Piastri Strikes First as Qatar Sprint Battle Heats Up
So, the big story coming out of Qatar right now is Oscar Piastri landing a massive early blow in the championship fight by grabbing Sprint pole — and honestly, it couldn’t have come at a more crucial moment for him. After weeks of frustration and missed opportunities, it finally felt like everything clicked again for the Australian. You could almost sense the relief in his voice when he said, “Nice to be back!” And given how tough the last month and a half has been, that reaction makes perfect sense.
Then came that stunning Sprint Qualifying lap. Russell had just posted a strong provisional pole time when Piastri delivered a lap-record 1:20.055, beating him by just 0.032 seconds. And what makes it even more remarkable is that he admitted the lap almost fell apart at Turn 4 — he literally turned left in a right-hand corner and lost two-tenths. Somehow, he still pulled it together and finished the lap faster than anyone else. That sort of determination is exactly what has kept him in this title fight.
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Norris, meanwhile, didn’t have it quite as smoothly. Starting his lap in dirty air behind Alex Albon and then running wide into the gravel at the final corner pretty much sealed his fate for P3. Even Norris himself admitted overtaking will be “impossible,” almost sounding resigned to the idea that Piastri will close the points gap in the Sprint.
And then there’s Max Verstappen — the wild card in this whole title scenario. His day was rough. The Red Bull was bouncing so badly he abandoned his first Q3 run, and he could only manage P6. That meant he even finished behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. For someone who recently dominated in Las Vegas, this Qatar setup just hasn’t worked.
Even further down the grid, Lewis Hamilton’s struggles at Ferrari continued, getting knocked out in Q1 and starting 18th. His verdict? “The car couldn’t go any quicker.” The only positive he could identify was the weather — which tells you everything.
But the spotlight stays firmly on Piastri. If he wins the Sprint — something he’s already done twice before at this exact circuit — he takes eight points and slices into Norris’s lead heading into the main qualifying session. He’s still an underdog for the title, but Friday proved one thing clearly: he’s not giving up. Not yet.
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