Qatar - Qualifying

The Qatari sprint didn't change too much in the championship standings. Oscar Piastri managed to make up two points to the leader, Lando Norris, while Max Verstappen lost one, having finished behind him. With the short race out of the way, the attention of all fans and drivers turned towards the weekend's main event: Sunday's Grand Prix. And with how hard it can be to overtake on the strangely-shaped circuit, qualifying could prove to be more important than ever. 

Out of the remaining championship contenders, it was Piastri who was quickest after the first series of flying laps. The three quickest drivers swapped positions at the top of the leaderboard throughout the session, only to be overtaken by George Russell just as Q1 came to an end. The situation didn't look as rosy for Ferrari. Once again, both drivers struggled to tame the scarlet car, and while Charles Leclerc managed to make it through to the next session, the same couldn't be said about his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. His efforts weren't enough to get him out of the elimination zone, in which he was joined by Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, and Franco Colapinto.

Piastri dominated the second qualifying session, managing to jump to the top of the field, even on his used tires. His teammate wasn't in quite as comfortable a position, as he lost his first lap time due to exceeding track limits. With 4 minutes to go, Norris was at the very bottom of the standings. His next attempt stayed between the lines and put him into a safe P2. In _15, his name was replaced by that of Leclerc. All of Ferrari's hopes hang on the Monegasques' second attempt. Having crossed the finish line, he moved up to P9 and saved himself from elimination. This time, Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Alex Albon weren't as lucky.

Q3 began with Norris setting a blisteringly fast lap. Piastri tried to catch up to him, but missed out on the provisional pole by 0.035s. Verstappen was more than 0.4s behind the two, making it clear that the pole was for one of the McLarens to win. Leclerc had no more soft tires left for the session, having used them all up to make it as far as he had, and he struggled even harder than before. This time, he wasn't able to keep the car on track, noting a huge high-speed spin. Thankfully, the incident happened in an open area, allowing him to continue on in the session. Just as he took his limping Ferrari back to the pit lane, Carlos Sainz tried to leave it. There was one problem: a piece of plastic had attached itself to one of his tires. It detached as he went around the track, and a red flag was brought out, allowing the marshals to get rid of it. 

After the short break, Norris was quick to go out on the track, but he didn't get to improve his time, as an early mistake forced him to abort the lap. That left the door wide open for his teammate to give the fans a lap to remember and jump right to the top of the standings. That was exactly what the Australian did, putting himself in the best possible position for Sunday's Grand Prix. 

Order of the grid:

1. Oscar Piastri

2. Lando Norris

3. Max Verstappen

4. George Russell

5. Kimi Antonelli

6. Isack Hadjar

7. Carlos Sainz

8. Fernando Alonso

9. Pierre Gasly

10. Charles Leclerc

11. Nico Hulkenberg

12. Liam Lawson

13. Oliver Bearman

14. Gabriel Bortoleto

15. Alex Albon 

16. Yuki Tsunoda

17. Esteban Ocon

18. Lewis Hamilton

19. Lance Stroll

20. Franco Colapinto