Oscar Piastri has secured the best starting position for the sprint race in Qatar. The Australian clocked the fastest time in the McLaren during the sprint qualifying and will start from pole position at 13:00 UTC. While a third-place start may not be ideal for his teammate Lando Norris, with George Russell sandwiched between him and Piastri, McLaren has both cars in the top three.
Max Verstappen will have to work his way up from the sixth position, undoubtedly hoping for more. Notably, for the first time this season, teammate Yuki Tsunoda will start ahead of Verstappen. Fernando Alonso also surprised with a strong fourth time for Aston Martin, while Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh. Carlos Sainz rounds out the top eight for Williams.
The biggest disappointment on the starting grid is, once again, for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion could only manage the eighteenth position during the sprint qualifying. It seems the Brit’s run of bad luck is not yet over, and he is eagerly looking forward to the end of this season with Ferrari.
