Piastri Leads the Grid in Sprint Qualifying
As the season neared its conclusion, the battle for the title and pole position intensified: every weekend became crucial. The Saturday sprint in Qatar was decisive there was little chance to recover lost ground.
During the sole practice session,drivers mostly ran on C1 tires, switching to the familiar Soft (C3) only at the end. The main challenge was track limits, which led to the annulment of fast laps.
The regulations required the use of C2 tires in the first and second sessions, which all drivers complied with. Oscar Piastri set the fastest time, securing his fourth Saturday sprint pole, with George Russell just three hundredths of a second behind.
From the second row, Norris and Alonso will start, while Verstappen will begin sixth. In the first session, Verstappen was fastest with 1:21.172, while Stroll, Lawson, Hamilton, Gasly, and Colapinto were eliminated.
In the second session, McLaren improved, though more laps were invalidated. Norris claimed the top spot with 1:20.956, edging Piastri by five hundredths. Hadjar, Berman, Bortolotto, Hulkenberg, and Ocon did not advance to the final.
In the final, Verstappen struggled with car instability and track limit violations, while McLaren traded fastest laps.Russell attempted to challenge but ultimately remained second.
