F1 Qatar GP: Oscar Piastri secures crucial sprint pole as Yuki Tsunoda BEATS Max Verstappen

Piastri watching Verstappen talk after the Singapore GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying

F1 Sprint Qualifying Today: Piastri secures crucial pole as Tsunoda BEATS Verstappen at Qatar GP

All the drama from sprint qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix

Chris Deeley

Friday 28 November 2025 19:35 Updated: 20:01

Oscar Piastri came roaring back to form on Friday night in Lusail, putting himself on pole position for Saturday's F1 sprint race ahead of his championship rivals.

The Australian will be joined on the front row by George Russell, with team-mate Lando Norris in third and Max Verstappen all the way down in sixth – behind Yuki Tsunoda, for the first time in 25 sprint and grand prix qualifying sessions this year.

Verstappen's disappointing qualifying spot stemmed in part from a mishap on his first flying lap, going off track at Turn 4 and left with all the work to do on his last attempt.

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Earlier, Lewis Hamilton was knocked out of qualifying for the sprint in SQ1, as his miserable first season at Ferrari draws to a close.

Saturday's sprint race promises to be an excellent indicator of pace ahead of Sunday's grand prix, but the smattering of points on offer in the Saturday shootout means that it holds a much deeper significance than simply a test run.

Norris needs to outscore Verstappen and Piastri by two points this weekend to wrap up the title, with eight points on Saturday a great start to that goal.

F1 Sprint Qualifying Results: Qatar Grand Prix 2025

Position	Driver	Team	Time/Status
1	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:20.055
2	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.032s
3	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.230s
4	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+0.395s
5	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	+0.464s
6	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.473s
7	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.477s
8	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+0.487s
9	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.567s
10	Alex Albon	Williams	+0.733s
11	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	OUT IN SQ2
12	Oliver Bearman	Haas	OUT IN SQ2
13	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	OUT IN SQ2
14	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	OUT IN SQ2
15	Esteban Ocon	Haas	OUT IN SQ2
16	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	OUT IN SQ1
17	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	OUT IN SQ1
18	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	OUT IN SQ1
19	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	OUT IN SQ1
20	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	OUT IN SQ1