F1 | Qualifying | Qatar GP | Piastri returns to pole as Norris makes costly error in Q3 - Motorsport

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With the mandatory 25-lap tyre limit, the F1 Qatar GP Qualifying puts pressure on drivers to find the pace amid the championship battles. Nevertheless, Piastri did not let anything affect his momentum in his surge to P1, holding Norris off in the final moments of Q3.

After Oscar Piastri’s return to the top of the timesheets in the Sprint, the Australian will pose a threat to Lando Norris’ lead. As Max Verstappen looked to be struggling with bouncing in previous sessions, a good start position is key for all the title contenders. On a track known for bringing the highest temperatures on the calendar, tyre degradation will become a concern.

Lights out for Q1

Ahead of a possible title-deciding race on Sunday, the teams wasted no time in the first stint of the F1 Qatar GP Qualifying. Making quick work of the green lights, Carlos Sainz was first to go out for a lap around the Lusail International Circuit.

The #55 driver went on to set an early benchmark in this one-hour session, the penultimate Qualifying before the F1 2025 finale: 1:22.354. Nevertheless, the lap times started dropping fast as Fernando Alonso slotted nicely into P1 with a 1:20.980.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen narrowly snatched the pole; however, his third sector saw him face trouble with the dirty air. Piastri looked to be in an even better shape this early in the session, not far off from his Sprint pole time. On the rear end of the timesheet, both Ferrari drivers were struggling with grip.

However, Charles Leclerc managed to claim P6 after a well-executed flying lap. While Esteban Ocon had his time deleted for exceeding the track limits, Isack Hadjar put out a dominant lap that earned him pole with a 1:20.603.

Eliminated in Q1

With less than 6 minutes left of the F1 Qatar GP Qualifying, Max Verstappen set another impressive benchmark. Yet, his position was attacked straight away by Norris, who managed to drop even more thousandths from the P1 time, 1:20.157.

In George Russell’s attempt at taking over the lead, his final sector times only brought him up into P3 behind the two McLarens. As the time was running out, Leclerc faced the threat of dropping into the bottom five. While the Monegasque climbed up into a safe position, Hamilton was dangerously close to the elimination zone as he missed out on the Turn 1 apex.

The final push laps of Q1 were dominant as Gabriel Bortoleto’s flying lap earned him a spot in Q2. Russell went fastest, finishing the first qualifying stint in P1.

The drivers out in Q1 were: Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll, and Franco Colapinto.

Q2

In the small pause between sessions, the track evolution became clearer than ever. While complaints could be heard on the radio from eliminated drivers, the start of Q2 was slightly delayed due to gravel on the circuit.

Underway for the second part of Qualifying at the F1 Qatar GP, Oliver Bearman’s sectors added up to a 1:20.438 as he took pole. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari looked unstable during his laps, with issues possibly compromising his time.

As Verstappen made quick work of regaining the lead, Piastri tried his hand at snatching that P1. With Norris losing his lap time due to track limits in Turn 10, his Australian teammate dropped benchmark into the 1:19s. With half the grid opting to bide their time in the pits, issues with dust and oversteer loomed over the drivers.

Eliminated in Q2

The session’s time dipped under 3 minutes as the Lusail track welcomed all 15 drivers for their final attempts at flying laps. Lando Norris battled through the clouds of dust as he set a purple second sector that carried him into P2.

With no improvement for Piastri in his last lap, Leclerc battled the gravel for a tricky P9. Antonelli’s first two sectors earned him a spot in P4, right ahead of his teammate.

The bottom five drivers at the end of Q2 for the F1 Qatar GP Qualifying: Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman, Gabi Bortoleto, and Alex Albon.

Q3

With Gasly and Sainz making it through to the final Qualifying session, the last moments before lights out were critical. Additionally, Max Verstappen opted to sit out on the last Q2 attempts, appearing to preserve his tyres for Q3.

The top 10 shootout started quickly, with Piastri looking to hold onto a slight advantage over his teammate. Readying up for Q3, Verstappen lined up swiftly at the end of the pit lane. As drivers headed out on track to decide the F1 Qatar GP Qualifying results, Max decidedly sat out on a possible flying lap.

Adding up purple sector after purple sector, Lando Norris topped the grid with a 1:19.495. In Piastri’s first try at pole, he remained behind his teammate at a +0.035 difference. Meanwhile, Russell went into P3 with a decent gap behind Piatsri.

In a critical lap from Charles Leclerc, the driver had a big high-speed spin caused by issues with the steering wheel and overall balance. Thankfully, he managed to keep his Ferrari away from the barriers.

The final push in Q3

In a small stoppage due to debris that fell off the track from Sainz’s Williams, all drivers got a chance to return to the garages and review their mistakes for another run. As William’s were risking a fine for an unsafe release that caused the Red Flag, the session was set to resume at 22:00 local time.

As the drivers set out on their decisive flying laps, time was quickly dropping into the last 2 minutes of Q3. Going wide in his corner into the fast lap, Norris had to back out of the fight. Piastri and Verstappen took advantage of that mistake as they started trading purple sectors.

Oscar Piastri set a dominant time for provisional pole, 1:19.387, as Verstappen missed out on the opportunity for P1, slotting into P3.

Fastest lap times for Q3

Returning to pole for the first time since Zandvoort, Piastri added up incredible sector times for P1. Despite missing out on the last lap, Norris remained in a great position for the F1 Qatar GP, P2. Closing off the top 3, Verstappen tried going for pole, but just did not have enough pace in the end.