P1racenews AI automatic summary:
It’s pole position for Oscar Piastri in the Qatar Grand Prix after a critical Lando Norris mistake.
Oscar Piastri’s steal of the pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix from his title rival and McLaren teammate Lando Norris was a result of Norris’ critical mistake during the second flying lap. Piastri, with a time of 1:19.387, secured P1 by being 0.108s faster than Norris, who had to abort his lap after an error at Turn 2. This crucial pole gives Piastri a chance to narrow the 22-point gap to Norris in the race, where overtaking may prove challenging based on the Sprint race. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen took the third position, with George Russell in fourth, while Lewis Hamilton faced elimination in 18th, moving to 17th due to a penalty for Gabriel Bortoleto.
In the qualifying drama, Norris initially held the lead over Piastri after the first Q3 runs, but a mistake in the second lap allowed Piastri to claim pole position, leaving Norris starting on the dirtier side of the grid. Verstappen took the third spot, followed by Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Pierre Gasly, and Charles Leclerc in the top 10. Leclerc’s first lap was marked by a significant spin in the second sector, causing a red-flag moment for a loose sticker on the track, which is currently under investigation.
Norris faced a scare in Q2 with his initial lap time deleted for a track limits violation, but he managed to secure a second-place finish behind Piastri in the segment, with Verstappen in third. Hamilton’s qualifying struggles continued as he ended up in 18th place during Q1, marking his third consecutive exit in the first segment of qualifying sessions. This follows his previous eliminations in Las Vegas and Qatar Sprint Qualifying, reminiscent of his struggles in the 2009 Monaco, Turkish, and British Grands Prix.
