F1 2025: Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying Recap: Oscar Piastri steals pole from teammate Norris as championship battle heats up

Oscar Piastri didn’t have a single pole since Zandvoort back in August 2025 but when it mattered the most, Piastri delivered as he continued his strong weekend in Qatar which saw the McLaren driver take pole position in Lusail. Piastri bested his teammate and championship rival Lando Norris to take pole with Norris having a late problem that saw pole position slip away from the championship leader. Max Verstappen finished P3 behind the McLaren 1-2 and made sure he too kept himself and his title hopes alive.

If you missed the action from Qatar Grand Prix 2025 qualifying, here’s a quick recap.

Q1 – Hamilton suffers another Q1 exit with Tsunoda

Williams’ Carlos Sainz was the first one on the track and it was the Spaniards’ 1:22.354s which was the first time on the board to get qualifying underway. Fernando Alonso’s 1:20.980s was the first of the midfield teams to go quickest which was 0.004s quicker than Max Verstappen’s first run. Oscar Piastri and George Russell, both went quicker than Alonso with Piastri’s 1:20.739s being the quickest time early on. A lot of drivers meanwhile were struggling with track limits and had the lap times deleted. 

Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly were two surprise entries at the front of the grid on a quick Lusail track. As the clock ticked down slowly, Norris and Piastri were at the top of the timesheets with Yuki Tsunoda struggling in the bottom five. A strong final lap from Alex Albon meant that Lewis Hamilton’s struggles continued with the seven-time world champion getting knocked out in Q1 along with Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto.

Drivers eliminated in Q1:

Yuki Tsunoda
Esteban Ocon
Lewis Hamilton
Lance Stroll
Franco Colapinto

Q2 – Leclerc scrapes through while Gasly makes yet another Q3 appearance

Ollie Bearman set the quickest time early on in Q2 with a 1:20.438s before Verstappen’s 1:20.142s saw the Dutchman go P1. Oscar Piastri’s 1:19.650s saw the 1:19s time get breached with Lando Norris having his first run time deleted due to exceeding track limits. With just over four minutes to go, Norris was yet to get a time on the board while Leclerc was another big name in the drop zone.

Norris’s first run saw him go P2, two tenths behind his teammate while Kimi Antonelli was another front runner in the drop zone. Pierre Gasly put in a strong final lap to put the Alpine driver into the top 10 shootout but it was Ollie Bearman, Liam Lawson, Nico Hülkenberg, Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto missing out 

Drivers eliminated in Q2:

Nico Hülkenberg
Liam Lawson
Ollie Bearman
Gabriel Bortoleto
Alex Albon

Q3 – Phenomenal Piastri steals pole from championship rival and teammate

Lando Norris set the benchmark for the grid with a 1:19.495s with Piastri being 0.035s behind his teammate. Verstappen’s first run saw him manage P3 at best, four tenths behind Piastri. Verstappen was quickly dislodged as Russell went a tenth quicker than Verstappen to put his Mercedes in P3 behind the two McLarens. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had a quick spin early on that saw Leclerc being the only driver to not put a time after the first runs. There was a short Red Flag following some debris being put on track from the tyre of Carlos Sainz. 

The session resumed with just over three minutes to go with the cars prepping for the final couple of runs. Oscar Piastri stole P1 from his teammate going a tenth quicker and with Verstappen unable to best that along with Lando Norris having an issue on his outlap meant that Oscar Piastri 1:19.387s was enough to see Piastri take pole position. Piastri’s final lap also saw the Australian break the lap time record in Lusail to add to Piastri’s joy. 

Starting grid for the Qatar Grand Prix 2025 (before penalties applied):

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 Hülkenberg
12. Liam Lawson
13. Ollie Bearman
14. Gabriel Bortoleto*
15. Alex Albon
16. Yuki Tsunoda
17. Esteban Ocon
18. Lewis Hamilton
19. Lance Stroll
20. Franco Colapinto

*(Has a five-place grid penalty from the Las Vegas Grand Prix which means he will start P19)