.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp&crop=3%3A2)
- F1
The three F1 title contenders take the top-three positions on the grid, with Max Verstappen starting in third
Philip DuncanSaturday 29 November 2025 20:18 GMTComments
Close'I'm pretty used to it': Lando Norris ahead of Qatar GP with 2025 F1 title at stake
Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and get behind-the-scenes access and unrivalled insight
Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter
Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter
Email*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
Lando Norris failed to complete his last lap in qualifying for Sunday’s crucial Qatar Grand Prix to allow F1 championship rival Oscar Piastri to take pole position.
Norris, who will start alongside his McLaren team-mate for the penultimate round of the campaign in Doha, held a slender advantage heading into the decisive concluding laps.
But the British driver made a mistake when he ran wide at the second corner, and was forced to abort, leaving Piastri the chance to usurp him at the top of the order.
Piastri, a winner of the earlier sprint race here, which took him to within 22 points of Norris’ lead with 50 points still to play for, did not waste his opportunity, clinching pole by 0.108 seconds. Max Verstappen starts third to ensure he remains in the title hunt.
Norris will be crowned world champion on Sunday if he outscores Piastri by four points and Verstappen by one.
Recommended
F1 qualifying Qatar GP live: Oscar Piastri snatches pole after Lando Norris mistake
F1 grid: Starting positions for Qatar GP
When can Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 world championship?
Norris was already showing signs of nerves when he saw three consecutive laps deleted in Q2 for running all four wheels of his McLaren over the white lines at turn 10.
That left him scrambling for a place in the final phase which he delivered in the nick of time, albeit two tenths slower than his team-mate.
He returned for Q3 and laid down an impressive marker to put him just 0.035secs clear of Piastri, with Verstappen four tenths back.
An anxious five-minute wait for Norris followed when the session was red-flagged when a streaky piece of plastic broke off Carlos Sainz’s Williams.
.jpg)
open image in galleryOscar Piastri (centre) is on pole with Lando Norris (left) in second and Max Verstappen (right) in third (Getty Images)Norris was the first of the championship contenders to take to the track, but his lap was over within the opening two corners after he ran wide and could not improve.
TOP-10 - QATAR GP QUALIFYING
1. Oscar Piastri - McLaren
2. Lando Norris - McLaren
3. Max Verstappen - Red Bull
4. George Russell - Mercedes
5. Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
6. Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
7. Carlos Sainz - Williams
8. Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
9. Pierre Gasly - Alpine
10. Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
Piastri did to take top spot and Verstappen also bettered his opening run, albeit finishing nearly three tenths adrift of Piastri.
After he took third in the earlier sprint to extend his advantage over Verstappen to 25 points, Norris hit back at his rival’s claim that he would have already easily wrapped up the title if he was driving for McLaren.
“Max generally has a good clue about a lot of things, but there is also a lot of things he doesn’t have much of a clue about,” said Norris in response to Verstappen’s jibe.
“But it is also Red Bull’s way of going about things, an aggressive nature and just talking nonsense a lot of the time. Maybe he would have done (won the title easily) but he hasn’t done so far.”
open image in galleryPiastri won the sprint race earlier on Saturday (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)And it is Norris, despite missing the chance to take pole, who is just 24 hours away from dethroning the Dutchman without having to face a season-finale shootout in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
It was Groundhog Day for Hamilton after he suffered a hat-trick of Q1 eliminations.
Twentieth and last in Las Vegas a week ago, 18th for Saturday’s sprint and 18th again for Sunday’s main event.
open image in galleryLewis Hamilton endured another torrid day (PA Wire)These are desperate times for the seven-time world champion, whose first season at Ferrari continues to go from bad to worse.
Just as in qualifying for the sprint, Hamilton was close to four tenths off Charles Leclerc’s pace in the other Ferrari and nine tenths off George Russell, who led the way in Q1.
Leclerc managed to haul his Ferrari into Q3 and he will start eight places ahead of Hamilton in 10th.
Leclerc has now out-qualified Hamilton at 18 of the 23 rounds. Hamilton will start with only Lance Stroll and Franco Colapinto and looks increasingly set to end his opening season in red without a single podium finish.
More about
Lando NorrisMax VerstappenOscar PiastriMcLarenQatarJoin our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments
