Grand Prix in Zandvoort.

Lando Norris must fend off attacks from his rivals. © APA/afp / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

Ultimately, his sprint victory only gained him two points on Norris, who finished third behind George Russell in the Mercedes. Verstappen had managed to climb from sixth on the grid to fourth. "Damage limitation," commented Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies. Verstappen's deficit to Norris increased by one point to 25. After the victorious weekend in Las Vegas and the subsequent disqualification of Norris and Piastri, things aren't going ideally for Verstappen in Qatar.

The scenario for Norris's title bid could be simple: If he wins the Qatar Grand Prix, he'll be the new world champion, dethroning Verstappen after four consecutive victories. Otherwise, things could get complicated. Ultimately, Norris needs a 26-point lead over Piastri after the race – it's based on the number of wins, and Piastri could theoretically be ahead 8-7 in Abu Dhabi – and a 25-point lead over Verstappen. The Dutchman can no longer be ahead on wins if they are tied on points. In the first qualifying session, Norris initially edged out Piastri, with just 77 thousandths of a second separating the two teammates, who have been given free rein by team management to continue racing against each other.

Thrilling battle for the top ten

When the 20 minutes were up, Russell's name was in first place. Verstappen was in fourth – but almost four-tenths of a second slower than Russell. At the back of the field, the sporting humiliation continued for record world champion Lewis Hamilton: For the third time in a row, the 40-year-old Briton was eliminated in Q1.

Max Verstappen still has a chance at the World Championship. © ANSA / DARKO BANDIC / POOL

Piastri then put in a phenomenal lap, distancing Verstappen by almost half a second – as well as Norris. Norris's time was immediately deleted. Now he had to stay calm – which he did, and easily advanced. In the final battle for pole position, he then set the fastest time. Piastri remained close behind, just 35 thousandths of a second. Then the session was interrupted. The track needed to be cleaned. Perfect for the drama. Around five minutes remained, but everyone was still waiting. Norris was the first to leave the garage, but had to abort his run, while Piastri stormed to his sixth pole position.