Lando Norris made a critical error at the final corner during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race, allowing his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to seize pole position. The slip through the gravel trap dropped Norris to third on the grid, with teammate Piastri edging him out by 0.230 seconds.
Heading into the last two rounds of the season, Norris holds a 24-point advantage over Piastri, intensifying the intra-team championship battle. Splitting the McLaren pair was George Russell, a mere 0.032 seconds behind Piastri, underscoring the competitiveness of qualifying.
Max Verstappen’s title hopes took a hit as he could only manage sixth place, having been outqualified by Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda for the first time this season. Verstappen’s frustrations with his car were audible, lamenting its excessive bouncing and struggling to find speed during his final qualifying runs.
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Earlier tension flared between Norris and Verstappen in Q1 when Norris accused Verstappen of impeding him on his last lap, although no action was taken by the stewards. Despite this, Norris qualified significantly ahead of Verstappen and four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who endured another difficult session, starting 18th for the sprint after failing to progress beyond Q2.
Hamilton’s struggles continued despite affirming confidence in his switch from Mercedes to Ferrari. He was nine-tenths off Verstappen’s best time and expressed frustration with the car’s performance, leaving him with few positives ahead of the 25-lap sprint race.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc advanced to Q3 for Ferrari and will line up ninth, hoping to capitalize on a stronger qualifying showing.
As the sprint showdown approaches, the stakes remain high with points on offer, keeping the championship battle between Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen wide open.