Piastri grabs pole in Qatar as Norris slips on the final lap

Pole position and a dramatic final lap

Oscar Piastri, driving for McLaren, clinched pole for the Qatar Grand Prix, beating teammate Lando Norris by 0.108 seconds after Norris aborted his final run due to a front-end grip loss at turn two. Verstappen starts third and remains a true title contender, needing to finish ahead of Norris to keep the pressure on.

Norris could seal the world title by winning, or by finishing ahead of Piastri and Verstappen.

Race weekend notes and the rest of the top 10

Norris admitted his final lap mistake, while Piastri expressed confidence in the car and setup. Verstappen acknowledged improvements over the sprint, but noted the challenges of overtaking on the Qatar circuit. Russell finished fourth, with Kimi Antonelli fifth, and Ishak Hajjar sixth, followed by Sainz, Alonso, Gasly, and Leclerc, who spun on his opening lap. Hamilton endured a nightmare weekend, starting 18th on a track where his car had improved slightly but still was not up to the mark.

Punchline: If racing were a joke, Norris would be the setup and Piastri the punchline—pole, and the punchline lands without a slip. Punchline 2: After this qualifying, even the pit wall asked for a rerun, just to see Norris try again with more grip.