The starting grid for the Qatar Grand Prix promises a thrilling race in the desert. With two races left, the championship is on a knife’s edge: Lando Norris leads with 396 points, but teammates Oscar Piastri (374) and Max Verstappen (371) are hot on his heels.
Piastri impressively secured pole position at the Lusail International Circuit, with Norris right beside him on the front row. A McLaren one-two that puts the team in an excellent position, but internally creates a delicate situation. Piastri must stay ahead of Norris to keep his own title hopes alive, while the other side of the garage wants to see Norris win.
Max Verstappen starts from P3 and knows what he needs to do: finish ahead of Norris. If he doesn’t, the title fight will be over before the finale in Abu Dhabi begins. The three-time world champion will have to pull out all the stops to get between the two papaya-orange cars, and preferably ahead of them.
George Russell opens the second row from P4, followed by the surprisingly strong Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes. Also impressive is Isack Hadjar’s sixth starting position in the Racing Bulls. Carlos Sainz drove his Williams to P7, while Fernando Alonso completes the top eight.
The disappointment on the starting grid is Lewis Hamilton, who once again couldn’t get his Ferrari past P18. Yuki Tsunoda (P16) and Lance Stroll (P19) also had a disappointing qualification.
The lights go green for what could be the decisive race in the title fight at 15:00 UTC.
