Qatar - Sprint Qualifying

With only two race weekends left in the season, and only 24 points between the current leader, Lando Norris, and the two drivers tied in second place, every point matters, so even the sprint qualifying was sure to be an elbows-out fight. All three of them dreamed about getting the sprint pole, but only one could see that dream come true. Was it Norris? Or did Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen shake his comfortable position at the top of the standings?

The 12-minute-long SQ1 began with a great first effort from one of the championship contenders, Max Verstappen. The others, Norris and Oscar Piastri, weren't far behind, with the three continuing to swap places at the top of the leaderboards throughout the session. Mercedes was the last team to send their drivers out onto the track, putting them in a somewhat uncomfortable situation, especially as Kimi Antonelli delivered a disappointing first lap and fell into the elimination zone. He was met by Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, whose efforts also were not enough. Both had just one shot to turn their evening around. While Antonelli did manage to claw his way back to the top 15, the same could not be said about Hamilton. He remained in the drop zone, in which he was joined by Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto.

During the second session of the evening, it was Norris who immediately jumped to the top. Once again, his two main rivals were never too far behind. Antonelli faced similar issues he had battled in SQ1, being the only one without a competitive time, with only three minutes left in the session. He managed to climb back to the safe spots, only to fall as the others improved. His last attempt wasn't great, and he would have ended his day early, had it not been for Isack Hadjar, whose time was deleted for exceeding track limits. The Racing Bulls driver wasn't the only one to lose his last attempt, as Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg saw the same fate. They were both eliminated, alongside both Haas drivers and Gabriel Bortoleto.

All the drivers were eager to get out on track as soon as they could, in the hopes of having enough time to perform two flying laps over the course of the 8-minute-long session. Despite his relatively good performance in SQ1 and SQ2, Verstappen has been continuously complaining about the incessant bouncing of his Red Bull. His complaints only grew in strength when the issue destroyed his first flying lap, leaving him as the only driver without a time on the board. At the same time, Piastri and Norris sat comfortably at P1 and P2, respectively.

Verstappen was the first driver to attempt a second flyer, and, although he was improving on his previous times, he couldn't put together a satisfactory lap. He ended up qualifying sixth, behind his Red Bull teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. Meanwhile, in the front, Piastri held the provisional pole up until the moment George Russell managed a lap good enough to jump in front of him in the standings. Both McLaren drivers did all they could to qualify on the front row, but only one managed to do so. For the first time in a while, it was Piastri who regained the pole, while Norris had to settle for a somewhat disappointing P3.

Order of the grid:

1. Oscar Piastri

2. George Russell

3. Lando Norris

4. Fernando Alonso

5. Yuki Tsunoda

6. Max Verstappen

7. Kimi Antonelli

8. Carlos Sainz

9. Charles Leclerc

10. Alex Albon

11.  Isack Hadjar

12. Oliver Bearman

13. Gabriel Bortoleto

14. Nico Hulkenberg

15. Esteban Ocon

16. Lance Stroll

17. Liam Lawson

18. Lewis Hamilton

19. Pierre Gasly

20. Franco Colapinto