McLaren's Norris Edges Russell for Qatar Sprint Pole in Tight Qualifying Battle
Lando Norris secured pole position for the Qatar Sprint race with a commanding performance in qualifying, edging out Mercedes' George Russell by just 0.063 seconds. McLaren's Oscar Piastri will start third, defending his position from last year's Sprint victory at this track.
The qualifying session saw drivers primarily attempting two flying laps on soft tires, though Norris's pole-winning time came from his first attempt after a mistake-laden second run. His winning margin proved sufficient despite a strong challenge from Russell, who set personal best times in all three sectors.
Top 10 Qualifying Results:
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- George Russell (Mercedes) +0.063s
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.159s
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
- Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri)
Orange McLaren F1 car on track
Notable incidents included Sergio Perez's elimination in SQ1, marking his first bottom-five Sprint qualification of the year, following a controversial moment with Charles Leclerc at Turn 1. The session also saw strong performances from the Ferrari duo, who had topped earlier practice sessions but couldn't maintain their pace advantage in qualifying.
F1 qualifying results standings chart
"It's tough because it's so quick around here," Norris commented after securing his second Sprint pole of the year. "The final sector feels like you're just hanging on. Great qualifying today, especially to bounce back from where we were last time out in Vegas."
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